Written by Linsay Rousseau, Media Relations Director for Continue To Serve
Since being emboldened by the former President, the alt right has been a loud, obnoxious and dangerous voice.The events of January 6th showed that they were not only disconnected from reality, but not opposed to resorting to violence. But just how unified are they? If the so-called “People’s Convoy” has shown us anything, it’s that this contingent of white supremacists is disorganized, plagued by infighting and unable to agree on tactics and messaging. The only thing the convoy accomplished is giving the rest of us insight into the alt right organizing space and hope that they’re not as dominant as they appear to be. The convoy was an epic fail! As others have claimed, the convoy seems to be nothing more than a vehicle for fundraising and a recruiting opportunity for the alt right. For a group that seemed to be so well funded, how did everything fall apart?
The reality is that these white nationalists fear change. They fear “others.” They fear the fact that they are no longer in the majority. They fear anything that challenges their sheltered way of life; from climate change to non-Christian religions to a woman’s right to choose. As Amanda Marcotte wrote in her March 28th article in Salon Magazine, “None of these people came honestly to the "belief" that vaccines are evil or that the 2020 election was stolen. Instead, they embrace these narratives because they are useful rationalizations for the deeper, truer belief that drives them: That the right is entitled to monopolize power, and that obstacles like "democracy" and "freedom" should not get in their way.”
There were several elements that contributed to the crumbling of the trucker’s convoy - a less than welcoming reception by DC residents, inclement weather, roadblocks by law enforcement and infighting within the group. As one on the ground observer commented, “The whole thing was a shitshow.” According to Chris Rodriguez, director of D.C.'s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, about 1,000 vehicles (most of which were not large trucks) initially converged on the Hagerstown Speedway. He estimated on March 25 that there were about 100 vehicles present.
The group was an agglomeration of QAnon, Proud Boys, 3 Percenters and Boogaloo Boys, the most extreme elements of the alt right. It shouldn’t be surprising that a group composed of differing factions should fail to agree on even the most basic of things. Those on the ground witnessed the various participants getting into fights, arguing about tactics, timelines and where all the donor money was going (an inquiry that sources say were quickly shut down). Being fed up with how the convoy was being run, a smaller insurgent group reportedly tried to take control over the protests, resulting in infighting and violence. One person was arrested by Maryland State Police for possessing an illegally concealed firearm). For an organization that was trying to be tactical, they did a great job of live-streaming much of their activities for the rest of the world to see.
Rather than attempt to enter the city, the steadily dwindling members of the convoy spent nearly a month circling the D.C. Beltway. While they contributed to an already frustrating gridlock, they had the audacity to complain about drivers flipping them off, law enforcement blocking the exits and being unable to find places to go to the bathroom so they were forced to piss their pants and sit in it for 8-10 hours. They even threaten citizen’s arrests of the D.C. mayor and local police officers. Occasionally a small contingent of cars and pickups were able to make it into the city and seemed genuinely surprised to be met by hostile citizens shouting obscenities and throwing things at them. And there was one spunky bike rider, Daniel Adler, who managed to slow them to a crawl on 17th Street.
Unfortunately, the growing frustration towards the residents of the Beltway area led to some dangerous incidents. There were several reports of convoy members surrounding cars that flipped them off. In one incident, they surrounded a motorcyclist, took his bike keys and attacked him. There were reports of them hitting vehicles and even one report of them striking a pedestrian and running over her ankle. DC Metropolitan Police are currently investigating this incident. Nothing turns a group against you faster than damaging property and hurting people. Yet another reason why this convoy was an utter failure.
As a progressive veterans organization navigating the activist landscape, it is crucial to us that we make sure the media and the public know that those alt right convoy members who claim to be military veterans don’t represent us. One of the most frustrating things about the convoy was that their lack of planning and organization made it difficult for those who opposed them to plan counter protests. Everything they stand for goes against our pledge to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Right now, the alt white nationalist stranglehold on our democracy is the biggest threat to freedom we have seen in a generation. We can at least take solace in the fact that this posse of fascists succeeded only in contributing to the fossil fuel industry and draining their bank accounts. It must be nice to be so well off that they can afford to take off weeks and months from work for their little stunt.
After weeks of rain, snow, freezing cold temperatures, a complete lack of coverage from national media, one of the de-facto leaders, Brian Brase, leaving camp the previous weekend, morale was at an all time low. With the Speedway needing the land back by April 7th for some upcoming races (and I assume a lack of access to showers and basic hygiene), the remaining members of the convoy made their way south, demoralized and having accomplished nothing.
So where do they go from here? Well, according to “leadership”, their new target is the evil socialist state of California and 10 COVID related bills that will be voted on in the next few weeks. During a live stream of the “People’s Convoy” rally last Sunday, organizer Mike Landis stated,“I think stopping those is more important at this point in time than getting the emergency declaration repealed because that’s already in place and we need to stop stuff like these bills from getting in place. Otherwise, the rest of us that don’t live in California are going to end up subject to the same situation.” As with everything with convoy, there is confusion surrounding their next moves. Some say they are headed to Sacramento (the state capitol, for those who didn’t know), others say they’re going to Los Angeles to take part in an April 10th anti-vax protest being organized by Defeat the Mandate and the Unity Project.
It seems a strange tactic to divert their attention from the national stage to one of the bluest states in the country. I don’t know if they’ve been paying attention to the news during their month-long sojourn, but the Republican Party is dismantling freedom and democracy in numerous states across the country. I don’t think they need to worry about California’s adherence to liberal ideals infecting the rest of the country. With the passing of SB54 in October of 2017, it became a “sanctuary state” for undocumented immigrants and now it is working to become a “sanctuary” for abortion and transgender youth. If the former president’s term in office should have shown them anything, it’s that California will fight fascists and their policies every chance they get. If they thought the welcome was cold in D.C., just wait until they get to Los Angeles.