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I just watched AOC explain how she ran up and down many flights of stairs in heels as the whitemare racist hordes banged on the Capitol doors and windows and got to Katie Porter’s office and Katie was like, “Greetings. I have coffee.” and then their staff barricaded the door.
Then AOC asked if any of Katie‘s staff kept workout clothes under their desk, and AOC changed into an extra pair of sneakers while her staff & Katie Porter’s staff (who had piled furniture against the door) tried to ascertain the place they were supposed to gather with others.
Those are just a couple of small details in a story that absolutely matches every reputable mainstream news source’s reporting about the insane security lapses and probable collaboration between MAGA law enforcement goons & that pale unwashed mass of phlegm known as Trumpers.
Anyway, I didn’t get to watch the entirety of AOC’s story but I imagine she will archive it. It is well worth watching. There are, of course, other first-person accounts from progressive Democrats targeted that day, and all the stories are upsetting.
In AOC’s case, it was interesting to hear her talk about a growing sense of unease that week, with the mounting anxiety characteristic of someone who takes the temperature of a room & displays situational awareness.
It sounds like AOC and Katie Porter both experienced great concern, to say the least, but they each displayed it differently while being very aware, awake, and collaborative with staff. AOC praised her staff and Porter’s staff for quick thinking and bravery.
And enormous respect to AOC for choosing to disclose that she was sexually assaulted when she was younger, and to discuss how new danger to one’s safety can awaken and compound old traumatic memories.
In hearing AOC’s story, and her respectful and affectionate description of Katie Porter’s calm demeanor, I was reminded of how a successful team working in emergency conditions often features individuals with contrasting yet complementary approaches to addressing a problem.
If you’ve ever known somebody who saw combat in the military, or somebody who was part of a search and rescue team, or somebody who worked with a team of EMTs, for example, you do hear about people working to achieve a common goal but naturally falling into different vital roles.
I know some others got emotional listening to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking on InstaLive, and her story reminded me of all the girls I know who’ve been through really rough shit and can go from calm to “can I survive escaping through this window” in .5 seconds. That was real.
There are a lot of nice unfamous girls out there who can flip from student council president energy to finding the nearest makeshift weapon so fucking fast. I was thinking about them while listening to AOC. It’s not to be entertaining. It’s because they’ve had to do it before.
Some of that is 100% city kid, especially city girl, awareness. But some of it just comes from having been in situations as a woman where you have to survive. I really thought about some of my friends when hearing these stories from and about AOC and Katie Porter tonight.
I see that Rep. Porter spoke about that day too. I have to go watch her interview on MSNBC. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez kept emphasizing how calm Rep. Porter was. And she mentioned that she herself was in full fight, flight, or freeze. Both reactions can mesh help keep a team alive.
Sorry for my typos. Anyway, when I hear somebody tell a story like AOC’s, it makes me think about people I know who’ve been under attack. Maybe it wasn’t a racist mob threatening their life. Maybe it was the dad they were forced to grow up with, so they always clock the exits.
Maybe somebody you know grew up with a cruel mom, so they’re always anxious w/people they don’t know. Maybe they got beat up every day at school. People who’ve been attacked or lived under constant threat carry a burden that sometimes manifests as seemingly superhuman awareness.
I think that trauma can give the tough “gift” of noticing what others don’t see, anticipating risk, solving a problem before it occurs. Sometimes people imagine these folks are magically strong. They’re not. Just because they’re miraculous doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a break.
We know what these women went through because they are well-known leaders who (thankfully) survived to tell their stories. AOC & Katie Porter make me think of all those among us who deal with PTSD, diagnosed & undiagnosed, from secret horrors. Trauma doesn’t discriminate.
Sometimes when the shit hits the fan, the person who keeps their cool under pressure or the person who immediately jumps into action to get shit done… That’s not when I worry about them. I worry about them six months later when everything settles down and the feelings hit.
You may have waded through the previous thread and thought “this hippie dumbass has the stupidest politics and so do these reps she praises“ but chances are if you’ve been abused, you begrudgingly relate to some of this. You don’t have to say it. I know you’re here too.
Take good care of yourselves. These are tough days. Tonight I was reminded that I never really know what somebody else is going through unless they choose to share it with me. And thanks @AOC and @katieporteroc for speaking up. I hope you get a good bit of rest one of these days.
P.S. @AOC when I was watching InstaLive I was struck by two recurring themes in the comments...
1.) The Bronx instantly organized several thousand volunteer 24-7 security teams
2.) We the people firmly believe @katieporteroc can & will use that whiteboard as a lethal weapon
1.) The Bronx instantly organized several thousand volunteer 24-7 security teams
2.) We the people firmly believe @katieporteroc can & will use that whiteboard as a lethal weapon
Like… Those are not jokes.
Oh my goodness. The building in which AOC has an office was evacuated because of a bomb threat. But they didn’t tell any of the representatives or staff where to go! She, Katie Porter & staff hid in the dark for 6 hours. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rep-katie-porter-on-hiding-with-aoc-during-capitol-riot-100376645908 via @MSNBC
One more thing… @AyannaPressley is good people. 
Thanks @thegarance @GENmag for asking me to expand the previous thread into an essay. Sometimes I find that I work out initial thoughts on Twitter, and then am able to weave them into an essay/script. It’s really an incredible honor & I’m grateful for it. https://link.medium.com/zP0zYpMYAdb
