50-State ‘Free America Walkout’ Targets Trump Administration on Inauguration Anniversary

A nationwide protest movement is calling on Americans to walk out of work and schools on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s second inauguration.Organized primarily by the Women’s March and the grassroots group 50501, the “Free America Walkout” aims to disrupt “business as usual” across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and several international locations, including Canada, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.“On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce,” the Women’s March organization says on its website. “We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate. This is not a request. This is a rupture. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.”The group goes on to say, “One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent. It is time for our communities to escalate as well.”As of January 17, organizers reported that more than 1,000 events are scheduled, with roughly 30,000 participants planning to join walkouts, sit-ins, and vigils.The walkout represents a shift in strategy for the Women’s March, which rose to prominence following its march on Washington in 2017 during Mr. Trump’s first term. While previous demonstrations focused on mass gatherings, this event encourages noncompliance through the withdrawal of labor and participation in the economy.According to organizers, the protest is a direct response to the administration’s actions over the past year, citing immigration raids, increased militarization, and the recent fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and Keith Porter in Los Angeles by ICE agents.Organizers emphasized that the choice to stage a walkout rather than a traditional weekend march was deliberate. The Free America website says, “Marches show how many people care. Walkouts show how much power we have.”Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March, expanded on this strategy in an interview with Military.com. “Women’s March is Women’s March; we’re known for our big marches and mobilizations. We also have other protest tools in our toolbox,” she said. “Part of what we are both practicing and socializing with our folks is that we can withdraw consent. This is a government of the people, by the people, for the people, or it’s supposed to be. And when it stops being that, we don’t have to be the backbone and the motor that it runs on.”Planned actions include:Houston, Texas: Activists will lobby for impeachment.Tucson, Arizona: Demonstrators plan to surround the Federal Building.Boston, Massachusetts: Walkouts and vigils are scheduled throughout the city.Minneapolis, Minnesota: Continued protests following Good’s death.The White House has dismissed the planned disruptions. When asked for comment, White House spokesman Abigail Jackson told Military.com that it’s all about Trump Derangement Syndrome. “TDS libs are free to exercise their First Amendment rights however they desire. We are free not to care.”

50-State ‘Free America Walkout’ Targets Trump Administration on Inauguration Anniversary

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