Barbara Lee Warns If We Don't Fight Back Harder We Won't Even Recognize This Country

“People will wake up one day if we don't fight back harder and find out where are we, they won't even recognize this country anymore,” Mayor Barbara Lee told Joy Ann Reid.

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“People will wake up one day if we don't fight back harder and find out where are we, they won't even recognize this country anymore,” Mayor Barbara Lee told Joy Ann Reid.

Most people don't recognize the signs of democracy being dismantled until it's too late, Lee warned. People need to understand what authoritarianism looks like so they can act before finding themselves in a country they don't recognize, with "barbed wire everywhere" and "people in jail and internment camps."

The Mayor of Oakland also gave advice for how to protest safely and effectively, saying to fight back, but do it smartly. She warned not to give authorities the excuse they want to escalate. The goal is sustained resistance, not actions that backfire and harm the people you're trying to protect.

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