The Franklin Project
The Franklin Project
For Young americans to take our future into our own hands.
ABOVE: ICE AGENT PUSHES MOTHER TO THE GROUND INSIDE COURTHOUSE
ABOVE: MILITARY BIRTHDAY PARADE FOR DONALD TRUMP
ABOVE: NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS IN L.A
America is becoming an authoritarian country.
With ICE detaining, and disappearing legal US citizens, the government sending troops to American cities to squash peaceful protests, and political violence being normalized and even encouraged, we are rapidly losing our democracy.
This doesn’t just mean our generation will have less safety, worse politicians, and fewer opportunities than those who came before us- it means we will be victim to the unpredictable and dangerous whims of a dictator. Our educations, our careers, and our chance at building the life that we dream of are all at stake.
But even though these threats are overwhelming, young people in particular have the power to meet the moment, defend our democracy, and build the future we want to live in. A future safe from climate change. A future with economic opportunity and mobility for all. A future where children everywhere can grow up with food to eat and a roof over their head. This future is possible- but only if we fight for it.
How will The Franklin Project fight for our future?
The Franklin Project is forming a community of young Mainers (ages 16-35) dedicated to resisting authoritarianism in our state through the use of nonviolent protest tactics to protect our democracy and our future.
The Franklin Project has two primary projects, the first being our Human Rights Rapid Response Team and the second our Citizen’s Canvass project. The former is focused on engaging young Mainers in effective protest that puts pressure on people in power to protect our friends and futures from the threat of American authoritarianism. With these protests we will go beyond holding speeches and waving signs towards more targeted tactics of peaceful lobbying and disruption. At this point, we are especially focused on responding to the increased ICE presence in Maine.
The Citizens Canvass project is focused on facilitating conversations between young people and their neighbors to spread the word about the effects of authoritarianism on all Mainers, and the powers Mainers have to respond to these effects. To learn more about these projects, we have two new webpages coming soon.
From Serbia to the Philippines, history tells us that authoritarian regimes topple when young people get involved- and especially when they use tactics that go beyond rallies and marches towards more disruptive acts of peaceful non-cooperation. While marches are important for showing public outrage and creating community, speeches don’t matter much when the right people aren’t listening. The Franklin Project will make them listen, by using tactics of past successful non-violent movements, which you can read about on our “information and inspiration” page.
What can you do about it?
Come to our next meeting, January 29th at the Equality Community Center (15 Casco Street) in Portland! This meeting is open to those aged 16-35. RSVP here
We can’t sugarcoat it anymore.
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Being young means you often feel overlooked- but history tells us that young people have particular power in taking down autocrats. The Soweto Uprising of students in apartheid South Africa revived a democratic movement whose adult leaders had long felt discouraged. Seeing the courage of their children pushed these leaders to fight for the democracy South Africa has today. In Serbia after the falling of Serbian President and dictator Slobadan Milosevic, a soldier was asked why he didn’t shoot a crowd of protestors like Milosevic had ordered. He replied, “I didn’t shoot because my kids might have been in the crowd”.
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At a time when 30% of Americans believe that they “may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track”, having a strong resistance movement that is non-violent has never been more important.
Studies conducted by political scientists Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan found that between 1900 and 2006, non-violent movements were twice as likely to succeed in dismantling authoritarian regimes than violent ones. Simply put, non-violence doesn’t work. But most importantly, violence only begets more violence. To live in a peaceful world, we must create it peacefully too.
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In America we have a two-party system, and both the Republican and Democratic parties are responsible for the authoritarian threats we face today. Furthermore, the attacks of an autocrat are not selective, one day they might be focused on just immigrants and the next on the entire working class. This means that this cause is not just for immigrants, not just for queer Americans, and definitely not just for democrats- it is for all of us.