A protester holds out a sign as a shield as tear gas canisters are launched and pepper balls are fired.

All authoritarian power grabs must be resisted. It's never about "crime," and it's never about how people respond to Trump's aggression. Those are just story points, and the administration makes up story points every day when reality doesn't fit. Remember this.

Tell the truth and shame the devil.

Get ahead of the narrative and get it straight. No one on the ground in Chicago is responsible for the waves of federal agents that are about to descend on our communities to snatch and kidnap people, or for the troops Trump plans to send here. This is an authoritarian power grab— a fascist plot.

Talk about how this is all being staged to set Chicago up for a military occupation. Talk about how they are planning to attack cultural gatherings, picnics, and parades, knowing that people will cling to their neighbors and family members—and that Trump will use those acts of decency as an excuse.