Stopping the Coup in the Nation’s Capital 

Strategic framework for action following the 2020 election 

 
When polls close on November 3rd it is almost certain that the outcome of the election will be 
unresolved. In most of the country, the real work to defend democracy in the days and weeks 
following the election will be to defend the vote count and make sure that every single vote is 
counted. That will mean mobilizing at the county level in key democratic-leaning counties to 
push back against efforts to prematurely stop the count of absentee ballots and organizing to 
prevent state-level officials from certifying results before all of the votes have been counted.  
 
Protecting the vote count on the ground is some of the most important work that can be 
happening in this moment. Here in Washington, DC there are some incredibly consequential 
local races (including the race for two at-large members of DC Council) and it is essential that 
all of those votes get counted. But the 3 electoral votes in the District of Columbia are not 
seriously in play.​ But those of us who live and work in the nation’s Capitol have a unique role 
to play in defending democracy as the election season plays out.   
 
Challenging Trump’s Coup at the Point of Assumption 
 
At some point in the days following the election Trump will almost certainly either attempt to 
declare outright victory or attempt to invalidate the results of the election. That is the start of 
the coup.  
 
The eyes of the world will be on the White House and on Washington, DC. Trump can only 
seize power if the world believes that he has the power.  
 
That’s why we’re starting this phase of the election in the streets. While some folks around the 
country are waiting for some red line to be crossed and the Democrats may suggest we let 
their lawyers handle the situation, for us it’s clear that it’s long past time for bold action.  
 
Thousands of us will converge on Black Lives Matter Plaza on election night. And then we’ll 
come back into the streets the next day and the day after. The days will likely be long and 
actions will likely run late into the night but we’re not running a 24 hour occupation. We’re 
organizing an uprising, not a camp out.  
 
We need to show that we’re ungovernable under a continued Trump administration. That 
means we need to be ungovernable. That can mean blocking traffic at major intersections and 
bridges, shutting down government office buildings (why should ICE or the FBI be able to keep 
doing Trump’s bidding when he’s leading with a coup?!?), or blockading the White House. It is 
our duty to ensure that Trump cannot steal the government, by using people power to prevent 
normal government business from proceeding. 
 
Then in the week after the election the lame-duck House and Senate will try to return to 
Washington, DC to continue their business as usual. We’ve had enough of business as usual -- 
they can go back to their districts and wait it out until Trump agrees to step aside. We’ll meet 
them at the airports, or at the train station. And if they drive into town we’ll meet them at their 
homes. But they aren’t going to get into the Capitol building to continue passing laws in the 
middle of a coup! Any attempt to move back toward “normal” will make Trump’s attempted 
coup that much more normal, a phenomenon that has heavily benefited him throughout his 
administration. This is especially true since McConnell and other chronies will be all too eager 
to pass harmful legislation and even move forward confirming a new Supreme Court Justice 
while the country remains distracted by the protracted election. We must demand that at a 
minimum Democrats respect and protect our democracy by preventing Congressional activity 
from taking place during this time. 
 
We’ll keep it going until Trump concedes. We could be in the streets throughout the fall and 
into the winter-- maybe as lots of rolling waves of action or possibly as a few major tsunamis! In 
other parts of the country, as vote counts conclude, our focus will turn from protecting the vote 
counts to themselves being ungovernable.  
 
As it becomes clear that Trump’s coup is failing, institutions and the elites will start to abandon 
him - or we will approach them as part of the problem. Either Amazon will shut down AWS for 
the Trump loyalists in the government or we’ll shut down their fulfillment centers. Either 
governors will tell their national guards to stand down or we’ll shut down their state capitals as 
well. Over time, Trump will grow increasingly isolated and his empire will crumble down around 
him.  
 
Then -- and this is the important part -- Biden will move into the White House and be sworn in 
as the 46th President of the United States. But while his path to the White House started with 
the party structure and the legal system, that space only opened up because a popular uprising 
forced his predecessor out of power. That same popular uprising can continue to expand 
democracy in the United States, rewrite the rules that are rigged to privilege the rich over all of 
the rest of us, and dismantle the systems that institutionalize racism and oppression.  
 
How are we going to do it?As outlined above, the initial action arc will last roughly 10 days 
from November 3-November November 11/12, rolling out in three phases:  
1. November 3: “Celebration of Resistance” in Black Lives Matter Plaza -- We start this 
phase of the election season strong and in the streets. 
2. November 4-7: Responding to the (likely) coup attempt. Continue to mobilize in large 
numbers for marches and other actions. This would be a good time for affinity groups 
to plan disruptive actions to respond to scenarios they are particularly concerned about.  
[Note--It appears that some national organizations will be calling for national marches on 
November 7th.] 
 3. November 8-11: No More Business as Usual: The lame-duck Congress is planning to try 
to return the week of November 8th. We can’t have business as usual while we’re 
having a coup! This is a great time for affinity groups to plan actions to prevent 
Congress from returning.   
 
Of course, there are several contingencies at play and we will have to be flexible and 
adaptable. This action framework will allow us to plan mobilizations that will work in a broad 
range of possible scenarios. We will likely have to come together for daily action spokes 
council meetings to react and adapt our plans in real time. As this initial scenario begins to play 
out we can plan next steps to respond to the evolving conditions over the following weeks and 
months.  
 
We have less than a month until November 3 and lots of work to do in this time in order to 
make this happen.  
 
Spokescouncil decision making calendar and WG deadlines 
1. Oct 8: WG spokescouncil. Discussion will include: 
a. Reactions to timeline/action arc (this document) 
b. Reactions to public messaging proposal from comms team 
c. WG notes: 
i. Comms team- Need to have proposal ready by this meeting 
ii. Host cmte- Need to work on language justice for this and all subsequent 
meetings- systems in place 
2. Oct 15: WG spokescouncil & AGs who are formed. Discussion will include: 
a. Consensus test and decision-- timeline and initial action framework 
3. Oct 22: First whole AG spokescouncil. Discussion will include 
a. AG “pitches” about their plans so far and other important info to share with 
other AGs and large group: 
i. Is your AG open or closed? 
ii. Are you interested in collaborating with another AG? 
b. WG notes: 
i. Host committee- Need to secure an outdoor meeting place for this and 
all subsequent meetings. All logistics as well (tech, tents, etc.) 
ii. Disruption- Need to prioritize AG support/outreach up until this date to 
try to get all AGs onboard by this meeting 
4. Oct 29: AG spokescouncil. Discussion will include: 
a. AG sharing of plans--overall action plan presented 
b. Consensus test and decision-- action plan 
5. Oct 30-Nov 2:  
a. Action planning AG spokescouncils. Discussions could include: 
i. Decisions on internal comms/coordination 
ii. Safety and security plans 
 iii. Etc. 
 
 
 
S  M  T  W  Th  F  S 
4  5  6  7  8  9  10 
   
  Public mtg- 
  first WG 
  spokes 
council* 

11  12  13  14  15  16  17 

   
  Public mtg- 
  WG & AG 
  spokes 
council* 

18  19  20  21  22  23  24 

   
  Public mtg- 
  AG spokes 
  council* 

25  26  27  28  29  30  31 

       
  Public mtg-  Possible AG  Possible AG 
  AG spokes  spokes  spokes 
  council*  council*  council* 

1  2  3  4  5  6  7 
             
    Celebration  React to  React to  React to  Trump coup 
    of resistance-  Trump coup  Trump coup  Trump coup  attempt- AG 
Possible AG  Possible AG  BLM Plaza  attempt- AG  attempt- AG  attempt- AG  actions day 4 
spokes  spokes  actions Day 1  actions Day 2  actions Day 3   
council*  council*  Congress- no 
business as 
usual- AG 
actions day 1 

8  9  10  11  12  13  14 

       
Congress-  (Congress  Congress- no  Congress- no 
no business  returns to  business as  business as 
as usual- AG  session)   usual- AG  usual- AG 
actions day    actions day 4  actions day 5 
2  Congress- no 
  business as 
  usual- AG 
actions day 3