Aww, poor Richard Spencer. First, he was banned from 26 European nations. Then, he lost his ability to spread his chosen brand of hate on Facebook. And who can forget how he was senselessly attacked on Inauguration Day, while wearing his very best sweater vest?
Thankfully, like Alex Jones, he’s still welcome on Twitter. Phew.
But now, after over a year of bi-weekly neighborly protests, the rabid Trump-saluting white supremacist has apparently moved out of his self-described “hub” for the “alt-right” movement. Spencer allegedly fled Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday, despite having several months left on a two-year lease that he secured under dubious circumstances.
In an email to Washingtonian, Jonathan Krall says Alexandria Police Chief Michael L. Brown told him Spencer had left, and that the chocolate shop downstairs saw a “moving van and other activity consistent with” him moving out.
Spencer, of course, has been unwelcome in Alexandria since he got there, drawing protests in the historic neighborhood filled with retail shops and restaurants that wanted nothing to do with his message of bigotry—especially after the hair gel abusing zealot’s participation in the deadly Charlottesville nightmare last August.
Unfortunately—and ironically—the city’s non-discrimination laws protected the vocal racist from eviction, if not open condemnation from decent people who wanted him to crawl back into the dirty hidey-hole in Montana from whence he came.
Adam Roberts, a member of Old Town Indivisible, said Spencer’s “thinly veiled white supremacy” is offensive to a town that prides itself on its racial, religious and ethnic diversity.
“I fully understand he has a constitutional right to free speech; I just want it to be very well-known that we are not okay with this behavior and his ideas. I want him to feel he’s not welcome here,” Roberts said. “I’m less interested in his long-term goals than I am in making sure members of my community feel welcome and safe.”
Spencer fled the two-story loft just hours ahead of yet another planned protest outside his hate factory. Way to own those peace-mongering leftists, Ricky!
...on Saturday, protesters will gather for a silent vigil outside the Old Town home of Alexandria-based white nationalist Richard Spencer.
“We expect that some of the people coming in from out of town might gather at Richard Spencer’s, so we wanted to let them know that they are not welcome,” Krall said.
Krall said Grassroots Alexandria has been regularly hosting silent protests outside Spencer’s apartment and office on King Street twice a month since January 2017.
Spencer’s realtor, Fatana Barak, tells Washingtonian that the vile white supremacist asked about breaking his lease last month, so she’s unsurprised that he fled like a bigoted coward. The agent, who had no idea who Spencer was when she helped him find his house of hatred in late 2016, says the building’s owner isn’t likely to be upset about the breach of contract. “Nobody wants him anyway.”
Congratulations to the citizens of Alexandria on this colossal victory.