Washington DC

Anti-Racism in Action: RVA Mag’s Photo Journal from Washington, DC

Landon Shroder | August 14, 2018

Topics: a12, anti-fascism, Anti-Semitism, Charlottesville, CNN, counter-protestors, Fox News, racism, UVA, Washington DC, white supremacists

This weekend, anti-racists, anti-fascists, student protesters, clergy, and everyday citizens proved that, when it counts, people will stand up against those who would seek to perpetuate violent and vile ideologies. That is not to say that the mainstreaming of white supremacy isn’t ongoing within the nation’s politics, but this past weekend in Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. proved the space for white nationalists, supremacists, fascists, and xenophobes to publicly gather is shrinking.

And every counter-protester who took to the streets this weekend, regardless of motivation or ideology, took part in a grand display of anti-fascism.

While that term has been politicized by those who attempt to rationalize the ideas espoused by white nationalists, for those who are seeking to challenge the worst excesses of this new complex political reality, it is the glue that ultimately binds people together. The unfortunate perception driven by mainstream media outlets, some misguided like CNN, others entirely nefarious like Fox News, is that these counter-protests and demonstrations are nothing but packs of violent anarchists, equivalent with violent white supremacists.

Let’s not forget, who actually killed someone last year? Not the disparate groups of people marching against racism and anti-Semitism. The counter-demonstrators, comprised of community organizers, young professionals, parents with their children, housing advocates, students, clergy, and faith-leaders, who, while disparate, were all committed to the idea that overt displays of racism and anti-Semitism have no place in our public squares.

RVA Mag was on the frontlines of both events, however, this photo journal is an account of the events in Washington, DC this past Sunday, when over 5,000 counter-protesters denied space for white supremacists to rally in the nation’s capital. The same white supremacists who marauded through UVA last year chanting “Jews will not replace us.”

This was a powerful message to send in 2018 when the president refused to publicly denounce the march planned by Jason Kessler, and, as of publication time, has just publicly referred to a black woman as a “dog.”

Some of the best photos from the weekend can be found below:

Landon Shroder: Managing Partner

Counter-Protestors Gathering at Lafayette Park in the Shadow of the White House.

Counter Protestor Marching up 15th Street in Washington DC

Two Columns of Counter-Protestors Converging on H St.

Counter-Protestors of all Kinds Linking Up in Lafayette Park

Black Lives Matter March to Lafayette Square

Branden Wilson: Staff Photographer

In Position, Adjacent to the White House

Everyday People Joining in the Counter-Protest

Marching up 15st Street with a Picture fo Heather Heyer

Veterans Protesting White Supremacy in Lafayette Park

White Nationalists Are Still Winning

Landon Shroder | August 9, 2018

Topics: anti-fascism, Anti-Racism, Charlottesville, fascism, journalism, Unite the Right, virginia, Washington DC, white supremacy

One year has gone by since James Fields, Jr. killed Heather Heyer and wounded 30 others at Unite the Right in Charlottesville last August, the largest gathering of white supremacists and fascists in decades.

Since then, nothing has changed. In fact, things have gotten worse. After the tragedy, there were signs of encouragement that reduced some of the shock. The strong showing of anti-fascists, anti-racists, and the faith-based community in confronting white supremacy on the streets of Charlottesville was heartening, even if many of us believed that this kind of event would be a one-time occurrence.

Faith Based Community Confronting White Supremacist

Unfortunately, that feeling was short-lived. The next day, President Trump took to the airwaves and proclaimed that “there were some very fine people on both sides.” By good people, he meant those chanting Nazi slogans like “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.” And with his statement, he legitimized the fascist ideologies that brought thousands of white supremacists to Charlottesville.

Making synonymous white supremacists, white nationalists, Nazis, and fascists with those who would confront them only served the worst excesses and impulses of the American public.

Can we really feign outrage that there are now four openly anti-Semitic white nationalists, one of whom is a self-identified Nazi, running on Republican tickets this mid-term? This is not a coincidence or stroke of bad luck; these men have been emboldened and legitimized from the podiums of their party. Their message connects with what they hear from the president and the condemnation they don’t hear from other Republican leaders. It has become legitimate. It has become mainstream.

A literal Nazi ran unopposed in Illinois’ 3rd District during the Republican primary. After being exposed, he still received over 20,000 votes from people in his district. Why? Because he ran as a Republican and that was good enough. The particulars don’t matter (#mainstreaming).

And yet, the mainstreaming of white supremacy since Unite the Right doesn’t stop there. It has seeped into all aspects of our political discourse. One does not have to see a robe and hood or a swastika tattoo to recognize the engine driving this process. In fact, the groups that marched in Charlottesville remain on the fringe and are fractured (for now) even while their views become more publicly accepted.

The White Supremacist Lines at Unite the Right

The new frontline has become the normalization of xenophobia, allowing sensible people to feel like there is a justification for interning brown children and separating them from their parents. It is the “othering” of Muslims in the form of a ban that is wrapped in the guise of national security; it is referring to African countries as “shit holes,” while praising historically homogeneous white countries like Norway; it is the public shaming of black athletes like Colin Kaepernick and Lebron James as unpatriotic and dumb; it is the fusing of populist resentment from the white working class with the worst kinds of nationalism to create a tribalistic worldview that perceives constant threats, both economic and physical, from grossly misrepresented black and brown communities. This worldview effectively says “you can only be safe when you are around other white people who think like you,” and it has revived the worst kinds of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and convinced 30 percent of America that the “liberal press,” the check on this kind of rampant misinformation, is their enemy.

This is the mainstreaming of white supremacy and fascism, and we can’t even begin to comprehend the downstream effects of this movement.

America has always grappled with these demons, and it is naive to believe that Trump is the cause. He is merely the effect. Yet policy differences aside, we have always had presidents who could, at the very least, tame these demons and curb their worst excesses. Remember, civility in America always starts at the top. Without this, we are now playing constant defense. We are back to explaining to our friends, relatives, and colleagues why Nazis, white supremacists, and white nationalists do not deserve a right to rally publicly. We are back to rationalizing and bartering with people who feel they can openly discriminate – even if they are ignorant of what they are saying and doing. As one of my colleagues at RVA Mag would say, “they are colonizers.” We are back to defending the very notion of anti-fascism from the same generation whose parents fought to free Europe from the Nazi scourge.

I am back to explaining to my relatives who vote Republican that their candidate this midterm, Corey Stewart, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the very same white supremacists who planned Unite the Right last year. The same people who chanted “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.” Nonetheless, they will still vote Republican. Because the mainstreaming process has convinced them they are under threat. Not from the Nazis or white supremacists who hate them, but from immigrants, communities of color, and the liberal media who are trying to silence them.

This weekend there will be multiple events in both Charlottesville and Washington, DC. The event in DC will be attended by former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke and Jason Kessler, the organizer of Unite the Right, upping the potential for violent escalation. From the map of the staging areas the DC police are attempting to keep both sides apart. But as we have seen from recent rallies in Portland and Berkeley, the best-laid security plans are only as good as the willingness of people to follow them.

While I will be there in my capacity as a journalist, I will also be there in support of anti-fascists, anti-racists, and those who would deny a platform for ideologies rooted in violence and hatred. I have no other choice. We can no longer pretend that sensible moderation and conversation will somehow derail the mainstreaming process of white supremacy and fascism. Those of us who have the ability to raise attention to this must. Those of us in the media must not hide behind the thin veneer of neutrality any longer. To do so will be to our own eventual detriment.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a new book titled “Fascism: A Warning,” summed up the state of play in modern America. “[Trump] convinced enough voters in the right states that he was a teller of blunt truths, a masterful negotiator, and an effective champion of American interests. That he is none of those things should disturb our sleep, but there is a larger cause for unease. Trump is the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history.”

We must rally. We must resist. That is what we must remember one year later.

Unite the Right 2.0 Planned for Washington, D.C.

Madelyne Ashworth | June 20, 2018

Topics: antifa, Charlottesville, Jason Kessler, Unite the Right, Washington DC, white supremacy

The National Parks Service has approved an application submitted by Jason Kessler, white supremacist and organizer of the Unite the Right march in Charlottesville last year, for another alt-right rally held in Washington, D.C. on August 11 and 12 this year.

He has not yet been granted a permit.

Kessler estimates upwards of 400 people will gather outside the White House in Lafayette Square to march, give speeches, and protest what he describes as “civil rights abuse.”

“This year we have a new purpose,” Kessler said in a statement. “That’s to talk about the civil rights abuse that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia last year.”

Last year, after a contentious morning in Charlottesville’s Emancipation Park in which thousands of counter-protesters met nearly 1000 members of the alt-right, law enforcement decided to end the rally before the allotted permit time began. Later that day, counter-protester and Charlottesville resident Heather Heyer was killed after being struck by a car driven into a crowd by white supremacist James Fields Jr.

“It wasn’t the fault of my group that that stuff happened,” Kessler said in a statement, placing blame with the city and the counter-protesters.

In his application, Kessler predicts that “Antifa affiliated groups will try to disrupt.”

As of now, the gathering is scheduled to last all day on both days.

Photos: March for Our Lives in Richmond and Washington DC

RVA Staff | March 25, 2018

Topics: gun control, gun reform, March For Our Lives, Parkland, richmond, RVA, Student Survivors, Washington DC

This past Saturday, youth led marches to demand an end to gun violence in all 50 states. RVA Mag had teams in Washington D.C. for the national event, and another at home in the River City, where students from local high schools led more than 1,500 from Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School over the Leigh Street Bridge to the steps of the Virginia State Capitol. Youth from the Armstrong Leadership Program kicked off the Richmond event and shared the stage with invited speakers like Superintendent Jason Kamras, Mayor Levar Stoney, and Sen. Tim Kaine.

Up in Washington D.C., over 500,000 gathered for a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue, blocks from the Capitol, to represent the national movement and urge lawmakers to pass legislation banning both the sales of weapons used in mass shootings along with high-capacity magazines, and to close loopholes in America’s background check system.

Some of the best photos of the day can be found below:

“How Many Tears,” asks a sign on Leigh St. Photo by Streever

Marching down Broad St. Photo by Streever

Tim Kaine and Anne Holton with Levar Stoney at MLK Middle School. Photo by Streever

Future leaders in Virginia. Photo by Streever

More signs in Richmond. Photo by Streever

Peace, not guns in D.C. Photo by Shroder

Photos By: Landon Shroder and David Streever

Juggalo Justice: Insane Clown Posse’s March on DC in Portrait

Jason Lappa | September 19, 2017

Topics: FBI, ICP, Insane Clown Posse, Juggalo, justice, Mother of all Rallies, National Mall, trump, Washington DC

Juggalos are a deeply misunderstood subculture; the FBI classifying them as a gang in 2011 proves that. However, under the veneer of face paint, clown personas, costumes, and Faygo is a community of people that are deeply committed to one another. This was on full display at the Juggalo March on Washington DC this past Saturday. From a certain perspective, Insane Clown Posse (ICP), the hip-hop group that Juggalos originate from, are only the vehicle by which this community of people can come together. Free from the judgement of the mainstream that has spent years ridiculing their own unique brand of subculture, the Juggalos at the march on Washington were entirely accepting of themselves and those who came to document their struggle against the FBI gang classification.

Our experience documenting their march on Washington DC was special. Our entire team, including one journalist, two photographers, a videographer, and one of the magazine’s owners, all felt this. Perhaps it was the obvious juxtaposition of the Trump rally on the other side of the national mall, which was full of white resentment, loathing of the other, and militia groups, versus the camaraderie of the Juggalos, who were diverse, warm, and eager to tell their story – a story that starts with being deeply misunderstood.

As these portraits will hopefully show, the Juggalos considered themselves to be “family” above anything else, coming from all corners of the US to march in solidarity with one another. And throughout the day the chant that we consistently heard rise above the raucous was “family.” In today’s hyper-contextualized world, that is something we should all be able to relate to.

They came from all over America.

And were supported directly by the artists they love, like Violent J

Mothers. Fathers. Kids.

Because they are misunderstood and misrepresented.

So they demonstrated as a community.

And marched together.

Accepting of each other.

Regardless of how they represented themselves.

For them, it was all about family.

And everything which comes with that.

*Words by Landon Shroder

RVA Mag Inside Look: The Day Trump Supporters and Juggalos came to Washington DC

Madelyne Ashworth | September 18, 2017

Topics: ICP, Insane Clown Posse, juggalos, MAGA, March on Washington, MOAR, trump, Washington DC

Out of the weirdest days experienced, this one probably topped the list.

This past Saturday, while Richmond had its own win against white supremacy, the strangest conglomeration of rallies simultaneously converged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

On the East End, just past the Washington Monument, Trump supporters assembled at the “Mother of All Rallies,” a group supporting “America, freedom, and patriotism,” according to their Facebook page. It turned out to be the baby of all rallies, as no more than a couple hundred people gathered, filling only about a quarter of the large space allotted on the East Lawn of the Mall.

“It’s just to show that we’re still here, that people really do like true, traditional American values,” said Christopher Greeley-Hermida, a Floridian and living historian. “It’s not just about Trump. When Trump came into office, he gave us enough confidence to get together.”

Country music blasted from the stage between speakers as protesters wore red, white, and blue, carried Trump signs, flags and buttons. A few counter-protesters were scattered throughout the crowd, and a small group of ANTIFA appeared on the sidelines. When any threat of misconduct developed between the two groups, a group of unarmed, nonpartisan militiamen barricaded themselves around the counter-protesters to prevent any conflict. Washington DC Park Police were also present.

“[Today] has been a mixed bag,” said Yve, a member of ANTIFA who preferred to use only her first name, of the Trump supporters. “One of the [militiamen] came over and had a really civil conversation about ideologies and really what’s at the root of both of our mentalities, and determined that we’re essentially on the same side.”

The rally lasted the entire day and featured speakers like Bruce Nathan, a Florida gubernatorial candidate on the Republican ticket, Christian radio host and singer Monica Matthews, and Marco Gutierrez, found of Latinos for Trump. Representatives from Gays for Trump and Bikers for Trump were also present.

“The problem isn’t Trump, the problem is the Republican party isn’t moving at his pace,” said Dave Delp, who claims to be frustrated that Congress has not been more supportive of Trump’s policies. “The Republicans haven’t been standing behind him, and that’s basically what we’re upset about.”

The majority of patrons were individual Trump supporters without any white nationalist group association; However, the Proud Boys, a national alt-right fraternal organization, did attend the rally. The Proud Boys, a group founded in 2016 by former Vice Magazine co-owner Gavin McInnes, also participated in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on August 12.

Although many spirited, contentious arguments broke out over the course of the day, the rally was a peaceful one, and both Trump supporters and counter-protesters actively engaged in political conversations with each other. Although the two sides didn’t quite see eye-to-eye, it was a refreshing contrast to the behavior exhibited at the white supremacist rallies held over the summer throughout the country.

A Trump Supporter Debating with a Counter-Protester.

Nonetheless, on the other end of the Mall at the Lincoln Memorial, a very different event featured a massive turn-out from a small part of American subculture. Fans of the Insane Clown Posse (ICP), a Detroit-based hip-hop duo, who call themselves Juggalos held a march protesting the FBI’s 2011 classification of Juggalos as a “loosely organized hybrid gang.”

And between these two events, one bride lived out every woman’s dream as she was married on the National Mall with a Trump rally to her right and a Juggalo march to her left. The perfect way to start a marriage.

Despite huge Internet circulation of the march, which was seen as a joke by many Facebook users, in reality this clown gathering was no laughing matter. Many Juggalos are negatively affected by the FBI’s label, and having a Juggalo-related tattoo or wearing an ICP t-shirt is reason enough for a police officer to permanently mark these horrorcore hip-hop fans as “gang-affiliated.”

“With being a person of color, I’ve already got a big target on my back,” said Richard Williams, a Juggalo from Oakwood, CA. “But now with this whole gang thing, just with me being black and just wearing an ICP jersey or a t-shirt, I’m targeted even more by the police. Just walking down the street, I’ve been stopped by the police. I’ve been asked questions, I’ve had my tattoos taken photos of, asking me questions about the ICP and Juggalos, who our ‘leader’ is and everything, and I’m like, ‘I’m not a gangbanger dude, I’m going to work.’”

According to several testimonies from those who attended the march, these labels have caused fans to be fired from their jobs, lose adoption rights, and kept them from enlisting in the military. They claim the label has also led to discrimination from police officers as well as non-Juggalos.

Richard Williams Explains why Juggalos are a Family.

“I’ve made many mistakes, but being in a gang isn’t one of them because I’m not a gang member,” Laura King said, a speaker at the Juggalo march. “I’m a Juggalo.”

King received a DUI and was put on probation. The first six months of this probation went routinely; However, after one of her normal check-ins, an officer reported King had a gang tattoo on the back of her neck. Although King obtained her Juggalo-themed tattoo five years before Juggalos were labeled as a gang, having the tattoo gave police grounds to officially identify her as a gang member. Several severe stipulations were added to her probation, such as random house inspections regardless if King were present.

“The treatment from the FBI and the powers that be is unfair to Juggalos,” said Williams. “If it’s starting with us, just as music fans, who could be next? Could members of the Kiss Army be next? Could fans of Beyoncé be next? This is a pure example of our rights slowly being stripped away.”

While seeing such a large gathering of the “Dark Circus” was a first for many, the Juggalos proved themselves to be exactly what they claim: a laid back, free spirited group of music fans who are unapologetically themselves, without the judgement of others. The stark contrast between one end of the Mall and the other was palpable as over 1,500 Juggalos joined together as a family to peacefully protest and listen to music. ‘Family’ was a word heard over and over throughout the day.

“It makes me feel very prideful to be a Juggalo,” said Big Baby Sweets, who traveled from Cleveland, Ohio and goes by her Juggalo nickname. “I got into it when I was really young in school, and it was a real family thing for me because I was a Juggalo, my sister was a Juggalo, my brother, my cousins. You go to concerts and that’s how it starts.”

Fans were most excited when Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the men of ICP, arrived to speak and performed later that evening. “We’re the good guys here today,” Violent J said. “We’re actually in the right this time!”

The crowd often chanted, “You fucked up” when a speaker made a blunder, or “Fuck that shit” anytime the FBI was mentioned. Their favorite chant was simply, “Family,” since above all, Juggalos consider themselves one giant, oddball family.

“We’re different,” said rally host Kevin Gill. “We’re not dangerous.”

Just another day of free speech in the Nation’s capital.

*Photos by Madelyne Ashworth, Landon Shroder, and Allison MacEwen.

*Video by Charles Rasputin