Last Saturday, Pussy Riot took the streets of Downtown L.A., donning their iconic ski masks and holding a jet‑red banner that read: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Russia.” This moment wasn’t symbolic—it was forensic. A gentle warning that it was starting to look a lot like Russian-style oppression.

Just nine days earlier, on June 5, Nadya Tolokonnikova had opened her POLICE STATE exhibit at MOCA Geffen, which traced state overreach through immersive prison‑cell installations. But before the public could take it in, after only one full day, on June 6, the city was flooded with militarized DHS and ICE raids—in garment district warehouses, Home Depots, and on the streets—resulting in 44 administrative arrests, including SEIU leader David Huerta, amid flash‑bang and teargas confrontations protestors surged.

The next day, Trump invoked Title 10, federalizing up to 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines under the newly formed Task Force 51 to occupy L.A.—a deployment cost projected at $134 million, now the subject of Newsom v. Trump, a lawsuit over its constitutionality, deemed illegal by a federal judge

By No Kings Day, over 5 million Americans across 2,000+ cities—including tens of thousands in L.A.—marched to reject what they saw as an authoritarian turn, synchronized with Trump’s military parade in D.C. Press outlets like AFP, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone reported Pussy Riot’s striking banner cutting through the swelling crowd outside City Hall—even as hundreds of LAPD, Marines and National Guard members stood by the protestors in the thousands. Nadya reflected:

“There’s a Christmas song that starts playing after Thanksgiving, the one that says “It’s beginning to look a lot like christmas…. Everywhere you go”. Maybe they just start putting up lights or you see decorations at stores, but it starts and you begin to feel it coming. Well… It’s beginning to feel a lot like Russia…. Everywhere you go.”

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Russia.”

But here’s the spark of optimism: it’s not Russia. Not yet. Millions of people showed up in cities nationwide—marching not because they were coerced, but because they cared. Across demographics, political affiliations, and geographies, people chanted, held banners, and reclaimed public space meaningfully. Our First Amendment still matters: collective action remains a potent force for change. If enough Americans continue to mobilize, speak out, and hold power accountable, we still have time to reclaim our democracy.

Pussy Riot didn’t come here to stage a show—they came to ring a gentle alarm.

It is beginning to look a lot like Russia.