Photo by Julian Gentile on Unsplash
What Good is a Shutdown?
My responses to the most often asked questions and comments I have heard about a potential economic shutdown if the midterm elections are sabotaged.
Jude Glass October 7, 2026
What will a shutdown really accomplish?
A shutdown is a tool of last resort. It is one of the few ways that the citizenry of the entire nation can come together in a unified, non-violent response to a government that refuses to abide by the laws of the land. A sustained, economic slowdown will force large corporations that have capitulated to the Trump regime to rethink their stance. As Trump’s corporate backers pull away, Trump’s control will be diminished and, hopefully, democracy will stand.
Ideally, we will not need a shutdown. However, if our right to vote is impeded, if our votes are discounted, if our duly elected representatives are not sworn in and seated, what are our non-violent alternatives to a shutdown? Before you say the courts will handle it, please keep in mind the number of times Trump and members of his regime have simply bulldozed the norms and ignored court orders. There is no one to enforce court rulings. It’s up to us. If we do nothing, we acknowledge the end of the American Experiment.
A shutdown will hurt the people who are already hurting
It is true that here in Tucson we have many, many people who are living paycheck to paycheck. Inflation from Trump’s tariffs combined with the loss of SNAP and Healthcare benefits has exacerbated the situation. It is for this reason our pledge states, “I will do the best I can.” We understand that a single parent with 3 kids can’t skip work. We are not asking those who are already suffering under extreme financial duress to sacrifice even more. But the rest of us who have the privilege of even a small financial cushion need to step up. We all should be contributing to the infrastructure that can help support those families now and during any potential shutdown. We need to be prepared to sacrifice a few days’ pay to prevent the intolerable suffering we will all experience in the future if the Trump regime is permitted to thwart the people’s will.
The Tucson Shutdown Mutual Aid Committee has been working with the Community Food Bank, food pantries, and Houses of Worship to be certain that no one in Tucson will go hungry during a shutdown. Tucsonans who are able can begin donating to the Food Bank and other local pantries now so that they have enough to share when it is needed most.
Large cities such as NYC, Boston, LA, and San Francisco will be participating in shutdown actions for as much as two weeks. Even if no one in Tucson participated in the shutdown, we would still feel the effects. Therefore, we should begin preparing our own households and neighborhoods for the possibility of disrupted supply chains. It is far better to be prepared and have no shutdown than to have a shutdown and be unprepared.
Politics Has NO Place in a House of Worship
This is NOT about partisan politics. It is about a government that is descending into a lawless, authoritarian regime at an alarming pace. Currently, our Bill of Rights allows all people to worship in the manner they choose. Can you trust that your first amendment rights will be honored if election results are not?
Some of the most important and enduring spiritual teachings are about lifting up the most vulnerable among us. We are taught to see the spark of the divine in all people and to provide comfort and support to those in need. Many congregations have taken steps to protect immigrants, impoverished families, and unhoused people from the harm that has come from the Trump regime in just the past two years. Imagine the harm to come if this regime gains unchecked power. In a lawless society everyone suffers except the select few at the top.
The enormity of the task is staggering. No one person or congregation or city can do this alone. We can make the choice to come together and lift our voices as one for the good of our nation, or we can do nothing and be unable to help even a tiny fraction of those who will be hungry, unhoused, beaten, and detained.
I own a small business. If I close my shop, my employees will suffer. And if no one is shopping, I can’t afford to pay my workers
The pledge “I will do the best I can” applies to business owners as well as individuals. Tucson Shutdown is asking people to stop shopping at corporate owned stores and to buy necessities from locally owned mid-sized and small businesses that find ways to support democracy and a potential shutdown. You can remind your employees to register to vote. You can give them time to go to the polls. Maybe you can close for a day to allow your employees to participate in a march. Perhaps you can hang a Shutdown Poster or share flyers with your clientele. We will work with you to find reasonable alternatives to shutting down completely. The Tucson Shutdown website will highlight local businesses that find ways to support the people’s right to choose.
So- What’s the worst that could happen to my business if we don’t have a shutdown?
Let’s imagine for a moment that in January, duly elected representatives are not sworn in and there is no shutdown. The worst-case short-term scenario is a groundswell of violence from a frustrated populace. If we do not get the word out to enough people, and present a unified, nonviolent front, there is reason to believe that at least a few people in scattered cities will start some kind of civil unrest. That will lead to ICE and military in our streets. Clearly, not good for business.
Even without a violent uprising, unless we present some kind of unified resistance our democracy would officially become an authoritarian regime. How would that affect your employees? Your customers? Your bottom line?
What happens to your business without the rule of law? Unless you comply with the regime, you lose equal access to resources, licenses, and legal protections. Small businesses in authoritarian economies are more likely to deal with arbitrary regulatory shifts, coercion, and demands for bribes. Overall, authoritarian economies tend to be far less prosperous than those in countries where no one is above the law. We are already seeing the effects of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies on our economy. How have the tariffs affected your business? Funding for science, the arts, health, and transportation has already been gutted and will not be restored. Businesses that rely on accurate data from the government are scrambling to find alternative sources. Tucson has traditionally depended on tourism to boost our local economy. According to the Daily Star, Arizona lost over 188,000 Canadian visitors in 2025 due to Trump’s poor understanding of basic economics and international diplomacy. How much tourism will we get for the next gem show if we simply allow the Trump regime to do whatever they please with no resistance from us at all?
It comes down to a simple choice. If our right to choose our own leaders is denied in any way, are we willing to accept a certain amount of sacrifice that comes with a non-violent shutdown or do we wait until we have been stripped of all our rights and choose between bowing down and an actual revolution?
https://freedomhouse.org/article/when-business-meets-autocracy-stakes-rise-everyone
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