Erupting from the Fascist Swamp—
Murderous Violence on an Oregon Commuter Train
May 29, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Friday, May 26, 2017. Portland, Oregon. Two teenage women riding the train. Without provocation, a white man starts spewing putrid racist shit on these young women, and yelling at them to get out of the country. Apparently because one of the women is wearing a hijab.
Hey people, take note of what is erupting from the swamp of Trump/Pence Amerikkka.
At least two passengers on the train could not allow this to stand. They intervened. They absolutely did the right thing.
The racist turned on them. He stabbed and murdered two of them, 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche and 53-year-old Ricky John Best, and injured a third. Then he ran. He was later arrested and has been charged with the murders.
There is a rising tide of violence by fascist minions around the country, unleashed by the words and actions of the Trump/Pence regime. The racist in this case has been actively part of the increasingly violent white supremacist movement in the area for some time. Not long ago he showed up at a so-called “Free Speech March” (demanding free speech for fascists!) draped in an Amerikkkan flag, and with a baseball bat.
So yes, take note of what is erupting from the fascist swamp of Trump/Pence Amerikkka, without illusions, and let’s act accordingly.
Namkai-Meche’s family said in a statement “We lost him in a senseless act that brought close to home the insidious rift of prejudice and intolerance that is too familiar, too common. In his final act of bravery, he held true to what he believed is the way forward. He will live in our hearts forever as the just, brave, loving, hilarious and beautiful soul he was. We ask that in honor of his memory, we use this tragedy as an opportunity for reflection and change. We choose love.” His mother told the press her son is a hero, a “shining bright star.”
There are many strains of resistance these days, on campuses, trains, and city streets, among academia and the sciences, and in culture. These matter a great deal. Here’s what else matters a great deal: the resistance so far is not sufficient to solve the problem we face. These assaults on humanity will keep coming, keep intensifying, unless and until we succeed in driving the fascist regime itself from power, and that is the task we have to put ourselves to. The Call to Action from RefuseFascism.org says:
Millions of people, outraged by this regime, took to the streets delivering a stinging rebuke to Trump the day after the inauguration. Protest and resistance continues against the many attacks on the people by the Trump/Pence administration. This must grow broader, deeper, and more determined. This resistance is righteous and necessary, but it is not sufficient. We must recognize that the character of fascism is that it can absorb separate acts of resistance while continually throwing the opposition off balance by rapidly moving its agenda forward. The Trump/Pence regime will repeatedly launch new highly repressive measures, eventually clamping down on all resistance and remaking the law... IF THEY ARE NOT DRIVEN FROM POWER.
Hey people. Take note. Join the thousands who have signed the RefuseFascism.org Call to Action. Pick up the spirit of Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche and Ricky John Best; the students protesting on colleges across the country, including those who have shut down fascists on their campuses; those who have taken to the streets to march for women, for science, for the climate; those who are out to prevent the fascist assault on the legacy of Berkeley... But let’s take this and fully do what humanity demands of us: Let’s act now to bring this to the point where the whole Trump/Pence regime is driven from power.
In the name of humanity.
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