Vigils for Democracy are Happening Around the US on the Anniversary of the Jan 6th Insurrection

People literally trying to overthrow the US Government. Photo by Tyler Merbler

We are just a few days away from the one year anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection. You know that attempted coup that the GOP is pretending was actually just some “patriots” checking out the capital. If you’re as disgusted as you should be, you can channel that feeling by getting out in the streets this Thursday.

There are Vigils for Democracy happening all over the Bay Area in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Mateo and more. You can find the one nearest to you right here. If you’re not in the Bay, just google “Vigil for Democracy” and your town to find out what’s going down.

The info for the SF event is below:

January 6th, 2021, saw a violent and deadly attack against all Americans, against our country, our democracy, and our freedom as voters to choose the leaders that represent us so that we have a government of, by, and for the people. Today, the same faction that attacked our country is still working hard to silence our voices by restricting our freedom to vote, attacking fair voting districts, and preparing future attempts to sabotage free and fair elections.

So this January 6, exactly one year later, Americans are coming together across race, place, party, and background, holding candlelight vigils to say: In America, the voters decide the outcome of elections.

This event features an incredible speaker line-up: progressive messaging expert Anat Shenker-Osorio; Zen priest, spiritual teacher, and activist Reverend angel Kyodo williams; SF Supervisor Matt Haney (representing District 6); and Reverend Tom McAninley, the Community Minister at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists.

Come meet us at the northwest corner of Civic Center Plaza (a.k.a. Joseph Alioto Plaza) in San Francisco. After a welcome (handing out signs and candles), we will frame the evening as one in which we stand together to choose democracy and peacefully hold the line against those who would destroy it.

We will then march to the Department of Justice building, and peacefully march around the building, raising our voices in song and cheers. We will demand accountability for the political violence that is weakening democracy’s guardrails. For true accountability we need DOJ prosecutions of Trump and his white nationalist cronies who attempted to overthrow the legitimate results of the 2020 election.

We will then return to the Civic Center Plaza for a candlelight vigil, and to hear from the speakers. We will raise our voices to demand that our public officials do what it takes to defend democracy, as they swore an oath to do. Our senators and president must immediately pass the laws that we need to protect equal enfranchisement in a representative society – and we need them to fix the filibuster to do it.

And finally, we will all commit together to take action, because We The People will not let ANYBODY subvert our democracy.

Please join us to stand together in love and power, so that we can make the promise of democracy real for us all.

And let’s protect each other – please wear a mask!