Over 6,000 anti-Trumpers have come together on Reddit to plan a massive Black Friday Protest that could take place in over 70 metro areas across the United States.
The group doesn’t intend on disrupting economic activity to send a message, but to use the day as a way of telling America and the world that they are fed up with Trump’s antics.
It all began with a post on Reddit by Navy veteran Jared Brunk, who goes by the Reddit user name of The Electric Key.
Unlike Hong Kong or any European country the US is massive but we are very technologically connected in our protests against the Trump administration. So, in order to get on tv and show the world how fucking fed up we are with Trump I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, hereby declare that we should hold a massive, countrywide protest on Black Friday. A majority of us will be on holiday and since it’s two months away that gives us plenty of time to plan and prepare. The Area 51 raid started way before it ‘happened’ and there is no fucking reason why we can’t do the same on Black Friday.
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GOOD reached out to talk to Brunk to learn more about the protest and why Trump is such a threat.
GOOD: What’s the most dangerous aspect of Trump’s presidency?
Jared Brunk: The book, “Fire and Fury” is the first thing that comes to my mind. The second is how badly he has damaged our international relations and made our military weaker.
I was in the Navy and I served in Japan for three years on the USS Chancellorsville and we practiced what is known as Force Projection. We averaged 200 days a year sailing from Russia, to Australia, to India, to Hong Kong and other places as a show of force to maintain peaceful relations with our allies and international commerce communities.
When Trump pulled our troops out of Syria he sent a silent message to South Korea and other places that, under his Presidency, he’ll protect his business interests before he’ll protect our allies.
The other aspect that I see that is the most dangerous is how he has called for civil war and how he asks people at his rallies to rough up protesters. … Trump is the Great Divider and it is my hope that someday people will wake up and realize hatred towards our fellow citizen for partisan politics is madness.
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GOOD: Disrupting businesses will bring the issue to the attention of major corporations. If so, how do you expect them to react?
JB: I chose Black Friday because of its familiarity in our national lexicon and because it is in the middle of a four-day weekend. I decided that this would be the best day to plan out a peaceful protest against Trump, not shoppers.
A lot of people hate Black Friday because they see it as a way for businesses to get rich; but not me. I see it as a way for the poor, like myself, to save some money on a purchase. Buying things that a person desires at a lower cost gives a person happiness and I’m totally fine with that.
I see zero need for people to harass shoppers and retailers that will only end in someone getting arrested. Do unto others as you would want them to do to you; peacefully protest, do not harass or harm. We are uniting against Trump, not each other.
GOOD: You mentioned the Area 51 Raid in your manifesto. What lessons can you learn from that event?
JB: Strike while the iron’s hot. Trump will be going through his impeachment and he’s already signaled that he may shut the government down on Nov. 21 and McConnell has said he’ll hold the Senate hearings during the December break.
The Area 51 raid started small and built up with memes that spread across various social media platforms. Not long after /r/BlackFridayProtest was created several very talented artists answered the call and made some amazing memes that I have been spamming across the Twitterverse.
So, learning from what created buzz for the Area 51 Raid I jumped on this opportunity and pitched it to my fellow Americans and I am happy that they too see the need to peacefully protest in favor of removing Trump from office.
GOOD: What has the response been like on social media? Are you surprised?
JB: I’m not surprised, people are pissed and fed up with the daily lunacy of Trump. Everyone’s exhausted and they want to do anything they can to show their disapproval for the direction the US has taken under his failed leadership.
GOOD: Where can people go to learn more about the protest?
JB: Reddit.com/r/BlackFridayProtest is the main camp for this peaceful, protest movement … In their sister subreddit they can organize with other people to make their local protest a success.
The interview was edited for length and clarity.
