So many Texans and other Americans live in fear now — for their family members, for friends and neighbors, for themselves. Fear of being detained or deported or otherwise separated from their families based on some ridiculous pretext. Fear of being targeted because of their religion, because of who they love, because so many protections are being taken away. Fear of being massacred by another white supremacist hater determined to drive ten hours just so he could kill “Mexicans” in a city where the white supremacist occupying the White House held a hate rally six months earlier.
Here’s just one Texas woman’s emotional description of what life has been like for so many here, especially since August 3rd. She begins, “As a Mexican-American woman here in Texas, I’m scared all of the time.”
As a Mexican-American woman here in Texas, I’m scared all of the time.
I just had an anti-bullying event last Saturday. An event . . . I’ve had similar events every October since 2013. October is anti-bullying month and, for the first time, ever, we had to have security just because. Because you never know what could happen.
My son gave the sweetest speech, and I spent as much time scanning the crowd as I did watching him speak. And it’s no way to live.
So for Pete to call these weapons and victims “shiny objects,” to call my son’s recurring $5 donation “pocket change,” it breaks my heart.
We’re living in fear down here. We don’t go places anymore. Do you know how many movies my son wants to go see? And we don’t do that anymore.
And something needs to change. And so we support Beto because he’s out there, and he wants to take the weapons off the street so that nobody can come in and threaten us, simply because we’re Hispanic, and we exist.
He’s our candidate. We believe in him because he believes in us. It’s just as simple as that. And he wants to protect us.
So on Thursday night, while Trump was holding yet another hate rally in Texas, this time in Dallas, Beto O’Rouke held a counter rally, a Rally Against Fear. Here’s a five-minute clip from Beto’s speech:
As is his usual practice, Beto also invited many Texas Democratic candidates — including those running in the Democratic Primaries for Texas Senate and Texas’ 24th Congressional district. There’s a reason why Beto remains at the top of the Party Builder Leaderboard.
You can watch the rest of Beto’s speech (beginning at approx. 2:43) as well as the other speakers and musical performances here:
Video link
More discussion in last night’s Rally Against Fear diaries here and here.
Please check out Beto’s vision and plans at BetoORourke.com and donate to his campaign, which is powered by people, not PACs or special interests or corporations.
Volunteer for Beto: act.BetoORourke.com/signup/volunteer