This isn’t some distant, cautionary tale from a far-off land. This is happening here. In America.
We were raised on slogans: “liberty and justice for all,” “freedom of speech,” “equal protection under the law.” Yet, we are watching those ideals unravel.
Troops rolling down our streets. Protesters silenced. Journalists surveilled. ICE raids happening in grocery stores, churches and Home Depot. A sitting U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, thrown to the ground and handcuffed for asking questions, doing his job.
Dissent is no longer just discouraged, it’s being criminalized.
I am horrified. And I am absolutely ashamed.
What we are witnessing is the deliberate erosion of rights. The steady normalization of state violence. The hollowing out of democratic institutions by those who hide behind flags, wave empty slogans and systematically steal futures while consolidating power.
This isn’t “America the Great.” This is creeping authoritarianism.
People might not like him, but Governor Newsom stated fact: “This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. An unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
He’s right. But sadly, we have already passed the line.
So now, these issues demand more. They demand us!
Our voices. Loud. Unwavering. Emboldened.
We must show up. Stand firm. Push back. Speak out. Because the people in power thrive on our exhaustion. They fear our resistance, but they also count on our apathy. They want us to scroll past, to sigh, to shake our heads, to convince ourselves it’s not that bad. But it is that bad.
And if we don’t fight, if we don’t flood the streets, organize, mobilize, protest and hold them accountable, then what’s happening now will be the norm. Make this moment impossible to ignore.
This is personal. This is urgent. This is our America to reclaim.
If we fail to rise up now, we will inhabit a country we no longer recognize, and by then, it will be too late.
