A little Netroots history if I may...
I hope it is OK that I post this here. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I really wanted to share this with people that won’t take it as something open to their filter of nonsense. DU has become a fucking circus of the inane. I do think the people in this group have been through some indefensible bullshit lately and I promise not to ask you all some ridiculous question or give you my opinion about something I know nothing about.
In 2008, I was part of CodePink Austin who protested Nancy Pelosi at the Netroots conference. I am Volta, the one in the Viking hat, if anyone is interested. We started the Sheros in response to the inactivity of our elected officials to end the war(s). Our premise is that anyone is transformed into a superhero when they speak out and fight injustice. We had been out in the community on several occasions using our outfits to attract attention and get people talking about the war what we needed to do to end the injustice our government and our country had created.
Going to Netroots was our first action against a Democrat. We decided to protest Nancy Pelosi because she had recently made the statement that “impeachment is off the table” regarding the Bush administration, even though democrats had power over the house and could have held the liar in chief responsible for the thousands of innocent lives his administration damaged and destroyed by conjuring up a fantasy war that never needed to take place.
Flash forward 5 years later and I am so proud to see that another injustice is being addressed and our politicians are being confronted in a forum that has generated a great deal of conversation. Unfortunately, there is a difference. Unlike our action, which only created a ripple, the Black Lives Matter and Black Immigration Network folks are getting a lot of negative feedback for their actions from the same people that cheered the woman taking down the confederate flag in South Carolina.
I am personally proud to say I helped open this door. Netroots is an excellent place for this action-obviously from all the discussion it has generated. I am so proud of these women who stood up and confronted, not only the candidates, but everyone who saw them in-person or on various media. Lives are at stake and I am so sick and tired of the militarism of our police who believe the enemy has brown or black skin. Good for these brave women. I know I’m not capable of fully sharing the experience, but I will say that they were speaking my words and expressing my feelings too.
Again, whereas CodePink had an almost warm welcome and response confronting a democrat, our younger sister Tia Oso and others seemed to be rather unwelcome and their message seems to be getting lost is a sea of criticism over whether this was the right venue or the right targets. One must wonder, what’s the difference?
Well there is a difference. Our group reads white. By this I mean that when one saw us, they saw, as a group, middle-aged white ladies. And believe me, you can dress up like a clown if you want, but society will still see non-threatening, docile, complacent white ladies-at least until you start screaming or interrupting their little party. Not one of us had a ticket to Netroots. We just walked in and sat down. They told us we could stay if we promised not to disrupt. We disrupted anyway. We marched around the back of the room and generally put on a way more interesting show than Pelosi. We left of our own accord.
I just wanted to say that I am quite furious at so many people that they can’t seem to see this ridiculous contradiction. But it’s been this way for a long ass time. Nothing new here. It’s funny how many people think this is all some new invention just because they never thought about it much before.
Mostly, I wanted to say thank you. Anyone that speaks out against injustice any time they can is a fucking shero in my book. And I love you all.
= new reply since forum marked as read
impossible to swallow.
There is no excuse I can think of that would explain it except the obvious, black folks SDandSTFU. It's not your turn. It's not your place. Your issues aren't important enough for us to discuss. Stop your whining and bitching.
As the blood flows down the streets, they say this dismissive crap to us.
DU never fails to re-open my eyes over and over and I'm tired of giving benefit of the doubt and being patient while I watch the same behaviors over and over again.
It's disgusting and shameful.
BTW, 
to Code Pink.
