Dear Bystanders: You’re Not Above the Fray. You’re Fueling It.

I know you're uncomfortable. And you're trying to be balanced. Unfortunately, you don’t get to claim balance while ignoring the pattern — this is how repression always starts. When one side is calling for rights and the other is calling for power, they’re not equal. Historically, every time people on this planet said “both sides are the same,” history picked the wrong one for them.

This week, peaceful protestors were kettled and arrested in L.A. for holding space outside City Hall to demand a ceasefire. Unhoused people and their allies were shoved aside to make way for business as usual—war profiteers and local politicians playing nice while bombs fall overseas.

On Saturday, Trump celebrates his birthday with a military-themed rally—flags, marching bands, and authoritarian cosplay—while real veterans are being criminalized for marching in D.C. behind a banner that said “NO KINGS.”

You think this is noise on the fringe? No. This is the center cracking.

Pick a damn side.

If You’re “Staying Out of It,” You’re Already In It—Just on Mute

Let’s be honest. Most people claiming neutrality aren’t neutral. They’re tired. Or scared. Or overwhelmed. Or they think being above the fray makes them morally superior.

But neutrality in the face of injustice isn’t a virtue.

It’s a luxury. And it’s not one everyone gets to keep.

Here’s What Neutrality Really Does:

• It normalizes fascist language.

• It erases people risking everything to speak out.

• It signals to the powerful that you’ll stay quiet as long as your own life isn’t touched.

I love peace, too, friends. But that’s not peace. What you're doing is called passive compliance.

What You Think You’re Saying:

“I don’t want to get political.” “Both sides are extreme.” “I’m too tired to engage.”

What You’re Actually Saying:

“I’ll wait until someone else fixes it.” “I can live with this.” “This isn’t about me.”

Until your rights slip. Until your kid comes home crying. Until the history books call it what it was and your name’s not in the resistance column.

You Don't Have to Be Loud, But You Do Have to Be Clear

Nobody’s asking you to be a hero. But the bar is so low right now. Pick a damn side, and be honest about it.

Because when students are arrested for tents, when protestors are charged for poems, and when tyrants celebrate their birthdays with tanks and cheering crowds, that’s not “just another Saturday.”

That’s the line. You're either on one side of it—or you're helping it move towards your door.