To the editor: Citizens must regain control of democracy

Democracy is not a self-driving car and we, as citizens, must not sit in the back seat bracing for a wreck. The majority of Americans oppose cruel policies and violent arrests of hard working immigrants and efforts to deny those most vulnerable access to healthcare, housing and food support.

The majority of Americans are repulsed by hateful, angry rhetoric dehumanizing women, people of color, those with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. The majority of Americans are disgusted by the growing number of billionaires whose corporations refuse to pay a livable wage forcing their full-time employees to depend on food pantries to feed their families.

So, why is this still happening and what can we do to regain control? The answer is becoming clear: spontaneous groups of strangers are rushing to the sites of immigration raids, recording the unlawful acts of ICE agents and deterring violent attacks and arrests of members of their communities.

Massive rallies and demonstrations have been organized to demand compassionate social policies and adherence to the rule of law.

Elected officials are beginning to denounce the reckless and unconstitutional deployment of the military into American cities and the immoral killings of unidentified foreign nationals on the high seas.

Americans are hearing the rattle of the rumble strip and realizing they must grab the wheel and steer us back toward a civil society before it is too late.

We can join our fellow citizens by demonstrating, lobbying, voting, and running for office. We can adopt rapid response plans to confront ICE, we can actively participate in economic boycotts of corporations that take advantage of their workers, or turn over personal data to rogue government agencies, and we can organize and vocalize our opposition to gerrymandering and voter suppression.

We can resist attempts to limit our rights to free speech and assembly by growing and coordinating our rallies and demonstrations, so that they flow from town to town in a powerful wave of resistance and solidarity. History provides us with a roadmap, drawn by those in civil rights, labor, environmental and women’s movements. Democracy is not a runaway car. We can regain control by asserting clearly that it is our turn to drive.

Robert Nied
Chester