White Supremacists seek to intimidate at Islamic Society of North America Conference
*This story has been updated to include a picture of convicted Pedophile David Ray Barker attending the protest*
I have been involved in local activism, in Houston, Texas, for the last two years. In this time I’ve worked with Pantsuit Republic, and Indivisible, on social justice issues. I was an adult lead for the local March For Our Lives march, and I have attended BLM and SURJ events as an ally. Let me be clear, What I experience today is a drop in the bucket compared to the harassment that others in Houston’s activism communities have had to endure. Let us remember that there are people that fight for social justice on a daily basis.
This weekend, the Islamic Society of North America held their annual conference. It was a lovely event, full of seminars, booths with art, and other goods, and wonderfully happy Muslim Americans, seeking to reach out to others.
Of course, in today’s America, no such conference can be held without the immediate shadow of a white nationalist protest. Many of the friends I’ve made over the last few years were able to attend the counter protests yesterday, September 1st. I was able to attend today, hoping to show my support for my Muslim neighbors. What I experienced wasn’t unexpected, but it was still disturbing.
I have had bigoted things said to me before. I’ve faced people that directed hatred towards me, but today I saw something different. I walked a friend to the bathroom at Discovery Green. The White nationalist were not at their designated protest area, and we suspected that they might be roaming the park. As I was waiting for my friend, I was approached by a couple. The woman went into the bathroom, but kept staring at me. The man came right up to me and stared me down. I looked into the eyes of that white nationalist today, and I saw more than just hate. I saw a man that wanted me to die. I saw pure, fury and hatred in his eyes. This was a man that wanted anyone that didn’t fit his definition of Aryan purity dead. He immediately began to intimidate me, to try and bait me into doing something stupid. He knew Texas law, and was trying to get me to either push him away, or engage in a verbal attack on him, so that he could claim assault, and have me attacked, and likely killed. This is a common tactic of white nationalists, to intimidate and bait others into action, so that they can play the victim.
I’ve had my own little privileged bubble around me my whole life. Sure I know I have it, I know that others don’t, and I have worked hard to use my voice to elevate others, but today that bubble was burst for good. I refused to play into this man’s intimidation. I noticed that several HPD officers were just a few dozen feet away, and I called out to them for help. They turned, saw me asking for help, and then they turned their backs on me while I was cornered. My friend exited the bathroom, and I immediately walked away from the man seeking to start trouble, towards the officers.
Most of the officers were either unconcerned, some, even showed contempt for us. I was asked why I wasn’t in my designated protest area, while I could easily see a dozen white supremacists walking around the park. I explained the situation, and noticed that the white supremacist started walking away. The officers chose to chide us. So I walked back to the protest area. While there, we noticed, someone that resembled a known pedophile that protests with the Texas Patriot Network. When we pointed out that pedophile, who had been convicted of raping two children under the age of 10, and who had been in attendance yesterday and was likely hiding in the park today, we had an officer state “So”? This officer was annoyed at us because we were concerned for others, for the families and children at Discovery Green.
Throughout the day we saw contempt for us because we showed up to welcome our Muslim neighbors. Contempt for us because we wanted to show love not hate. Meanwhile, they ignored the bullying and intimidation that the dozen white supremacists were participating in throughout the park.
I detest violence, and while I’m a gun owner, I have never, ever, liked open carry. I am not comfortable with it, and seeing guns on both sides of this protest really bothered me. I absolutely understand the mindset of some of my fellow counter protesters carrying guns. The bigots were out, they were harassing and intimidating, and they were open carrying. They purposely surrounded us, and the perception from others was that HPD just wasn’t taking it seriously. We must work to remove open carry as a tool of intimidation from those that would see others destroyed for the crime of being different.
Today was hard, because I saw white supremacy and toxic masculinity in their full, horrible, manifestations. We have so much work to do to transform our society into one that is welcoming, tolerant, and loving. Today proved that those leading any such attempt at transformation will face violence, and probably death.
Today was worth it, because despite the worst of what society can manifest, I saw the best as well. I saw people, of all ages, and all races and religions come together. I saw expressions of love and thanks. I saw, in the shadow of evil, the vision of what our society can be. For that, despite my anger, my frustration, my fear, and my anxiety, today was worth it, it was necessary, and it was beautiful.
