Suzette Brooks Masters

to solve real problems, and then to use that as a way to build up their confidence in their fellow humans, their neighbors, testing out new ways of bringing people together that use technology that enables more people to provide input.

And for the government, which I believe is a crucial actor here, at all levels,

But now, more than ever, with a weaponized federal government, I would say state and local.

I would say the emphasis on the local first, where there's more of a sense of shared reality.

But I think the success is going to be in developing ways of practicing democracy, not just theorizing about democracy or systems, but actually doing it with people

And then figuring out whether that can rebuild trust in government to do the right thing once they receive that input.

I know that's very convoluted.

I really believe we need to take it all down a notch or two or three to real things that real people can do.

Because I think in this moment,

The theory just isn't going to get us there.

You know, like even though I think a lot of the new ideas are rooted in theory, I think we have to practice them and then learn from the practice and then replicate the practice.

And hopefully that will scale.

And I think it's everything from deliberative democracy experiments that are happening locally, participatory budgeting, you know, all the things that can really happen at the local level with all these new forms of tech enablement.

And I think it's also local organizing, as you began at the beginning, getting people together to do things together that are a joyful experience.

form of resistance that celebrates what they have in common while fighting at the same time.

Because it's scary right now.

And then I'll stop.

But I think what's scariest now and what I feel most strongly is that feeling of invincibility that I had knowing that whatever I was going to protest about or

get upset about, that that wasn't going to come and bite me and land me in jail or in detention or in shackles.

And that is gone.