Hi friends,
There is nothing like The Frontline to help me get perspective. Pam Campos-Palma, of the Working Families Party, reminded us that we are winning, which is why we are seeing the violent backlash from white supremacists. We won the popular vote and the Electoral College, two Senate runoffs in Georgia (and we impeached Trump a second time). We are not alone. The Rising Majority is a huge coalition of activist groups on the left, representing many millions of people working for justice and multi-racial democracy. Tarso Ramos of Political Research Associates, told us that there are about 100,000 white supremacist militia members spread over many groups. There are more of us, and we are more united. A sense of scale is important and so is an understanding of momentum.
That said, disturbing details of last week’s insurrection continue to emerge. On Tuesday night, in a Facebook live video, Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a former Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, reported that she saw suspicious activity — tours of MAGA supporters led by members of Congress for the purpose of “reconnaissance” — which she reported to security on January 5th. Yesterday, she and dozens of other House Democrats demanded information from security officials in a letter to the acting sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate. Since March, tours of the Capitol have been prohibited because of public health concerns, so the presence of visitors raised suspicions.
In an Instagram Live video, also on Tuesday night, AOC said that she feared for her life and that she was afraid of some of her colleagues as well as Capitol Police officers, whom she did not trust to help her:
“I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die,” she said, noting she couldn’t get into specifics for security reasons. “I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.”
As the pro-Trump rioters streamed into the Capitol on Jan. 6, lawmakers were told to take refuge in a protected “extraction point.” But Ocasio-Cortez said she did not feel safe doing so “because there were QAnon and white-supremacist sympathizers and, frankly, white-supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point who I know and who I have felt would disclose my location and would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, et cetera.”
Yesterday, we learned that the panic buttons in the office of Ayanna Pressley had been ripped out before the siege of the Capitol. The emerging picture makes the case for Trump’s conviction more stark. It is shocking to me that so many House Republicans did the calculation and concluded that they should vote against impeachment. I am starting to believe that many of them are behaving as hostages rather than leaders of the right.
We know that the danger has not passed. One of the things I learned on last night’s call is that some white militia groups sat out the insurrection on 1/6, but are expected in DC and state capitals on January 17-20.
I called all eight hotels on the list for Shutdown DC: Defend Democracy yesterday, plus the one near my friend’s home, where she saw MAGA-hatted guests last week. I was able to have two conversations: one with Taylor, a manager at Hilton Garden, and one with Vikas, the Director of Operations at Marriott Metro Center. Taylor had already been besieged by calls (perhaps because Hilton Garden was higher up on the list), while Vikas told me that mine was the first call of its kind that he had received.
Taylor told me that Hilton Garden will be open next week and will be housing 150 National Guard troops. He also expressed anger that the calls he was getting were interfering with his work and that people failed to understand how badly the industry has been hurting during the pandemic. He was not concerned about possibly housing guests who may be armed insurrectionists and he told me that this is an opportunity for the hotel to profit. I then asked him how he’s doing, because it must be a difficult time to be working in DC. He told me that he lives in DC, too. I got him to agree that the safety of the city and our elected officials and our democracy is more important than profit. He reiterated that the Hilton Garden will be open next week. I wished him a happy and safe new year and thanked him for his time and we ended the call on a friendly note.
Vikas was unable to tell me about the Marriott Metro Center’s security plan for next week, but did reassure me that the safety of the guests was paramount. After we’d talked for a while, he understood that he was likely to receive additional calls. The General Manager was not in, but he said he would pass the concerns I expressed up the organizational chart. He said it had been ‘an interesting week’ in DC and he took my number and thanked me for calling.
So, I’d like to exhort you to make calls to the remaining hotels on the list (and call Vikas, too to check on the Marriott’s plans). I’m a failed phone-banker, but these calls were interesting and I left my phone number with Vikas and each time I was able to leave a message.
Call on DC hotels to close from January 15 to 21 and to pay workers to stay home during this dangerous time.
Flip the script provided (start by asking for the General Manager) and use the phone numbers provided here to help Shut Down DC: Defend Democracy.
Less than hour after I finished my calls, my friend in DC messaged me to say that AirBNB was blocking DC-area reservations for next week and that local activists had been exerting pressure on the company. Then, we got the full story: the plan includes reimbursements to hosts and refunds to guests.
“We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community,” Airbnb said in a corporate blogpost.
Airbnb has had a policy of removing guests who are confirmed to be members of hate groups since 2017, when it blocked guests who were headed to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Airbnb’s measures come as tech companies face increased scrutiny for their roles in enabling violence such as the Capitol event.
I keep hoping to get back to local actions, but I’m unable to do so right now. Morning meditations and walks in the park are saving me from madness. Folks have been sharing their excellent sanity strategies. Two dear friends are devotees of the Live Bald Eagle Cam. I spent some serious quality time with this eagle yesterday and I have no regrets.
with love,
L