During last Saturday’s protest, people were threatened and/or shoved by two different Trump supporters. Police were called but perpetrators were gone by the time the PD showed up. We have experienced this kind of behavior before, but not with this intensity. It’s hard to know if this was just a random event or a sign that political violence is getting worse.
I certainly understand if people feel uncomfortable and would rather not participate in our event. There are many other protests, banner drops and other events in our area that are likely lower risk.
Acknowledging that we face risks, I’d like to encourage everyone to stick with us in Newport. I’ve seen no evidence that these attacks were part of any organized group, but more likely they were essentially random instances of the political violence that is on the rise globally. They want us to back down, to be silent. The way to resist Trump’s authoritarian coup is to stick together and encourage others to realize that they are not alone in resisting these thugs.
I speculate that Trump’s supporters will become more desperate and frightened as Trump’s lies and dementia become increasingly obvious to everyone. His supporters know, in their hearts, that they are emotionally invested in a pathetic old grifter but fear anyone who threatens to reveal that he has used them as chumps. We should pity them. Their backlash is a cry of pain.
We are activating some new protocols to reduce risk if there is trouble. As we have said before, we encourage people to try to ignore these hecklers – I realize that can be hard to do when someone is shouting in your face – but we can try. Please, stick with us, and join us on Saturday.