Defending Democracy through
Public Art, Community Engagement and Civic Education
The DEMOCRACY StopTheSteal.US project aims to:
Engage communities across the US with mass installations of DSTS.US highway banners
Present workshops to Educate Americans to Recognize and Resist the Red Flags of Authoritarian Leadership
Activate We the People across the US to Contribute
to the build-out of a National Grassroots Network
of Non-Violent Resistance
in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections
The Work
Beginning spring 2026 the DSTS.US project will travel to communities large and small across the United States, engaging with Americans from across the political spectrum.
The DEMOCRACY StopTheSteal.US mass banner hanging events will capture the community's attention and validate people's discomfort, unease and confusion around the state of democracy in the US.
The free Authoritarian Red Flags workshops will educate Americans - using current and historical examples - about the strategies and tactics used by authoritarian leaders, in the US and around the world, to dismantle democratic forms of government, amass control and steal power from the People.
Finally, the DSTS.US project will offer ways and resources for participants to stay involved and contribute to build-out of a National Grassroots Network of Non-Violent Resistance.
The Why
I created this project because I believe that there are millions of Americans across the country who - in this current moment - are feeling uneasy, uncomfortable and alarmed at the words and actions of the current administration.
Much like an abusive relationship, if an individual has no knowledge of or previous experience with the Red Flags (warning signs) of Authoritarian behavior they often struggle to describe or explain these feelings of unease while simultaneously questioning whether their feelings are "legitimate" and if they are "over reacting."
The DSTS.US project uses public art (the DEMOCRACY StopTheSteal.US banners) to both validate and amplify the feelings of those Americans who are dismayed and confused by the current political reality - "Yes, your feelings are legitimate. There IS something wrong."
By providing free civic education (the Authoritarian Red Flags workshops) the DSTS.US project gives participants a larger framework - the words, names, language and historical context - to see, understand and interpret the toxic, abusive and authoritarian behavior of the current leadership at the highest levels of US government.
By encouraging people to educate others in their area to the dangers of the Authoritarian Red Flags, or producing and displaying DSTS.US banners, or joining or organizing local chapters of national networks such as Indivisible, MoveOn and 50501 the DSTS.US project intends to be one of the thousands of individuals and organizations planting and cultivating the seeds of resistance across the United States in 2026.
