In mostly white small towns and rural areas across the country, in places that have never seen marches or demonstrations, small groups gather to protest of the police murder of George Floyd and to support the work of Black Lives Matter. It is a source of hope for a better American future.
But there’s another, much darker presence on those streets, too. Armed militia — assault weapons in their hands — line the protest routes and stand on rooftops like snipers. They are “protecting their communities,” they say, as if the 400 demonstrators marching in Omak, Washington, a city of fewer than 5,000 people, were going to pillage, burn and loot the place.
Reports the Washington Post:
In Bethel, Ohio, a town of 2,800, over 700 counter-protestors — some carrying rifles while others brought only bats and clubs — confronted a group of about 80 peaceful demonstrators, one of whom was attacked.
Said Emma Ronai-Durning of the Rural Organizing Project, a nonprofit organization based in Cottage Grove, Oregon:
When asked what the authorities should do, a police spokesperson said: “There’s a right to peacefully assemble, and there’s a right to bear arms. If I trample on one of those rights, then I trample on all of them.”
I don’t think this is what the framers of the Second Amendment had in mind.
We must not normalize these appalling assaults on our freedom of speech. Democracy is lost one small step at a time. Let’s at least notice the losses and ring the alarm.**
But there’s another, much darker presence on those streets, too. Armed militia — assault weapons in their hands — line the protest routes and stand on rooftops like snipers. They are “protecting their communities,” they say, as if the 400 demonstrators marching in Omak, Washington, a city of fewer than 5,000 people, were going to pillage, burn and loot the place.
Reports the Washington Post:
“Honestly, it was terrifying,” said [the organizer of the march]. “They claimed they were there to protect the city from outsiders, but it felt more like preparation to kill.”Social media before the march included a post characterizing the upcoming gathering as “free target practice.”
In Bethel, Ohio, a town of 2,800, over 700 counter-protestors — some carrying rifles while others brought only bats and clubs — confronted a group of about 80 peaceful demonstrators, one of whom was attacked.
Said Emma Ronai-Durning of the Rural Organizing Project, a nonprofit organization based in Cottage Grove, Oregon:
Of the more than 60 actions that have unfolded in rural Oregon, virtually all of them have encountered backlash from armed groups, whether in the form of intimidation on social media or actual boots on the ground.Really?! Armed vigilantes intimidating peaceful protestors: We haven’t seen such wide-spread armed, political intimidation since the 1950s and -60s Civil Rights in the South. The threat behind the intimidation is real: one protester was shot and critically wounded by armed civilians in Albuquerque.
When asked what the authorities should do, a police spokesperson said: “There’s a right to peacefully assemble, and there’s a right to bear arms. If I trample on one of those rights, then I trample on all of them.”
I don’t think this is what the framers of the Second Amendment had in mind.
We must not normalize these appalling assaults on our freedom of speech. Democracy is lost one small step at a time. Let’s at least notice the losses and ring the alarm.**
________________
** The avenues for (unspectacular) action are many:
- try to gently open lines of communication with friends and acquaintances not to convince them but only to inform them
- join the crowds in the streets
- hold a seminar in your church
- support Black Lives Matter financially and with your feet
- contribute money and time to congressional candidates in close races even if they aren’t your favorites
- join the Brady Campaign against gun violence
- join Eric Holder’s attempt to dismantle gerrymandering
- write letters-to-the-editor and opinion pieces for your local paper
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In these comments I am hoping to encourage civil and respectful conversation among folks with different political viewpoints. In this age of polarization, I realize that will be difficult. But those of us who disagree with each other are not enemies, but political opponents. Our willingness to enter into cooperative dialog is an essential part of a vibrant democracy.(Comments are currently only only available since Jan 1, 2019. If you'd like to comment on an earlier post, go to the most recent post and request commenting be turned on for the date you want.)