What can be done in the time of Trump?

By Will Shonbrun 

Well, as an individual, not a hell of a lot. But as a City of Sonoma resident (albeit a blip of a city on the map), while any degree of influence is marginal, as part of a government entity, blip though it is, we are part of a community. And we can therefore use our collective energy to organize and find the ways and means to protect and assist those most vulnerable to the likely onslaught from the Trump government. Solo, our power is negligible, but in aggregate and with the support of city government our voice is enhanced in a chorus.

Then there’s this: We here in California reside in a state that holds and wields a good deal of political and economic power, and social and cultural influence not easily dismissed. Fortunately, this formidable chunk of West Coast real estate is a liberal, progressive bastion for its sizeable population. Hence, the individual, and the small cities and counties, are not alone in building a necessary, united resistance to the stated plans of the incoming government. Those plans would dispense with a close to 250- year-old Constitutional form of government, composed of laws and judicial oversight, which became the world’s first democratic republic.

Of course, this will not be easy. After all, labor unions have been dealing with some of these hoary issues for more than a century and they’re still at it. But in this game, we’ve got to play the hand this election has dealt, and folding is not an option. Will there be a ton of pushing back by the federales? Without question. But as I see it, there’s just no recourse because there is no option, aside from acquiescence, and that is a very dead-end proposition.

Examples of impending threats are mass undocumented immigrant deportations, persecution through concocting laws impinging civil and human rights of LGBTQ+ people, and the lifting of environmental protections in the name of commerce, further exacerbating global climate change. This is just a sampling from the reactionary 2025 playbook. But these are all issues around which local communities can organize and unite, through legal and non-violent means, to protect those most vulnerable to government intrusion or oppression.

The tools at hand are tried and true: Civic demonstrations and marches, sit-ins, letters to newspapers and social media commentary, lawsuits and non-violent civil disobedience. Petition our school district to reinstate civics education, to teach the long history of civil rights in America, the history of labor unions and the history of civic movements for voting rights and gender rights. If this history has been jettisoned in our schools, we will never have an educated public and the country is beginning to see the resulting peril that’s been wrought.

Opposition to government and political overreach has been done before and once again we are called upon to act on behalf of others and resume the call to build a just and moral system and culture in this divided country. We could start this ball rolling by contacting our Sonoma City Council by email, phone, or in person. There is a regularly scheduled meeting at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month. You might remind this elected body to offer aid and support to the immigrant population that keeps our city and valley economically afloat. It’s high time that Sonoma join the hundreds of cities and counties across the country that have declared sanctuary status.