April wrapped up an unprecedented month of protests and more are scheduled for the weeks ahead.
Last weekend, in Baldwinsville, NY, hundreds of protesters gathered along shopping center sidewalks despite the threat of rain to oppose what they have called an unjust administration.
In his first 100 days, President Donald Trump has signed 142 executive orders, eliminated more than 135,000 federal jobs, and deported more than 65,000 people without due process of law, while signing fewer than 100 new laws into effect.
UC Irvine Sociology professor David S. Meyer said Trump is trying to push out as much of his own policy as possible before the midterm elections. It’s also part of former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s game plan.
“I'll say flooding the zone with detritus,” Meyer said, cleaning up Bannon’s words, “which means it's hard to focus on one line of battle for people who want to challenge him.”
Last Saturday's protest was coordinated with the help of non-profit group 50501, a grassroots political organization protesting the Trump administration's policies. It was one among hundreds held nationwide in recent weeks. Meyer, who studies protest movements, said burnout is possible as people have other responsibilities and demonstrating has to fit into their routines. There's also the risk of people getting bored or worn out.
One public school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said the constant influx of news is difficult to keep up with.
“You know, it's outrage fatigue. We've spiraled so far from the norms and what we should and reasonably can expect from government to the point where it just feels like an alternate reality,” he said.
Still, protesters in Baldwinsville were fired up. They each had different grievances with the current administration, ranging from healthcare, to the war in Gaza, to migration.
“I see people getting picked up off the street regardless of having a warrant or not,” said the teacher. “I have students from my school who I'm worried about being picked up."
Professor Meyer said circumstances are what get people active, but political organizers keep people active.
“So the world convinces you something's wrong. Organizers have to convince you that it could be different, and you could make a difference,” Meyer said.
There are a few strategies for dealing with burnout. Meyer explained that if organizers sense people are getting exhausted, they can recruit new ones, or diversify their actions. Connection is also important for mobilizing people.
“You're more likely to go to a demonstration if you think you're going to meet a friend there, right? Or if you go with other people in the congregation that you belong to, or from your softball team,” he said.
In Baldwinsville, many protesters were with friends or seemingly ran into them.
Meyer said small protests are more likely to foster a feeling of community and lead to further political action. However, small demonstrations are less likely to be disruptive. Large ones, like the Women’s March in 2017, amass huge crowds and lots of media coverage, but they’re harder to recreate.
Some people are always engaged, like the school teacher from earlier.
“I've been to past protests, you know, probably going back ten years or so, I think public activism is very important,” he said.
People who protest outside Planned Parenthood clinics, or who attend Syracuse Peace Council activities, for instance, regularly organize their lives around activism. But according to Meyer, the people who only engage occasionally are the most powerful. They are the bulk of movements, and losing them can be very consequential.
“If the people who are not generally engaged go home and watch videos and go to after school conferences and Little League games and stuff, then it becomes much easier for the administration to marginalize and persecute those hardcores,” Meyer said.
But, he stressed that demonstrations like the Women’s March or 50501 are not the only important method of civil engagement. Letter campaigns, calling legislators, or taking legal action like the NAACP has, also matters.
“If you only have protest actions without all the other stuff sustained over a long time, you're unlikely to get what you want, or even much of what you want,” Meyer warned.
Nevertheless, protests are a sign of strength and passion, he said.
50501 press coordinator Hunter Dunn said people are already exhausted, but not by demonstrations. They’re exhausted by the Trump administration, Dunn said, but they’ll continue fighting anyway.
“There will be time to rest once the government’s actually putting people before profit.”
Until Trump lets up, their hardcore staff will continue to work and keep up the momentum.
The 50501 organization kicked off the month of May with its nationwide May Day protest. In Central New York, that included Syracuse, Watertown, Rochester, and Buffalo.