A KICKOFF AND A CALL BACK TO “WE THE PEOPLE”

Washington, D.C.
About two hundred people gathered on the steps of Union Station Thursday morning beneath towering banners demanding IMPEACH • REMOVE • CONVICT and a resounding REMOVE THE REGIME. Despite the cold gray sky and the heavy political tension that hangs over the country, the energy was unmistakably alive… not frantic, not chaotic, but purposeful. This wasn’t the main march. This was the kickoff – the opening move before the larger nationwide push planned for Saturday, November 22nd.

Before the first speaker even reached the microphone, the scene was already telling its own story. A line of women dressed as the Handmaids from The Handmaid’s Tale stood in silence, holding a black banner that read:

“NO FASCIST AMERICA! NO GILEAD! IMPEACH. CONVICT. REMOVE THE REGIME!”

Red cloaks. White bonnets. A warning. Not of fiction, but of how easily fiction becomes prophecy when people stop paying attention.

Across the plaza were signs from Refuse Fascism, handmade artwork, satirical costumes, and multilingual messages demanding accountability. Protesters of all ages stood side by side: young people, older activists, veterans, organizers, first-time marchers, families. The kind of cross-section that tells you this moment reaches deeper than a single party, single ideology, or single frustration. This was about responsibility. Organizers made it clear: Thursday was only the kickoff. The larger march, the one they hope will draw far greater numbers, is scheduled for Saturday, November 22nd.

THE MARCH TO THE CAPITOL
After the initial introductions concluded, the crowd gathered their banners and began the walk from Union Station toward the Capitol. The dome glowed faintly through the autumn haze as a stream of signs, flags, costumes, and chants moved down the street. The march wove through D.C. past the turning foliage. Reds, yellows, oranges… nature’s reminder that change doesn’t wait for permission. People chanted, some held hands, others marched in silence, carrying the weight of their own experiences.

JOHN BONIFAZ: “WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF YOU.”
Constitutional attorney and Free Speech for People co-founder John Bonifaz delivered a sharp, uncompromising message. He argued that Donald Trump had committed “multiple high crimes against the state” and reminded the crowd that every member of Congress took an oath. Not to a party, not to self-preservation, but to the Constitution. Bonifaz directly addressed Trump, saying: “We are not afraid of you. You are a lawless wannabe dictator.” The crowd erupted in applause. Not because the words were dramatic, but because they were honest… and because too few people in positions of power are willing to say them out loud.

DAVID CLAYTON: GOVERNMENT SHOULD SERVE “THE PEOPLE”
David Clayton, running for a congressional seat in North Carolina, spoke next. He made it clear he wasn’t running as an establishment Democrat, but as someone who believes the American government must return to serving “we the people.” His emphasis wasn’t on political branding but on reconstructing a government accountable to ordinary citizens, not party machinery.

Another coalition speaker took a procedural approach, focusing on House Rule XI and its investigative authority. He argued that Congress has both the tools and the responsibility to pursue impeachment “every day if needed.” He claimed that only about 80 House Democrats currently support impeachment and didn’t shy away from calling out Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries by name for refusing to take a stronger stand. The message was clear: The tools exist. The problem isn’t ability, it’s political fear.

REP. AL GREEN: “NOW IS THE TIME.”
Rep. Al Green closed the first round of speeches with the weight of moral clarity. He invoked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The true measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Green said this moment, the one unfolding right now in America, is such a time.

During the later press availability, I asked him directly what he would say to Democrats who are unwilling to pursue impeachment. He didn’t hesitate.
“Vote your conscience.”
“Now is the time.”
“We would do ourselves and posterity a disservice if we don’t impeach, convict, and remove.”

The demand was simple: Do your job. Honor your oath. Protect the country before it’s too late.

CLOSING REFLECTION

I felt a truth I’ve carried for a long time: A government for the people cannot exist until it is also made of the people. Not career politicians who spend decades drifting further and further away from the struggles of working Americans. Not individuals so insulated by power that they forget how fragile life can be for the people they claim to represent. We need representatives who haven’t forgotten what a grocery bill feels like or what a paycheck means to a family barely staying afloat.

This government will not fix itself. Not while political fear outweighs moral responsibility. Not while accountability is treated like a political inconvenience instead of a constitutional obligation. I find myself agreeing with David Clayton – not just that government should serve the people, but that it should be made of the people. Real people. People who still live with consequences, not above them. If there’s ever going to be a turning point in this country, it won’t come from those who’ve spent decades forgetting what truth feels like. It will come from those willing to show up… in the cold, in the uncertainty, in the face of power. They will say: This ends with us. Or it never ends at all.