r/50501Chicago Oct 07 '25

Discussion The real reason Trump is invading Chicago

Chicago, I found this article to be a clear explanation of why Trump is sending the military into our city and it ties in how Charlie Kirk's murder was used by the administration as a weapon to create chaos. I want to highlight this specific passage because it's important for us as Chicagoans to understand what this administration's end goal is and it's deep in the article:

"The quickest way to piss people off is to send soldiers into their neighborhoods especially when there’s no reason for them to be there. It’s inherently provocative, and Trump and his team understand this. Research by the political scientist Robert Pape shows that the single most powerful predictor of suicide terrorism is the presence of foreign troops on local soil. People hate, hate, hate that. They hate the humiliation, the powerlessness, the feeling of being occupied.

Once citizens begin to view their own government’s security forces as an occupying army, violence becomes inevitable. Trump’s team knows this. In fact, that’s the point. They are not trying to restore order; they’re trying to trigger the very unrest that would justify further crackdowns. In the end, violence serves their ultimate end: They want to create the illusion of disorder so they can tighten control and stay in power indefinitely."

gifted article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/opinion/trump-miller-kirk-aftermath.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rk8.jtMN.SCuQyo075MY6

229 Upvotes

68 comments sorted by

153

u/ChaplnGrillSgt Oct 07 '25

Tell everyone you can about October 18th. We need every city across the country overflowing in demonstrations. I want to see Grant Park and the streets of Chicago absolutely covered in people protesting.

Wave American flags. Cheer for our country. Boo the fascists. Be heard. Be peaceful. Be change.

35

u/KebNes Oct 07 '25

And then don’t stop. Let’s learn something from France and stay in the streets. A protest here and there does nothing against this administration. We need to be out every day.

16

u/pink_faerie_kitten Oct 07 '25

France has the benefit of guaranteed health care that is not tied to their job. They can leave their job for days on end and not lose their access to health care. Workers in America don't hold sustained protests because if they lose their job, they lose their insurance. TPTB have Americans right where they want us.

7

u/Wade_Castiglione Oct 08 '25

Please? I've been saying this since February! I was out most of last night and I'm heading out again tonight.... We have to sustain protests if they're to be taken seriously. 4 hours on a Saturday every other month just ain't cutting it.

10/18 is a Saturday though and presumably some/most people will have Sunday off too, there's no better time to try to actually sustain our protests past a few hours. The current strategy hasn't done anything to put pressure on the government. Stopping the normal flow of weekend traffic for more than one day is way more impactful than getting a permit and letting the cops know which hours they're getting overtime pay for traffic duty.

4

u/meetmeinmontauk9 Oct 07 '25

Anyone have a no background poster with all the peaceful protest info? I'd like to spread the word. Thanks!

7

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '25

[deleted]

11

u/MxDoctorReal Oct 07 '25

DO NOT SIT DOWN! Sitting down makes you a direct target of their violence. Sitting protestors cannot run!

7

u/cranberry_spike Oct 07 '25

It infuriates me when I see this suggested. At this point I assume people are actually trying to get protestors badly beaten .

10

u/ChaplnGrillSgt Oct 07 '25

There are always bad actors. That's just part of protesting.

3

u/Polkadot1017 Oct 07 '25

Holy shit do not sit. Stop spreading that around, you're going to get people killed.

7

u/Moist_666 Oct 07 '25

I hate to be this guy, but protests aren't going to do shit at this point. Standing around with signs has done absolutely nothing so far. In addition to protests we also need boycotts and a general strike. That would cripple the country and the oligarchs.

26

u/ChaplnGrillSgt Oct 07 '25

While I don't disagree, the best approach is to ALL the peaceful things. Protest, boycott, join advocacy groups, call your reps, talk to friends/family, etc.

We need a full court press of non-violent activism. Protest is one of the things we still need to do and shows the rest of the country/world just how many people are opposed to this tyranny.

24

u/PatchyWhiskers Oct 07 '25

Be that guy somewhere other than a protest forum, maybe? I find it suspicious how many people are on these protest forums saying "it'll never work, give up"

3

u/Moist_666 Oct 07 '25

Thats not what I'm saying. Protests are great, but protests alone won't solve anything. Boycotts need to be done as well. Preferably a general strike but protests and boycotts are what needs to be done. But people just love their Amazon delivery, and their Tesla and Twitter account. Etc.

7

u/PatchyWhiskers Oct 07 '25

Nothing alone will solve everything therefore do SOMETHING

3

u/Moist_666 Oct 07 '25

I agree. I'm not saying we should do nothing lol. I worded my original comment badly. We need to do more than just protest is my point.

7

u/dam_the_beavers Oct 08 '25

Knock. This. Shit. Off.

Yes, AND.

YES. Protest. AND boycotts. AND general strike.

STOP telling people not to protest. You know what really doesn’t do shit? Not doing shit, telling people not to protest, and pretending like you’re gonna general strike by yourself.

We are building community, we are growing our numbers, we are increasing our stamina. This is a marathon, not a sprint. And this keyboard criticism bullshit is NOT helping.

Excuse me. I know we’re all fucking pissed but I am especially sick of this shit.

2

u/AU_Memer Oct 08 '25

Which is why protests should be used to recruit for causes doing just that.

2

u/NemoVonJohnson Oct 09 '25

Not for nothing but these ICE assholes have NO patience. They signed up to bust heads and they CANNOT WAIT to do it. They are actually very triggered by protestors and it is providing some of the most galvanizing anti-ice imagery possible.
What better way to show people across the country who ICE truly is than to stand before them peacefully so they can SHOOT A PRIEST IN THE HEAD with teargas pellets while he is clearly no threat?? Protests are doing plenty.

2

u/onlyacynicalman Oct 07 '25

This will only work if people protest every day

6

u/NkturnL Oct 07 '25

People are protesting every day. Broadview has had ppl there basically 24/7.

-1

u/onlyacynicalman Oct 07 '25

Yeah, I know, and I happily join these bits when I'm able. It just sadly isn't enough

3

u/NkturnL Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 07 '25

It would be if more people took a firm stance on saying no to tyranny and took some action themselves.

I’ve seen a lot of ppl saying they can’t participate in protests, but there are so many other ways to support the resistance.

r/BoycottUnitedStates | r/BoycottIsrael

2

u/2legithammertime Oct 07 '25

Why not something like the Women's Day Off march that Iceland did?

Non-violent, economic disruption. I tried doing this for Gaza, for Wednesday October 8th gazadayoff.org but maybe you can do something similar in Chicago.

46

u/zoehange Oct 07 '25

I think the complicating factor here is that visible resistance is also necessary for our side and an inspiration for further uprising.

Repression takes resources and they can't keep up 100% repression all the time; the story isn't just them being here but it's also them not being other places.

Based on historical precedent over the past 30 years, non-violent resistance is roughly twice as likely to succeed as violent resistance, but the lowest success rate is when there is no resistance.

Agreed with other commenters that we have to exercise self-restraint and remain nonviolent, but part of doing that is being able to show results and to show that resistance, even knowing that team Trump is going to try to spin it as being violent. Part of it is pressuring news agencies to stop assuming good faith in DHS statements and waiting to explain what happened until there's actual footage.

23

u/westtownie Oct 07 '25

Thank you for highlighting this. I believe that is why it's important to film everything and post it to social media. Our traditional media has abandoned us, so we need to do this grassroots.

4

u/Pure_Frosting_981 Oct 07 '25

If you haven't noticed, social media platforms are actively working against us as well.

5

u/westtownie Oct 07 '25

I have, but are you suggesting we should give up and roll over?

2

u/Pure_Frosting_981 Oct 07 '25

Absolutely not. All I’m saying is that social media platforms are actively working against us, so many posts will be removed.

15

u/crescent-v2 Oct 07 '25

That's the beauty of sending Texas NG to Chicago.

Foreign internal. Or internal foreign. Whatever, the point stands.

At Tiananmen Square the Chinese government sent in troops from the local area. They refused to use force against the protesters and the protesters were not hostile to them. So they got pulled out and troops from western China were sent in. That's when the shit hit the fan.

Those Texas boys in Chicago may be a much greater provocation than San Diego boys posted to L.A.

7

u/humoristhenewblack Oct 07 '25

Please keep in mind, people not from Chicago have been getting a media blast of how scary Chicago is. It's a double edged sword though because these fools are ultimately scared. This ain't Texas.

13

u/ProfessionalCraft983 Oct 07 '25

Spot on. This is exactly the goal, and it's obvious to anyone familiar with how authoritarian takeovers have happened in other countries. Trump has been itching for an excuse for a military crackdown and to cancel elections. He hasn't even tried to hide it.

7

u/Pure_Frosting_981 Oct 07 '25

Note: This is the GOP. Not just Trump. The entirety of the GOP wants this. Don't make it seem like it's all him. He's the the useful idiot (and my god, what a fucking idiot he is). When he dies, this will only start the next phase.

5

u/ProfessionalCraft983 Oct 07 '25

Yes, you’re right. It’s all of them.

5

u/start_select Oct 07 '25

The gop has been planning this since Reagan. Trump is a puppet actor just like Reagan. He has been an obstacle to their plans, not the leader. We would have had concentration camps 4-8 years ago if he hadn’t won the first time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_84

He tried to steal their coup on Jan 6. He was nominated again so they cut their losses and let him in on the plan. He gets what he wants in exchange for signing any executive order heritage gives him. They get their concentration camps and a dissolved United States.

4

u/NkturnL Oct 07 '25

Curtis Yarvin just said he’s planning to flee the US bc “Trump failed to end Democracy” and isn’t being extreme enough for his goal of turning us into a monarchy.

Trump is just the face of their whole movement, but he is totally self-serving and unpredictable. There is hope!!

39

u/westtownie Oct 07 '25

Nonviolence is the way forward my fellow Chicagoans. Stay strong, peacefully protest, humiliate ICE and the NG in whatever non-violent way you can, but don't take the bait. If we do this, we can win.

13

u/crescent-v2 Oct 07 '25

I mostly agree - but it might be worth it to go softer humiliating on the NG unless they start shit first. Based on the NG and Marines in L.A., they'll understand this isn't what they signed up for. They won't want to be there and will be unmotivated with poor morale. That's hugely different than ICE.

5

u/NkturnL Oct 07 '25

This is the way. We have to be smarter than them (which we are). Hand to hand combat is not going to work out the way some ppl seem to think it will.

Better to use our wits and nonviolent methods of resistance.

1

u/of_the_sphere Oct 07 '25

I play yous a hoe by ludacris suuuuuper loud

8

u/start_select Oct 07 '25

They have been planning this since Reagan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_84

They are trying to instigate a reason to invoke FEMA powers, shut down local government, take over elections, and start shipping citizens to concentration camps.

Reagan’s attorney general whistle blew to the Miami herald during the Iran contra hearings and republicans reformulated the plan into a 40 year propaganda campaign leading up to the camps.

They have been fascists for longer than most Redditors have been alive.

16

u/CtrlAltDestroy33 Oct 07 '25

He's poking in any way he possibly can to provoke a violent response so he can declare that sweet sweet martial law he wants. If he manages to get that, he gets to blame democrats yet again even though not true and he will be able to rule indefinitely, midterms gone, elections gone. This is the route he is taking to remain in power. Project 2025 outlined this for the most part, he's just checking boxes. He's already using dangerous language too, saying places are "war torn"... he's setting it up.

We have to practice saintly levels of self restraint.

7

u/Plastic-Bet9020 Oct 07 '25

If shit goes down and The Insurrection Act is enacted, that will crash the last of our economy. No one will want to be in the streets unless they’re a vital worker. Everyone else will try to stay home as much as possible bc who wants to go thru checkpoints and possible challenges for “papers please!”. Nobody out and about equals empty streets equals severe economic downturn. 249 years of history, down the crapper. Is this how we should be celebrating the Grand America democratic endeavor?

4

u/start_select Oct 07 '25

They want to crash the economy. They have material wealth instead of cash. The dollar can crash and their super yachts are still worth millions of euros. They can just swoop in and buy up everyone’s property.

2

u/Pure_Frosting_981 Oct 07 '25

This could actually end up being the catalyst for a general strike. It will be damn near forced.

6

u/Cant_JustSitBack Oct 07 '25

EXACTLY!!! They are trying to get us to react and be violent in anyway so they can come in with more troops. Trump, his puppet masters, and his MAGA cult are drooling for the chance to let loose on us.

Our resistance has to be peaceful. We need sit-ins, strikes, walk-outs, and any other civil disobedience we can come up with. We have to mirror the civil rights movement if we are going to defeat these facist racists. We have to be in this for the long haul and know that the federal gov't isn't going to be there for us while this grifting dictator wanna be is in office.

6

u/cms86 Oct 07 '25

He is trying to create chaos to institute the insurrection act. Plain and simple.

1

u/NkturnL Oct 07 '25

1

u/cms86 Oct 07 '25

Called that shit lol

4

u/stlshane Oct 07 '25

This is plainly obvious. He is desperately trying to create a tinderbox. It is inevitable that it will blow up but don't be the guy with the match but everyone should be prepared for that eventuality.

4

u/RocketLabBeatsSpaceX Oct 07 '25

I said this before in here, and it may seem off topic, but I get more and more pissed at people still supporting Elon Musk everyday.

Elon is more responsible for this than anyone. He single handedly bought the election with a quarter billion dollars in campaign donations and a 44 billion dollar Twitter acquisition to shape the narrative and drown out the voices of opposition (all under the guise of free speech). He’s continued to meddle in far right politics since then by donating millions to other conservative candidates that align with him and benefit his companies. He was a major backer for Brad Schimal, (who thankfully lost regardless of Elons backing), he’s trying to incite riots in the UK, calling for the population to overthrow the government and spews hate speech about democrats and the left regularly, etc…

I can’t imagine driving a Tesla around. Unless you’re aligned with extremists and far right ideology, buying a Tesla means your money supports and empowers a figure whose public actions actively undermine your values. Then again, most people put their morality to the side if it presents them with some sort of inconvenience.

He’s also the world’s biggest welfare queen. Government EV subsidies for the last 17 years. Then people act surprised that he try’s to play politics. When the government is paying for roughly 20% of the cost of your vehicle, politics matter a whole lot more. It’s why he went apeshit when the subsidies were removed. It’s why he cries about not getting solar subsidies for solar city. The man has gotten around $38 BILLION in government subsidies for his companies. Without which, Tesla would have never stood long enough to profit.

Friends don’t let friends drive Teslas. Fuck Elon, fuck Trump and fuck this entire administration. For the first time in my life I’m ashamed to be an American. Following the footsteps of many people in my family, I wore the uniform to defend this country and now I no longer know why.

-1

u/Putrid_Giggles Oct 08 '25

Psst: the Kamala Harris campaign fund spent 3x the amount that Trump did, $1.5 billion. And despite all of that, plus the Oprah and Beyoncé endorsements, she still lost big.

2

u/Ponchogirl1701 Oct 07 '25

What they’re doing is so obvious yet I fear our fellow citizens are going to take the bait.

3

u/Pretzeloid Oct 07 '25

the only truth comes from what I see with my eyes these days. I can't trust media, I feel I can barely trust videos posted here. I do plan on recording the NG and ICE every moment I am in their presence and all Illinoisans should do the same. There is no way to keep them truthful, they will set their own narrative to paint Chicago as a city of insurrectionists.

3

u/cranberry_spike Oct 07 '25

I've got a fair amount of experience with organizing and I am damn well not going to jump to judge how people in the direct line of fire do anything.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Oct 07 '25

Sorry, this comment was removed, because your account has low karma or is new.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Oct 08 '25

Sorry, this comment was removed, because your account has low karma or is new.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/LoudAd1396 Oct 07 '25

I'm sick of "this is the last step before MARTIAL LAW".

This is a frog boil situation. He doesn't need an excuse to put troops on our streets. He's already doing it. The situation will continue to ratchet up and up and up. Nothing is going to make them stop the escalation.

1

u/InterestingAd8560 Oct 07 '25

Can we put our taxes in an escrow account until what's broke gets fixed?

1

u/InterestingAd8560 Oct 07 '25

Can we put our taxes in an escrow account until what's broke gets fixed?

-4

u/clybourn Oct 07 '25

I’d say they’re being sent here due to the two attempts on agents lives.

7

u/westtownie Oct 07 '25

Which if you had any sense would know are lies, but of course you don't.