When Trump became president in 2017, he did so after six years of mass protests: Occupy, Ferguson, Fight for 15, and so on. These were followed by mass protests over gun violence, climate change, sexual assault, and more. The expectation of protesters was that Democratic officials would pass laws to remedy these crises. That’s why there was a blue wave in 2018. When it became clear that not only did representatives not care, but that top Democrats were working with the worst Republicans — and encouraging us to “move on” from horrific crimes — people began to check out.

Sarah Kendzior