Where We Go From Here.

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Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

I originally had a “Trump 2.0 One Year In” post planned for today. Then, after the events of this weekend I wrote an entirely different post on federalism and the second amendment. After sitting with that for a day or two, I’m setting that aside too. They’re worth posting at some point, but right now I want to talk about what we do right now in this moment. (Suffice it to say I’m really tired.)

I posted a while back about what a Coalition for America might look like here:

My thinking was rooted in the Madisonian idea that you need power to oppose power. And it also helps if you have money. It’s still a great idea and one I hope catches on. But it’s a bit long term and still pretty hypothetical.

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What We Do Right Now

After Alex Pretti was murdered by ICE agents this weekend I want to refocus on concrete action items. What many of us need right now are ways to pull levers of power that we can access immediately in our own lives.

Protests still matter and people need to keep showing up, but we’ll need to work in all four dimensions since the rise of authoritarianism is fundamentally four dimensional. It has individual elements, structural elements and complex combos of the two.

While this is a deeply tragic moment it’s also, paradoxically, a moment of opportunity. For the first time in a long time there are people across the political spectrum who have watched a video of an American citizen murdered by masked agents in broad daylight. That reality has mobilized a number of groups I didn’t think could find alignment:

• Gun owners and Second Amendment advocates who are deeply concerned with the government’s claim that showing up with a legally owned gun is sufficient excuse for government agents to shoot you 10 times in the back.

• Civil rights advocates who have spent decades fighting against state violence and for equal protection under law.

• Civil libertarians on the left and right who understand that federal power must have limits and who have been fighting against qualified immunity for years.

• Clergy and faith communities who recognize that protecting the vulnerable is a moral imperative across every tradition.

• Progressive activists who have been sounding alarms about militarized enforcement.

• Conservatives who believe in limited government, federalism, and the principle that federal agents cannot simply kill citizens without consequence.

• Law enforcement professionals who understand that what happened in Minneapolis violates every principle of proportional use of force and who are concerned at the way law enforcement agencies at different levels are being pitted against each other.

These groups often don’t agree on much. They don’t agree on immigration policy. They may not even agree on what should happen at the border. But they can agree on this: government agents cannot murder civilians on public streets for practicing their constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and bear arms. They agree on the rule of law. They agree on the Constitution. They agree that we need a full investigation and that the people responsible need to be held accountable in courts of law, just like everyone else. And for now that might be enough.

This is what a Coalition for America looks like in practice. Not agreement on policy, but agreement on the rules of the game we cannot afford to lose.

All that sounds great, but most of my readers are independent citizens just like me. A lot of you are probably feeling a bit hopeless right now. So what can we do right now in this moment? The good news is: a lot!

I’ve compiled ideas off the top of my head, but this is just a starting point. If you have additional resources or ideas, please drop them in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

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Individual Level: Build the Networks That Will Hold Us Together

First and foremost, connect to your neighbors.

Alex Pretti did what neighbors do. He saw someone in trouble and he helped. That instinct—that sense of mutual obligation—is exactly what authoritarianism seeks to destroy. When people are afraid to help each other, when they look away, when they retreat into their private lives, power becomes unchecked.

This isn’t a metaphor; local relationships are the connective tissue of civil society. When people are isolated, they’re easier to control. When they’re embedded in networks of mutual obligation and care, they’re harder to break.

Practical steps:

• Organize or join a neighborhood emergency preparedness group (thanks to Connie McClellan for the link to FEMA resources. You should check out her cool Substack while you’re at it). Emergency preparedness isn’t (only) about ICE. It’s about being able to help each other during floods or earthquakes or whatever else might hit. And it’s about building connections across partisan divides. After all, when it comes to survival, you really do want to be buddies with that right-wing prepper down the road when the going gets rough.

• Introduce yourself to your local officials. Do you know your town or county sheriff? Your town supervisor or mayor? Your town board or city council members? You should, because they can play critical roles in protecting you from federal power, whether you know it or not.

• Start a “little free pantry” or tool-sharing library. Again, build connections and spaces where neighbors can to for resources. It’s about knowing each other and creating a sense of community outside of social media and the 24/7 news cycle.

• Host low-stakes gatherings: porch coffee, block parties, potlucks. This helps you know who on your street might need help in a crisis and who can offer it, but it also builds the non-political connections that are so critical right now.

• Know your rights as a bystander or protestor. Take a training in bystander intervention so you know what and what not to do when faced with government abuse and aggression.

Align across partisan divides.

We talked with Emma Addams of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) on the podcast recently, and that kind of cross-partisan organizing is exactly what this moment requires. MWEG brings together women who disagree on many policy questions but agree on ethical governance and constitutional principles. That’s a model we need more of.

Find spaces where you can build relationships with people who vote differently than you do:

• Faith communities: Churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples often include people across the political spectrum. Many have social justice or immigrant support ministries that create opportunities for shared work.

• Local government: School boards, zoning meetings, library boards, city councils. Show up. These bodies are less polarized than national politics and deal with concrete problems.

• Service organizations: Rotary, Lions Club, Kiwanis, volunteer fire departments, community foundations. These institutions predate our current polarization and still function across partisan lines.

• Youth activities: Sports leagues, Scouts, PTAs. Parents working together for kids often find common ground.

• Veterans’ organizations: American Legion and VFW posts often bridge partisan divides through shared service and a common understanding of what oath-keeping means.

Support and join non-partisan organizations doing this work:

• Braver Angels: Facilitates structured dialogue between people who disagree politically. They run workshops, debates, and community alliances.

• Bridge Alliance: A coalition of over 100 organizations working on democratic renewal and cross-partisan bridge-building.

• Mormon Women for Ethical Government: Faith-based organization focused on ethical governance, constitutional principles, and civic engagement.

• Listen First Project (listenfirstproject.org) — Promotes listening across divides; organizes National Conversation Week.

• Living Room Conversations: Provides free conversation guides for hosting cross-partisan dialogues in your home.

• National Institute for Civil Discourse: Works with elected officials and communities to reduce political dysfunction.

• Institute for Justice: fights against qualified immunity on a number of fronts.

• ACLU: provides critical legal resources on rights during enforcement encounters and are actively litigating federal overreach.

• I have a big list of organizations to consider joining on my website (which also needs updating); please drop additional resources in the comments so I can add them here and on my website too.

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Structural Level: Pull Every Lever Available

Call your representatives. Be specific. Follow up.

Congressional offices track constituent contacts. Your calls matter more than you think, especially to the district office, which reports to the member directly.

Specific demands for this moment:

1. Demand a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti. This must include:

   • State and local law enforcement involvement—this happened in Minneapolis, and Minnesota has jurisdiction over homicides committed within its borders

   • Protection of states’ rights to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by federal agents within their jurisdiction

   • Congressional oversight with subpoena power

   • Public reporting on findings, use-of-force policies, and chain of command

   1. Demand your representative publicly state where they stand. Silence is a position. Ask them directly: “Do you support an independent investigation into Alex Pretti’s death? What specifically are you doing to ensure federal agents are accountable to the law?”

2. Demand an end to qualified immunity and demand your reps support the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026. Qualified immunity shields federal agents from consequences for unconstitutional actions. This has been a bipartisan concern: conservatives worried about federal overreach and progressives worried about police violence have common ground here. This might be moment this issue catches fire. As with the above, ask your representative if they will support the QIAA of 2026 and if not, why not.

   1. For more information on qualified immunity and why it’s so important right now, check out this collection of resources from the Independent Institute.

3. Support state and local efforts to assert jurisdiction. Governors and state attorneys general have the authority to investigate crimes committed within their states. Demand they use it.

4. Demand action on ICE. Specific calls can range from eliminating ICE altogether to linking ICE funding to measurable improvements in recruitment and training on the one hand and outcomes (ratio of criminals vs. law-abiding asylum seekers, low rates of injury and violence, etc.) on the other. Demand that ICE agents operating in your state or city cooperate fully with local law enforcement on investigations and accountability for injuries or deaths to citizens or detainees.

How to make your calls effective:

• Call the district office, not DC—they’re more responsive to constituents

• Be specific: name Alex Pretti and name the specific action you want

• Keep a record of who you spoke with and what they said

• Follow up in writing (email or letter)

• Attend town halls when available—public questions create accountability and are often covered by local media

Support bipartisan structures in Congress:

• The Problem Solvers Caucus: A bipartisan group of House members committed to finding common ground. They’re currently working on a bipartisan immigration bill. If your representative is a member, send a note of thanks and urge them to take up federal accountability. If they’re not a member, ask why not.

• The Bipartisan Policy Center: A think tank that supports cross-aisle policy work and provides resources for citizens.

Demand structural accountability broadly:

• End qualified immunity (see above) for federal agents who violate constitutional rights. This has been championed by libertarians, some conservatives, and progressives alike. It’s a truly cross-partisan issue.

• Support inspector general independence: These watchdogs are critical for executive branch accountability and have been systematically weakened.

• Demand enforcement of existing use-of-force policies: Many rules are already on the books but unenforced or ignored. We also need to demand that ICE use-of-force policies are aligned with those of other law enforcement agencies. At least some of what I’m reading suggests their policies and training have much lower thresholds and practices that are not supported by existing standards and research.

• Push for state-level action: States can investigate, prosecute, and pass their own laws limiting cooperation with federal agencies that act unlawfully. This is federalism in action. Encourage your local and state government to use their constitutional powers robustly. They should be monitoring and investigating ICE activity in local jurisdictions and reporting relevant information back to constituents.

The Coalition for America Framework

I’ve written before about what a Coalition for America might look like. The core idea is Madisonian: you need power to oppose power.

A Coalition for America would be a compact among civil society organizations, across sectors, across ideologies, committed to a shared set of principles:

1. Constitutional order and the rule of law

2. Limits on federal power and protection of federalism

3. Accountability for state violence against civilians

4. Free and fair elections

5. Freedom of the press

6. Protection of civil liberties

Organizations that join the compact would commit to:

• Publicly defending these principles regardless of which party is in power

• Holding their own members and allies accountable when they violate them

• Coordinating pressure campaigns on shared priorities

• Pooling resources for legal defense, civic education, and public communication

This moment—the killing of Alex Pretti—is a test case. Can Second Amendment organizations and immigrant rights organizations stand together to condemn federal agents killing an unarmed civilian? Can conservative legal societies and progressive advocacy groups agree that federal power must have limits? Can law enforcement professionals and civil libertarians unite around the principle that use of force must be proportional and accountable?

Can we come together to agree on the foundational principles of American government?

If we can, that’s the beginning of a coalition. If we can’t, I’m not sure where we go from here, but at the very least we have a lot more building to do.

TL;DR What You Can Do Right Now

1. Call your Congressional representative’s district office. Demand a transparent, independent investigation into Alex Pretti’s killing. Demand they state their position publicly. Demand accountability for federal agents. (Info on how to find all your elected officials can be found here and at the link above).

2. Call your governor and state attorney general. Demand they assert state jurisdiction to investigate ICE assaults and deaths in your state. While DHS falsely claims ICE agents are under increasing attack, deaths of citizens and detainees at the hands of ICE agents hit an all-time high in 2025. Demand investigations and accountability for injuries and deaths in your state.

3. Share this post or the Coalition for America framework with someone who votes differently than you do. Start a conversation about what rules of the game you both agree we can’t afford to lose.

4. Join or support one of the organizations listed above. Pick one that fits your community and your values. Show up.

5. Connect with your neighbors this week. One introduction. One offer to help. One conversation. Alex Pretti was killed for showing up for his neighbors. Let his death build momentum toward greater connectivity, not less.

6. If you’re part of an organization—a church, a professional association, a civic group, a gun club, a union, a veterans’ post—ask whether there’s an opportunity to build bridges with shared values.

I’ll be honest. We have a lot of work ahead. This moment will be meaningless if we allow anger and grief to fracture our resolve. And I know we’re all exhausted. We all have full lives on top of our abusive relationship with national politics. So start small, choose one thing off the structural list to do each day and then choose one area in your individual life where you think connections might make a difference in your community. Take deep breaths, get off social media, and start building something better. One small choice at a time.

Your Turn

What did I miss? If you have suggestions, leave them in the comments or DM me. I’ll continue to update this post with additional action items and resources as I find them. In the meantime, please share and subscribe.