Shut Down the Coup Rally Calls for Massive Resistance

WASHINGTON (03-10) – Federal workers and taxpayers continue to protest daily across the city as they become more frustrated and infuriated by Elon Musk and DOGE in the illegal cutting of their jobs and programs, while Trump single-handedly is destroying the American economy through arbitrarily imposed tariffs that change daily.

Today’s protest dubbed “Shut Down the Coup” organized by 20+ Indivisible groups in the DMV area took place at the foot of the Capitol building at which Trump and Musk were ridiculed and chastised for their horrific efforts in destroying government along with implementing isolationist policies to the endangerment of our national security.
The activists made several demands calling on Democrats to “hold the line” and that they “cannot sign any funding bill that does not include BINDING mechanisms to limit DOGE or any other agent from impounding and dismantling federal agencies. This is the first step in Trump’s aim to consolidate power and we cannot allow it.”
In heading towards a government shutdown later this week regarding the federal budget, they noted that “Democrats are already signaling they are working towards a bill with ‘assurances’ from Republicans. They are giving their only leverage away, for ‘assurances.’ We call our reps every day, but they are not hearing us. We prefer a shutdown to a bad deal.”
“We need to be out in droves, we need to be loud, and we need to be united. Our message: Where is Congress. Do your Job. Vote NO. Any CR (continuing resolution) must be only for 2 weeks at a time.”
Several speakers addressed those at the rally before attendees headed en mass to their representatives’ offices to make their concerns known along with telling of their firsthand experiences after being fired and the surrounding uncertainty they now feel as they try to go about their daily lives being unemployed.
One woman related that many of her colleagues are attending the daily protests since they have a lot of time on their hands, saying that some workers are too afraid to attend, being intimidated or depressed having been let go and constantly worried about their and their families’ futures.
In encouraging them to protest, she has been telling her colleagues: “This kind of speech is protected in the Constitution,” admitting that she, too, understood and felt fear when she got the “Fork in the Road” message. “How frightening is it that when on X, the owner of X speaks to you directly to say, “What did you do last week at work? if you don’t answer, I am going to fire you.” Then the president comes out, the most powerful person in the land, and endorses that message. This is not normal. We must not be afraid!”
In closing, she encouraged everyone to get out of their “digital bubble” and protest against the takeover of the government by Trump and Musk.
Another federal worker noted that the skill sets that workers have acquired during their former federal public service positions will benefit their local communities and states who in hiring them can bring their knowledge and experience to benefit the workings of local and state governments.
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) addressed the crowd, saying that “For more than two centuries we have had it in the federal government, that everyone who works for the government must follow the Constitution and the law as interpreted by the courts. The president has to swear an oath of office to uphold the Constitution and defend against enemies both foreign and domestic. We have no kings here. We have no monarchs here. We have no emperors here. We’ve got no autocrats. We have no titles of nobility. Just the Constitution and the people.”
“Now JD Vance and Donald Trump, they say they are the total souverain and arbiter of what the law provides for by the president. I think Yale Law School has to revoke JD Vance’s law degree.”
“We don’t have the old presidents who want to be king; we have Elon Musk in the picture. Elon Musk, he represents a Silicon Valley billionaire political mafia that no longer believes in our form of government. They believe that the Constitution is antiquated and obsolete.”
He further said that if the dismantling of our government isn’t bad enough, “they are also taking our data.” Elon Musk is taking the position in some courts that DOGE is a federal agency. If it is a federal agency, we have a right under the Privacy Act, under FOIA, to get all of the information they have on each of us.” He urged all 340 million Americans to request copies of all the information the government has on them if the court determines that DOGE is in fact a federal agency. To comply with the request, DOGE would have 20 days to divulge if the data has been diverted to third party sources, compromised, or altered it in any way. “If failing to comply with your request, you can sue DOGE including for your attorney’s fees.”
“Elon Musk thinks it’s so much fun to play at government because it gives him so much access to other people’s data and other people’s information…”
In closing, Raskin quoted Fredrick Douglass who reflected that, “If there is no struggle there is no progress. The struggle may be moral, or it may be physical. But there must be struggle because power concedes nothing without demand, it never has, and it never will.”
Report and photos by Phil Pasquini

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