Local Organizing Under Trump: What’s the Plan to Meet the Moment?
By Tyron Moore
Since Trump’s election, Tacoma for All has been grappling with these questions:
How do we weave our local organizing plans into an effective national resistance movement?
In what ways is the fight for affordable housing bound up with broader movements for justice?
Can we model, at a local level, the kind of working-class political movement needed to cut across Trump’s base of support and defeat the business-backed oligarchy he is constructing?
For good reason, waves of fear are rippling through our communities. Trump’s barrage of executive orders is even more aggressive and sweeping than most anticipated. Here in Tacoma, immigrant families are taking their kids out of school, avoiding medical care, and keeping their curtains closed.
A Government of Billionaires
Following the lead of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and other tech titans, much of corporate America is falling over itself to kiss Trump’s ring. This nation has long been an oligarchy, but under Trump, the billionaire class is unleashed—unabashedly flaunting their corruption of our democracy.
To make matters worse, the response from many progressive leaders feels muted and confused. In Washington, DC, leading Democrats are divided over whether to fight Trump or work with him.
Reversing Local Protections
Trump is orchestrating an aggressive wave of reaction designed to roll back progressive gains at every level of American society. Even in “deep blue” cities like Seattle and Tacoma, Trump’s billionaire-backed agenda is emboldening conservative business interests.
Seattle’s new City Council, backed by its Chamber of Commerce, plans to undo tenant protections won over the last decade. Big landlord groups like the Rental Housing Association have made it clear they want to do the same in Tacoma. This right-wing business backlash, of course, is not limited to housing policy.
A Politics of Solidarity
All this must inform our local organizing strategy. We must be clear that the fight to win stable, affordable, and quality housing for all is intrinsically tied to the fight for immigrant rights, the labor movement, climate justice, racial equity, reproductive justice, trans rights, and more.
This moment calls for a politics of solidarity, one that understands our fights are all bound together. What we don’t need is defensive politics, one that celebrates the status quo of our broken and corrupt political system. That strategy has already been tried and failed. It paved the way for Trump and his MAGA movement to pose as champions of disaffected working-class communities.
Eroding Trump’s Working-Class Base
Trump’s power comes from his populist appeal. Cut off his working-class base, and he’s left with a cluster of hated millionaires and billionaires.
To model the kind of working-class political alternative we need nationally, Tacoma for All must offer a positive vision to fundamentally transform our broken, for-profit housing system. That starts with an honest admission: our “blue” city, county, and state governments have no serious plan to build affordable housing on the scale that’s needed.
Eviction rates were higher than ever last year, both locally and statewide. Homelessness numbers are spiking everywhere. Most working people are just a lost job or medical bill away from a housing crisis. Unless our movement offers a way out of spiraling housing costs and growing homeless encampments, right-populist appeals for police sweeps, immigrant deportations, and deregulation will gain ground.
Join a Vibrant Community of Struggle
We don’t have all the answers yet, but Tacoma for All members are actively discussing a bold policy platform and organizing strategy to meet this moment. Our plan is to finalize these discussions at our Annual Convention this April—stay tuned for details.
These are dark times, and it can be tempting to tune out, hoping the storm will pass. But the best answer to fear and isolation is to get better organized and, together, build a vibrant community of struggle. We invite you to become a member of Tacoma for All, support our work, and join the conversation on how to organize locally in the Trump era.
Become a Member | Volunteer with Us | Donate Now
A Poem to Meet the Moment
On Monday, Tacoma for All’s staff tenant organizer, Gwen Lewandosky, drew tears and cheers at the local Inauguration Day rally by reading a powerful poem she wrote to mark the occasion. If you want to feel warmed and inspired, watch Gwen’s performance here.
To close, an excerpt:
For a home in America, to get warm and safe,
to cook for your babies, and have your own space,
to make love and listen, to think deeply and heal,
against the hard world, and the hand that kills.
It’s home in America, the policies that have failed,
the loans over-leveraged, and the banks that we bailed.
We made millionaires billionaires, as we worked to the bone,
two or three jobs, and we’ve still got no homes.