Lack of police protection shuts down Columbus Holi-Drag Storytime
December 3, 2022 10:08 AM Subscribe
The family-friendly Holi-Drag Storytime event in Columbus, Ohio, co-hosted by the Red Oak Community School and the local Unitarian Universalist Church, was canceled early this morning.
Last month, the Proud Boys, a domestic terrorist group, publicized their intent to disrupt the event. Columbus police stated that they would be present to'monitor the situation'. The organizer, in an emotional statement, details the actual lack of commitment or support. Posts attempting to communicate and build community support on the usually LGBTQ+-supportive /r/Columbus subreddit have been deleted and the poster shadow-banned.
This is the text of the deleted Reddit post:
I hope you all have listened to the statement read during the live stream that explains why the Holi-Drag Storytime was cancelled. If not, the link is below. Please take 7 minutes of your time watch.
This can't happen again, and the only way to make that happen is to press for public accountability of the people who failed to offer basic support and protection. I have drafted an email below -- please feel free to copy, edit as you see fit, and send.
I also need to ask your help, community -- I am heading out the door to tend to a sick relative. Can any of your wonderful people start adding email addresses of our elected officials? Mayor, police chief, city council, oversight boards, any elected official who could have stepped up and demanded basic decency and safety. Let's try to make doing the right thing easy.
side note: I referred to the "Proud Boys" (in quotation fingers) as a "social club." I do not think they are much more than that. Y'all can edit as you see fit.
Dear [NAME] -
I was saddened and outraged to hear the statement read by Cheryl Ryan about the reasons for canceling this years’ Holi-Drag Storytime. If you have not heard the statement, the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZdcnvFp7U0
As an elected representative of my community, you have an obligation to listen and respond to the series of events and, frankly, missteps and lack of support offered to Red Oak Community School, the Unitarian Universalist Church, the performers, and the people and families of all of the communities affected.
As has been demonstrated repeated across the country, the “Proud Boys” social club is a group that embraces authoritarianism and hate, exercised through the tactics of intimidation and violence.
Your DUTY to prevent and condemn threats against personal safety to any member of our community supersedes any personal belief you or your donors may hold.
I am asking you to begin a thorough investigation of the events, communications, and facts as have been described in the video linked above. I expect a full public accounting of the communications, both to Red Oak School and the Unitarian Universalist Church; I want to know why you and your office did not immediately provide verbal public support and comprehensive physical protection, and I want a public statement of how you will do this differently the next time this happens.
Because it will.
Every member of our community has the innate right to know that they can live – here – without fear of violence or intimidation.
You need to do better. I want to hear how you will.
This is the text of the deleted Reddit post:
I hope you all have listened to the statement read during the live stream that explains why the Holi-Drag Storytime was cancelled. If not, the link is below. Please take 7 minutes of your time watch.
This can't happen again, and the only way to make that happen is to press for public accountability of the people who failed to offer basic support and protection. I have drafted an email below -- please feel free to copy, edit as you see fit, and send.
I also need to ask your help, community -- I am heading out the door to tend to a sick relative. Can any of your wonderful people start adding email addresses of our elected officials? Mayor, police chief, city council, oversight boards, any elected official who could have stepped up and demanded basic decency and safety. Let's try to make doing the right thing easy.
side note: I referred to the "Proud Boys" (in quotation fingers) as a "social club." I do not think they are much more than that. Y'all can edit as you see fit.
Dear [NAME] -
I was saddened and outraged to hear the statement read by Cheryl Ryan about the reasons for canceling this years’ Holi-Drag Storytime. If you have not heard the statement, the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZdcnvFp7U0
As an elected representative of my community, you have an obligation to listen and respond to the series of events and, frankly, missteps and lack of support offered to Red Oak Community School, the Unitarian Universalist Church, the performers, and the people and families of all of the communities affected.
As has been demonstrated repeated across the country, the “Proud Boys” social club is a group that embraces authoritarianism and hate, exercised through the tactics of intimidation and violence.
Your DUTY to prevent and condemn threats against personal safety to any member of our community supersedes any personal belief you or your donors may hold.
I am asking you to begin a thorough investigation of the events, communications, and facts as have been described in the video linked above. I expect a full public accounting of the communications, both to Red Oak School and the Unitarian Universalist Church; I want to know why you and your office did not immediately provide verbal public support and comprehensive physical protection, and I want a public statement of how you will do this differently the next time this happens.
Because it will.
Every member of our community has the innate right to know that they can live – here – without fear of violence or intimidation.
You need to do better. I want to hear how you will.
Not sure why that post was deleted, here’s another of the statement video.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:19 AM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 10:19 AM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Good! I am glad to see people are continuing to share the information. Tho it looks like that post has been locked prior to any comments, as well.
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:22 AM on December 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:22 AM on December 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I just read some thing about a similar event coming under attack in Texas.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:31 AM on December 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:31 AM on December 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Why can’t story-times just be costumed story times, or even plain old story times?
No one should be required to hide who they are to be afforded fundamental physical safety.
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:46 AM on December 3, 2022 [61 favorites]
No one should be required to hide who they are to be afforded fundamental physical safety.
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:46 AM on December 3, 2022 [61 favorites]
Ideefixe, sometimes people like to celebrate other holidays or have a different kind of storytime. There are lots of storytimes out there. But sometimes, people want to try something different, and shouldn't face a violent or coercive force when they try to change it up.
The correct response to a storytime you don't like is to not show up!
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:46 AM on December 3, 2022 [53 favorites]
The correct response to a storytime you don't like is to not show up!
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:46 AM on December 3, 2022 [53 favorites]
After a week, I was told we could hire a special duty office who may or may not show up because they’re understaffed.
Is this one of those regional dialect things, where "hire" means something different than I expect it does?
posted by Etrigan at 10:47 AM on December 3, 2022 [4 favorites]
Is this one of those regional dialect things, where "hire" means something different than I expect it does?
posted by Etrigan at 10:47 AM on December 3, 2022 [4 favorites]
Is this one of those regional dialect things, where "hire" means something different than I expect it does?
No, like many local police departments, the Columbus OH PD permits their officers to work in uniform as private security when they're off-duty.
posted by nicwolff at 10:53 AM on December 3, 2022 [8 favorites]
No, like many local police departments, the Columbus OH PD permits their officers to work in uniform as private security when they're off-duty.
posted by nicwolff at 10:53 AM on December 3, 2022 [8 favorites]
Ah, you beat me to it, oops! (Flagged the double post for deletion; link here in case the link stuff is useful.) Friends of mine are working on a transcript of the statement video if anyone would like one.
One of my good friends is a church member and is absolutely, nail-spittingly furious at the way organizers have been treated. I can't say as I blame her. It is absolutely appalling.
Re: Texas, there's a couple of right-wing watchdog groups based there that have recently set up databases to help notify far-right extremists about drag storytimes so they can coordinate harassment from groups like the Proud Boys. I spent an instructive hour or so yesterday helpfully reporting fictitious events to one of them, to be hosted of course at local Crisis Pregnancy Centers and satellite state offices for Texas senators. I'm mad and tired and frightened for my own home community; it's a little thing, but at least it's something I could do.
posted by sciatrix at 10:55 AM on December 3, 2022 [66 favorites]
One of my good friends is a church member and is absolutely, nail-spittingly furious at the way organizers have been treated. I can't say as I blame her. It is absolutely appalling.
Re: Texas, there's a couple of right-wing watchdog groups based there that have recently set up databases to help notify far-right extremists about drag storytimes so they can coordinate harassment from groups like the Proud Boys. I spent an instructive hour or so yesterday helpfully reporting fictitious events to one of them, to be hosted of course at local Crisis Pregnancy Centers and satellite state offices for Texas senators. I'm mad and tired and frightened for my own home community; it's a little thing, but at least it's something I could do.
posted by sciatrix at 10:55 AM on December 3, 2022 [66 favorites]
Why can’t story-times just be costumed story times, or even plain old story times?
These are costumed story times. What do you think drag is? It's just costumed performers! Drag is not inherently sexual, despite what its detractors claim.
posted by explosion at 11:00 AM on December 3, 2022 [45 favorites]
These are costumed story times. What do you think drag is? It's just costumed performers! Drag is not inherently sexual, despite what its detractors claim.
posted by explosion at 11:00 AM on December 3, 2022 [45 favorites]
oh, sciatrix, this is BRILLIANT. I might start doing that here.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:01 AM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:01 AM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Why can’t story-times just be costumed story times, or even plain old story times?
Also worth mentioning that the school is a private school so there isn't even the question of "tax payer" dollars here. There is no argument to be made that this event impacts anyone but those who choose to attend. "Too many different types of story times" is not a problem. Anti-LGBTQ violence is a problem.
posted by coffeecat at 11:01 AM on December 3, 2022 [28 favorites]
Also worth mentioning that the school is a private school so there isn't even the question of "tax payer" dollars here. There is no argument to be made that this event impacts anyone but those who choose to attend. "Too many different types of story times" is not a problem. Anti-LGBTQ violence is a problem.
posted by coffeecat at 11:01 AM on December 3, 2022 [28 favorites]
No, like many local police departments, the Columbus OH PD permits their officers to work in uniform as private security when they're off-duty.
And they might not show up because… well, it’s organised crime, do you actually expect to get something from your shakedown?
posted by Artw at 11:09 AM on December 3, 2022 [19 favorites]
And they might not show up because… well, it’s organised crime, do you actually expect to get something from your shakedown?
posted by Artw at 11:09 AM on December 3, 2022 [19 favorites]
(My friend tells me that it's the school that did almost all the organizing, by the way, not the church as I mentioned--although it's a private school that's hosted by the church and the two organizations are pretty tightly linked.)
oh, sciatrix, this is BRILLIANT. I might start doing that here.
You should! The more we flood these piece of shit hotlines and databases, the harder it gets for them to coordinate this shit. I found that the best custom fake email address generator was this one, which helpfully supplies emails from addresses that are impossible to distinguish from real ones. I liked that because it made it much easier to invent little personas in my head from which I could report events, which of course also makes it way harder for the hotline people to distinguish real reports from fake ones until they do the legwork of googling the address and finding out what's actually there.
Someone else on Tumblr suggested using the addresses of local megachurches, which I also thought was inspired.
posted by sciatrix at 11:10 AM on December 3, 2022 [22 favorites]
oh, sciatrix, this is BRILLIANT. I might start doing that here.
You should! The more we flood these piece of shit hotlines and databases, the harder it gets for them to coordinate this shit. I found that the best custom fake email address generator was this one, which helpfully supplies emails from addresses that are impossible to distinguish from real ones. I liked that because it made it much easier to invent little personas in my head from which I could report events, which of course also makes it way harder for the hotline people to distinguish real reports from fake ones until they do the legwork of googling the address and finding out what's actually there.
Someone else on Tumblr suggested using the addresses of local megachurches, which I also thought was inspired.
posted by sciatrix at 11:10 AM on December 3, 2022 [22 favorites]
The real problem is that last part: the police did show up. To protect the Proud Boys.
As long as the pigs are on the side of the fash, then leftist security is always going to be a combination of dangerous and possibly ineffective. I'm not saying we shouldn't do it, we should, but we also need to recognize that armed leftist guards aren't going to be able to deescalate, the police will be no help, and the police may even try to escalate things by ordering the leftist guards to leave while allowing the fash to remain.
It comes back to the core problem that ultimately the pigs are either with the fash or are actual members in fash groups. A problem that "liberal" places like SF and LA and NYC have been unable or unwilling to even address, much less attempt to resolve.
I have no idea what the solution is, except numbers. If the fash say they'll show up and we've got a couple hundred people on our side they'll show up and make problems. If they show up and we've got a couple thousand people on our side they'll usually go away.
But numbers have their own problems, bring a few thousand people and the pigs may well declare it a riot and break out the tear gas.
And of course if things go badly and there is violence, you know that the police will be protective of the fash and bring the harshest possible charges against the leftist guards and leftist participants.
For example, notice that Kyle Rittenhouse was able to successfully plead self defense to shooting three people after he went to make trouble at a protest. But Alexander Contompasis [1] got 30 years for stabbing a couple of Proud Boys in an incident about as confused jumbled and his fault as Rittenhouse's incident was.
They get to "stand their ground". They get to "fear for their lives". They get to "defend themselves". We don't.
Obviously going on and protesting and holding events despite the fash are good things, but that puts some of the most vulnerable and targeted people right in the way of danger. Both from the fash and the pigs.
Our predecessors won, with worse tools than we have today and in a more violent environment, so it's not right or proper to despair or give up. But we're facing that ongoing long, difficult, struggle.
[1] Note that I'm not particularly lauding Contompasis, I'm just noting that if what Rittenhouse did was self defense than what Contompasis MUST be self defense or else the system is biased towards the right.
posted by sotonohito at 11:17 AM on December 3, 2022 [29 favorites]
As long as the pigs are on the side of the fash, then leftist security is always going to be a combination of dangerous and possibly ineffective. I'm not saying we shouldn't do it, we should, but we also need to recognize that armed leftist guards aren't going to be able to deescalate, the police will be no help, and the police may even try to escalate things by ordering the leftist guards to leave while allowing the fash to remain.
It comes back to the core problem that ultimately the pigs are either with the fash or are actual members in fash groups. A problem that "liberal" places like SF and LA and NYC have been unable or unwilling to even address, much less attempt to resolve.
I have no idea what the solution is, except numbers. If the fash say they'll show up and we've got a couple hundred people on our side they'll show up and make problems. If they show up and we've got a couple thousand people on our side they'll usually go away.
But numbers have their own problems, bring a few thousand people and the pigs may well declare it a riot and break out the tear gas.
And of course if things go badly and there is violence, you know that the police will be protective of the fash and bring the harshest possible charges against the leftist guards and leftist participants.
For example, notice that Kyle Rittenhouse was able to successfully plead self defense to shooting three people after he went to make trouble at a protest. But Alexander Contompasis [1] got 30 years for stabbing a couple of Proud Boys in an incident about as confused jumbled and his fault as Rittenhouse's incident was.
They get to "stand their ground". They get to "fear for their lives". They get to "defend themselves". We don't.
Obviously going on and protesting and holding events despite the fash are good things, but that puts some of the most vulnerable and targeted people right in the way of danger. Both from the fash and the pigs.
Our predecessors won, with worse tools than we have today and in a more violent environment, so it's not right or proper to despair or give up. But we're facing that ongoing long, difficult, struggle.
[1] Note that I'm not particularly lauding Contompasis, I'm just noting that if what Rittenhouse did was self defense than what Contompasis MUST be self defense or else the system is biased towards the right.
posted by sotonohito at 11:17 AM on December 3, 2022 [29 favorites]
Someone else on Tumblr suggested using the addresses of local megachurches, which I also thought was inspired.
I thought about hair clinics or places that treat impotence, or the address of some other alternate right wing group, but kind of settled on trying to find the churches the local city officials say they belong to and use those.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:23 AM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
I thought about hair clinics or places that treat impotence, or the address of some other alternate right wing group, but kind of settled on trying to find the churches the local city officials say they belong to and use those.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:23 AM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Mod Not sure bringing up Rittenhouse is really helpful. It’s not he got away with murder because it was “right” or “legal”, he got away with it because every one in a position to do anything about it wanted him to get away with it because they supported his cause. They absolutely do not support anyone with a gun who isn’t fash, and cannot be logiced or shamed into that position.
posted by Artw at 11:28 AM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:28 AM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
As long as the pigs are on the side of the fash, then leftist security is always going to be a combination of dangerous and possibly ineffective. I'm not saying we shouldn't do it, we should, but we also need to recognize that armed leftist guards aren't going to be able to deescalate, the police will be no help, and the police may even try to escalate things by ordering the leftist guards to leave while allowing the fash to remain.
Yes. Like, while I would have been equally woeful if this was my event and the queens tapped out because they were scared, it's also worth noting that if the cops (who are the gang here who get the most legal support and authority) are going to openly side with fash and will definitely be armed, the odds of de-escalation drop dramatically and you no longer have an event that is appropriate to be called a storytime event at a school. You know? So what do we do about increasingly shameless police, except call for their jobs and shame them (and the city council) as hard as possible?
posted by sciatrix at 11:32 AM on December 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
Yes. Like, while I would have been equally woeful if this was my event and the queens tapped out because they were scared, it's also worth noting that if the cops (who are the gang here who get the most legal support and authority) are going to openly side with fash and will definitely be armed, the odds of de-escalation drop dramatically and you no longer have an event that is appropriate to be called a storytime event at a school. You know? So what do we do about increasingly shameless police, except call for their jobs and shame them (and the city council) as hard as possible?
posted by sciatrix at 11:32 AM on December 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
This is absolutely not a thing that is limited to red states, BTW. I'm in Boston, and something similar happened at a library just up the street from me earlier this year--Proud Boys from Rhode Island showed up at a drag story hour. Luckily for us, Proud Boys are, uh, not the sharpest tools in the shed, and they got the time wrong and showed up an hour after everyone had gone home. This is not a town that harbors any love for fascists, so even though they caught us with our collective pants down, local antifa managed to scramble a counterprotest within about half an hour. The cops of course showed up to protect their homeboys with the iron cross patches on their jackets, so mostly the two groups just yelled at each other for half an hour before the nazis got bored and disbursed. One of them decided it was a good idea to leave the safety and comfort of his police escort, and walked up our local main street yelling something about tyrannical leftist genderfluidity being spread by chemtrails, then got his jaw broken by a counterprotestor who had been biding his time.
Every time we let these assholes disrupt events without consequence, they grow bolder. The cops are absolutely collaborating with them, and it's only a matter of time before a local PD actually joins in the mayhem. Join your local FashAlert, gang, and be ready to show up to protect your neighbors, or else we're going to get overwhelmed.
posted by Mayor West at 12:14 PM on December 3, 2022 [26 favorites]
Every time we let these assholes disrupt events without consequence, they grow bolder. The cops are absolutely collaborating with them, and it's only a matter of time before a local PD actually joins in the mayhem. Join your local FashAlert, gang, and be ready to show up to protect your neighbors, or else we're going to get overwhelmed.
posted by Mayor West at 12:14 PM on December 3, 2022 [26 favorites]
This is absolutely not a thing that is limited to red states, BTW
Yep. Something similar happened a few weeks back here in Eugene, OR as well. All I can think is how fucking dare they ... But of course we all know how they fucking dare.
posted by DingoMutt at 12:24 PM on December 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
Yep. Something similar happened a few weeks back here in Eugene, OR as well. All I can think is how fucking dare they ... But of course we all know how they fucking dare.
posted by DingoMutt at 12:24 PM on December 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
To cheer everyone up, I am hosting a drag storytime this month and the support has been overwhelmingly positive. Lots of people saying they will counter-protest if there are any protestors (which I and the performer don’t want, but we appreciate the sentiment). Hamilton Public Library had a pretty big counter protest and a big positive crowd:
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6663311
posted by saucysault at 12:39 PM on December 3, 2022 [27 favorites]
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6663311
posted by saucysault at 12:39 PM on December 3, 2022 [27 favorites]
> there's the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club
By the way, this is the same group that Musk suspended from twitter, 2-days after the Club Q shooting, on exceptionally flimsy grounds (and allegedly by direct request from the voice behind the Libs of TikTok account), all while simultaneously reinstating numerous well-known fash trash accounts including that of literal, brazen neo-nazi Andrew Anglin.
posted by mystyk at 12:53 PM on December 3, 2022 [19 favorites]
By the way, this is the same group that Musk suspended from twitter, 2-days after the Club Q shooting, on exceptionally flimsy grounds (and allegedly by direct request from the voice behind the Libs of TikTok account), all while simultaneously reinstating numerous well-known fash trash accounts including that of literal, brazen neo-nazi Andrew Anglin.
posted by mystyk at 12:53 PM on December 3, 2022 [19 favorites]
Since Club Q, this has become a huge issue internally at my (Canadian) employer. And queens like Crystal Quartz are sounding the alarm here.
posted by sixswitch at 1:05 PM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by sixswitch at 1:05 PM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
This whole thing has the tool marks of manufactured outrage. Like some evil bastards got together and decided to make this an issue. Like critical race theory, an obscure thing I'd never heard of until suddenly everyone is outraged about it.
We have to get to the hate machine that's sparking off these outrages. Or we can at least warn people that there's a pattern here, because this just keeps on repeating. In the next few months, Fox news is going to start talking about something you've never heard of before, they're going to tell you it's scary and you should be angry. You'll want to get on twitter or facebook right away. Before you do that, consider the possibility that they are pushing your buttons. Are they saying your kids, money, car, guns, steak, petrol, whatever you hold dear, are in imminent danger? They probably have if you really want to tweet, right? The next step is really hard, you have to fact check them.
And that's as far as I get in trying to break the pattern. You understand my point though, I don't think these panics are as organic as the panickers think. If we could show them there's a pattern, an arc, that keeps going over and over in cycles, keeping them angry and scared, maybe they'll understand that they're being manipulated.
posted by adept256 at 3:01 PM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
We have to get to the hate machine that's sparking off these outrages. Or we can at least warn people that there's a pattern here, because this just keeps on repeating. In the next few months, Fox news is going to start talking about something you've never heard of before, they're going to tell you it's scary and you should be angry. You'll want to get on twitter or facebook right away. Before you do that, consider the possibility that they are pushing your buttons. Are they saying your kids, money, car, guns, steak, petrol, whatever you hold dear, are in imminent danger? They probably have if you really want to tweet, right? The next step is really hard, you have to fact check them.
And that's as far as I get in trying to break the pattern. You understand my point though, I don't think these panics are as organic as the panickers think. If we could show them there's a pattern, an arc, that keeps going over and over in cycles, keeping them angry and scared, maybe they'll understand that they're being manipulated.
posted by adept256 at 3:01 PM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
You've been entertained by drag your whole life, don't pretend it's a problem now.
posted by lalochezia at 5:21 PM on December 3, 2022 [16 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 5:21 PM on December 3, 2022 [16 favorites]
I miss living in a country with a radical angry and armed left.
posted by evilDoug at 8:16 PM on December 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by evilDoug at 8:16 PM on December 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
Tonight, there are unconfirmed reports coming out of Moore County, NC of three substations being shot up with firearms simultaneously to cut power to a drag show. Reportedly, nearly 40,000 people in Moore County are currently without power.
I reeeeeeeally hope that's not why the power is out in Moore County
posted by revmitcz at 8:39 PM on December 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
I reeeeeeeally hope that's not why the power is out in Moore County
posted by revmitcz at 8:39 PM on December 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
Just disgusting.
posted by praemunire at 11:46 PM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 11:46 PM on December 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
To be quite honest, when I first read the headline I thought this was about the festival of Holi and therefore something the Proud Boys would doubly hate.
And also either incredibly early... Or incredibly late.
posted by Pitachu at 4:58 AM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
And also either incredibly early... Or incredibly late.
posted by Pitachu at 4:58 AM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
I reeeeeeeally hope that's not why the power is out in Moore County
Wow, read the entire thread. That's exactly why power is out in Moore County. What a bunch of assholes.
posted by hippybear at 5:07 AM on December 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
Wow, read the entire thread. That's exactly why power is out in Moore County. What a bunch of assholes.
posted by hippybear at 5:07 AM on December 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
That Unitarian Universalist Church was the first ever church I went to regularly.
I wasn't even out to myself then, and I'm now openly queer in Florida, so I've been shaken by things closer to home; but this is rough.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 8:18 AM on December 4, 2022
I wasn't even out to myself then, and I'm now openly queer in Florida, so I've been shaken by things closer to home; but this is rough.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 8:18 AM on December 4, 2022
This whole thing has the tool marks of manufactured outrage.
You have a certain group of Florida Men to thank. One of them answers to "ratfucker". I guess if you take a somewhat longer view you could blame Tricky Dick since he's largely responsible for Ratfucker's power.
As Hunter S Thompson said: "This is not a generational thing. You don't even have to know who Richard Nixon was to be a victim of his ugly Nazi experiments."
posted by wierdo at 10:14 AM on December 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
You have a certain group of Florida Men to thank. One of them answers to "ratfucker". I guess if you take a somewhat longer view you could blame Tricky Dick since he's largely responsible for Ratfucker's power.
As Hunter S Thompson said: "This is not a generational thing. You don't even have to know who Richard Nixon was to be a victim of his ugly Nazi experiments."
posted by wierdo at 10:14 AM on December 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
adept256: “This whole thing has the tool marks of manufactured outrage. Like some evil bastards got together and decided to make this an issue. Like critical race theory, an obscure thing I'd never heard of until suddenly everyone is outraged about it.”“The Continually Escalating Anti-LGBT Rhetoric” [109 min.; Caution: Many Triggers]—Jessie Gender, 02 December 2022
posted by ob1quixote at 10:49 AM on December 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
I was coming to post about Moore County as well. This sort of thing should bypass local law enforcement and go straight to the Feds as domestic terrorism.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:13 PM on December 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:13 PM on December 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
"Shooting up three electrical substations" should absolutely be prosecuted as domestic terrorism, but good luck trying to make that stick when, well, y'know the Rage lyric, right? I think they were a little optimistic saying "Some of those that work forces," though. Sigh.
posted by Alterscape at 1:32 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by Alterscape at 1:32 PM on December 4, 2022
The sheriff in Moore County was quoted as saying "We had to go interview this young lady [Emily Rainey, the one who said she knew why the power was out] and have a word of prayer with her. But it turned out to be false." Which... I don't quite know what he means by "a word of prayer," but I would bet that when RATM said "some of those that work forces," they meant "definitely this guy."
(My most optimistic interpretation of "a word of prayer" is "I put the fear of God into her about the fact that if you did not do domestic terrorism, you would be incredibly unwise to imply on social media that you did domestic terrorism," but I do not actually believe this.)
posted by Jeanne at 2:50 PM on December 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
(My most optimistic interpretation of "a word of prayer" is "I put the fear of God into her about the fact that if you did not do domestic terrorism, you would be incredibly unwise to imply on social media that you did domestic terrorism," but I do not actually believe this.)
posted by Jeanne at 2:50 PM on December 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Axios link that includes the quote Jeanne mentions, at least as of now.
posted by Alterscape at 5:10 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Alterscape at 5:10 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
“Libs Of TikTok Targeted A Drag Show: Now 40,000 People Are Without Power,” Erin Reed, Erin in the Morning, 05 December 2022
posted by ob1quixote at 7:20 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 7:20 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Which... I don't quite know what he means by "a word of prayer,"
The North Carolina subreddit has good explanations from locals. The "word of prayer" is local idiom for raking this lady over the coals, and does not indicate he's in cahoots with her. Having used this idiom, however, the sheriff, bless his heart, understands that this is a national news story with national security implications, and has pretty much invited the FBI to take over.
Moore County has had a big influx of transplants coming in to LARP off the land and be MAGA hatted twits. The locals are conservative, but not like that. Locals want their kids to stay, to put it succinctly. The transplants also have more money, and since they're LARPing a right wing rural fantasy, they're stocked up on generators and more willing to do what just happened.
posted by ocschwar at 8:49 AM on December 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
The North Carolina subreddit has good explanations from locals. The "word of prayer" is local idiom for raking this lady over the coals, and does not indicate he's in cahoots with her. Having used this idiom, however, the sheriff, bless his heart, understands that this is a national news story with national security implications, and has pretty much invited the FBI to take over.
Moore County has had a big influx of transplants coming in to LARP off the land and be MAGA hatted twits. The locals are conservative, but not like that. Locals want their kids to stay, to put it succinctly. The transplants also have more money, and since they're LARPing a right wing rural fantasy, they're stocked up on generators and more willing to do what just happened.
posted by ocschwar at 8:49 AM on December 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
(I work in the power sector, for a company that, um, does install hardware that would not fare well under gunfire. This is decidedly not something I enjoyed finding about on my phone in the morning. )
posted by ocschwar at 8:50 AM on December 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by ocschwar at 8:50 AM on December 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
I wonder how close this gets to Elon Musk?
Not that he was involved directly, but he has been re-platforming and amplifying specific people who are treading awfully close to domestic terrorism.
posted by ryanrs at 11:29 AM on December 5, 2022
Not that he was involved directly, but he has been re-platforming and amplifying specific people who are treading awfully close to domestic terrorism.
posted by ryanrs at 11:29 AM on December 5, 2022
I wonder how close this gets to Elon Musk?
There is no daylight between Elon Musk and Chaya "Libs of TikTok" Raichik. He knows what she's doing, and he supports it. Are there going to be leaked DMs between them? Probably not, but that's stochastic terrorism for you -- he lets her do her thing in the name of freedom, she points people at targets in the name of awareness, no one is ever really at fault, whatcha gonna do.
posted by Etrigan at 12:08 PM on December 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
There is no daylight between Elon Musk and Chaya "Libs of TikTok" Raichik. He knows what she's doing, and he supports it. Are there going to be leaked DMs between them? Probably not, but that's stochastic terrorism for you -- he lets her do her thing in the name of freedom, she points people at targets in the name of awareness, no one is ever really at fault, whatcha gonna do.
posted by Etrigan at 12:08 PM on December 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Looking like the Moore Co substation shootups weren't confined to NC: PSE substations among five attacked in Pacific Northwest in November
posted by hippybear at 12:15 PM on December 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 12:15 PM on December 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
John Miller, Steve Almasy, & Whitney Wild at CNN: “Investigators are zeroing in on two possible motives centered around extremist behavior in NC power stations attacks, sources say ” (12/7):
posted by Going To Maine at 3:02 PM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
One thread involves the writings by extremists on online forums encouraging attacks on critical infrastructure. The second thread looks at a series of recent disruptions of LGBTQ+ events across the nation by domestic extremists.shooting up power stations to disrupt a drag show seems less likely to naive ol’ me than shooting up power stations to disrupt government, but porque no los dos?
posted by Going To Maine at 3:02 PM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
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I spent a week calling our police department and leaving voice mails about the reports we had seen. After a week, I was told we could hire a special duty office who may or may not show up because they’re understaffed. I was given an email address. In the meantime, a trusted community defense team with years of experience reached out with an offer to execute a thorough safety plan including the before and after event safety support, tech support, emergency plans, and a large on-site presence, all on a volunteer basis. They’re members of the LGBTQ community who have a personal stake in ensuring this community’s general safety. They gathered almost 200 people ready to create a perimeter shield and a barrier far from our building to keep things de-escalated outside. We took them up on their offer.
Local media ran articles without calling me to ask for comment, yet insinuating that we were working with the police, who assured journalists that they were aware and monitoring the situation. In reality, the police had offered nothing, and were not in touch with us. A community liaison had returned a phone call, and he told me “he’d be out of the office next week, so if that’s a problem, I don’t know what to do about that.”
The city council made a statement in which they offered reassurances that they were in touch with the police, who were monitoring the situation and will work to ensure the event can occur peacefully. We were never contacted by the city council regarding their statement, and still had no word from CPD. Yet, I received hundreds of emails, calls, and messages from folks in the community asking how can I help? What can I do? I’m ready to show up.
I never heard this message from the city’s leadership and those whose job it is to protect us.
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:11 AM on December 3, 2022 [11 favorites]