 A mother and father hurriedly ushered their children towards a minivan as a group of heavily armed men and women, some wearing camouflage, some dressed all in black, and most carrying a variety of firearms, converged on the steps of the capitol on August 30, 2020.
Although white armed militias show up to counter many racial justice protesters, openly carrying firearms, the general (re:white) public still isn’t used to seeing people of color, especially Black people, carrying guns. Many protesters do not normally exercise their second amendment rights. “I want to make sure I keep myself safe when I’m going out protesting, and also say, hey, I can also express myself the same way that you can. I can speak your language. I can carry guns as well,” said John Sullivan, the organizer of the March on the Capitol protest and the creator of Insurgence USA and the Black Fist Militia. Sullivan often openly carries when he protests, part of his ongoing efforts to “bring awareness to lawful intent and how the public views Black people.” As unusual as it is to see armed protesters marching peacefully, especially those demanding an end to violence and government oppression, the real difference on this day was the feeling of the event, or the vibe. Multiple “militias” marching did not segregate themselves, instead, uniting in solidarity and in a spirit of cooperation, to understand one another and to work toward common goals. Sean Abundance, of the Utah Constitutional Militia (UCM) said, “This is beautiful. This is what people all over the country need to do. Got somebody you don’t agree with? Guarantee you, you sit down and talk to them for 20 minutes, you’ll find something, some common ground. That much I can promise you.” Participants from both sides of the political spectrum spoke about injustice, constitutional obligation, and about their own experiences with government oppression and unfair treatment. “I want this country to live up to its ideals. I want this to be the land of the free. I want it to be the land of the free for everybody,” stated Josianne Petit, activist, organizer, and founder of Mama and Papa Panthers. “I want our children to grow up together and not fear each other,” she continued. Richard Bennett III, another member of Insurgence USA, addressed law enforcement and government officials directly, urging them to apply “every law and rule equally to every individual.” “Then you will let our light shine,” he said. A small group believed to be members of the Utah Citizens Alarm, an armed militia who often shows up to various events to intimidate protesters, initially heckled speakers and attempted to disrupt the event. Individual UCA members with a history of making threats and inciting violence were not allowed to speak, but organizers allowed another member to speak after Petit challenged them at the microphone. “It’s about time y’all be about something,” she said. “If you have an issue, create your own damn event and speak up there, and we do not troll y’all. But we’re going to be the bigger person and let you have the mic; just understand that this is how we feel about it.” The UCA member who took the microphone said he doesn’t see any actionable plans from Insurgence organizers. Sullivan responded, “The fact that you don’t know what our call to actions are and what we want to change through legislation and through police reform shows your lack of education and doing the proper research, because it’s out there. Right on our website.” The event capped off with a march back to Washington Square, with a continued spirit of cooperation and concern for fellow participants. Ultimately, attendees came away with exactly what they expected. Those seeking to divide were deaf to the messages, and those seeking to unite found common ground. If you would like to help me keep fighting these injustices click here: Donate Cash App and Venmo: @insurgenceusa
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Photo credit: Jared Stanger
On August 25, 2020, the Facebook group Kenosha Guard hosted an event titled “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property” in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A post on the event asked, “Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from evil thugs?” and Kyle Rittenhouse and his assault rifle answered. The event, which was organized in retaliation to the protests condemning the cold-blooded attempted murder of Jacob Blake, culminated with Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, firing his illegally acquired AR-15 into the crowd of peaceful protestors — murdering two people and critically injuring a third. He was not arrested until the next day, allowed to walk right past the police and travel back to his home state of Illinois. Militia groups just like the Kenosha Guard have been appearing across the nation. Utah has seen its own share of these pop-up militia groups, one of the largest, which calls itself Utah Citizens’ Alarm, or “UCA,” has upwards of 15,000 members. The majority of these groups are made of white nationalists, angry and retaliating against the protests held to decry police brutality. This is of particular concern, as they pose a massive risk to our community. Without proper intervention, the risk of violence similar to what occurred in Kenosha grows by the day. Before their Facebook page was removed for violating community guidelines, hundreds of threatening comments could be found on UCA posts, comments promising violence and death to protestors, chilling remarks such as, “run these no good terrorists over. why the hell are we putting up with this crap in this country. it’s time to start shooting these bastards,” from Dan Gotter; to direct threats of lynching from UCA member Ron Ward: “Hang em publicly”. Utah Citizens’ Alarm and affiliated groups have been attending events across the state of Utah, armed and eager to instigate violence. They jeer at protestors and interrupt our speakers, barking hate and anger as we try to peacefully protest. While the events crashed by UCA are innumerable, some are more noteworthy than others. The first event they counter-protested was in Provo, on June 29th — among their ranks were self-proclaimed Proud Boys (a far-right neo-fascist militia that was declared a hate group with ties to white nationalism by the FBI in 2018). On August 3rd, UCA members made a particularly volatile appearance at a protest outside of the Cottonwood Heights Police Department, guns drawn and screaming in our faces, and then proceeded to stalk protestors to a vigil being held by Zane James’ friends to honor his life at Butler Park, right next to Impressions Preschool and Cottonwood Heights Middle School — where children were playing sports — strapped with their assault rifles and multiple magazines full of extra ammo. The only thing that kept them from getting any closer to these children were protestors, putting themselves at great risk to protect those they did not even know. Most recently, members have been aggressively disruptive at events in Salt Lake City. On the afternoon of August 30th, they showed up to “Power to the People: March to the Utah State Capitol” by Insurgence USA, and then the following day, to the event “Justice for Jacob Blake” held by the Salt Lake Equal Rights Movement. Both of these peaceful events concluded early to avoid violence incited by members of these far-right militia groups and to ensure protestors were able to get home safely. The similarities between Utah Citizens’ Alarm and the Kenosha Guard are glaringly obvious, and it seems to be only a matter of time before a member of UCA takes it upon themselves to shoot and kill protestors, no doubt emboldened by Kyle Rittenhouse’s heinous actions in Kenosha, Wisconsin. These militias are violent hate groups, thinly veiling their racism and bloodlust behind the noble notion of “protecting their cities” — an ironic sentiment, considering they are the ones making our cities unsafe by spouting hate and waving their assault rifles around, while we are peacefully marching and organizing to condemn police brutality. Why have racial justice protest numbers dwindled in the past few weeks? It is not a stretch to say it’s because of UCA and the fear they instill. Intimidation in any sense is condemnable, but intimidation meant to - and succeeding in - curbing free speech, is especially heinous. If you would like to help me keep fighting these injustices click here: Donate Cash App and Venmo: @insurgenceusa |
 
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