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Alright. Nothing I'm gonna say about Salem is a statement on the people who put out the call for antifascist response. Things that happened got out of hand and people got... off message.
Nobody went to Salem for a rally.
Nobody went to Salem for a rally.
People stood for two hours in the cold listening to speakers, one of whom proudly called himself a reformist. This was nowhere on the flier, and ppl expected a few quick speeches and then people would... go oppose the alt-right. Still, pretty much everyone held tight.
In the middle of my favorite speech, there was an alert that there was a large crowd of people approaching from one end of the park. It was a false alarm, but a significant chunk of the crowd went to respond to what people thought were a bunch of fasc staging.
This sparked conflict. One person in particular who was publicly, visibly associated with J.U.I.C.E. was angry because people were getting distracted from the respected Black speaker. He started shouting. When someone insulted him, he got agitated and almost punched them.
To be clear, the group walking away had an equal ratio of Black and Indigenous ppl as the crowd. When he approached the people later, when challenged on the fact he almost got violent in response to being told "fuck you," he proudly defended himself.
Ideally, there would have been a quick convo about what to do should there be a threat- people who wanted to defend could & everyone else could listen to the AMAZING speech. But that didn't happen. So, people took initiative. Do i think some people were antsy two hours in? Prolly
(So why was this respected Black speaker put so far back, then?) There was a threat. People responded. Fascists had been marching in the city for hours already, and the people who came to respond were being shamed for... moving to fight Nazis.
Also? The toxic masculinity? The amount of shouting and screaming and threats of violence the moment of conflict? The lack of intervention? People let a small Black trans person speak on it instead.
There were some really cool people out today. I hope this is a learning moment:
There were some really cool people out today. I hope this is a learning moment:
- You're not tough for raising your fist in response to an insult. You don't have a right to scream in someone's face because you've been hurt.
- When a Black person starts taking initiative, that doesn't mean you ask them to do shit for you because you don't want to step up.
- When a Black person starts taking initiative, that doesn't mean you ask them to do shit for you because you don't want to step up.
Seriously, talk to the crowd yourself.
- move quick and learn how to make decisions with people you don't know. Run scenarios w/ friends where you talk through what would be smart when alt-right changes location or there's a sudden appearance of cops.
Fuck it that's all for now.
- move quick and learn how to make decisions with people you don't know. Run scenarios w/ friends where you talk through what would be smart when alt-right changes location or there's a sudden appearance of cops.
Fuck it that's all for now.
There were two instances of larger men (and from what they said about themselves, I believe both are indeed men) physically intimidating someone much smaller than them because of their anger. I physically intervened the first time but was genuinely too afraid to the second.
And so i stood nearby in case they escalated. Both these times, cis men I care for deeply (who are much larger than me, and able bodied!) observed and for one reason or another considered it not their problem. So, a gentle reminder to all men out there: it is always our problem.
Don't let someone get hurt before you are moved to intervene. It is scary, but sometimes you should speak and tell someone they're out of line.
