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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle May 8, 2019 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher How Should We Handle Right-Wing Disrupters? Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor R Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS n F ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n d ay ! • L i ke u s o ac it Updated daily online. to y • Opinion ecently, I saw two sepa- rate stories about right- wing disrupters. In one case, a well-known bookstore in the Washington, D.C. area, “Politics & Prose,” was visited by right-wing dis- rupters during a book event focused on “whiteness.” In another case, a discussion of race and politics in the Do- minican Republic was dis- rupted by alleged Dominican fascists who are allies of the grandson of the notorious Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo. Liberal and progressive individuals and institutions should expect disruptions to not only continue but to in- crease in scale. Given the sig- nals that the Trump admin- istration has conveyed to the political right — as in suggest- ing that it is appropriate to beat up opponents—the rabid right feels empowered. So, what does one do? Here are a few suggestions. First, we should take per- sonal and institutional se- curity seriously. Disruption can be carried out through right-wingers simply chant- ing or it can take the extreme form of violent attacks, e.g., the bombings of mosques and synagogues; the assassi- nation of progressives. This Bill Fletcher Jr. The Global African means ensuring that our in- stitutions are protected and that there are security teams prepared to intervene when there is a threat of physical violence. Second, be careful about provocations. The history of the COINTELPRO opera- tion that disrupted progres- “ tivities. Many great activists found themselves incarcerat- ed or killed as a result. Third, establish clear rules for behavior at all events and meetings, and ensure that such rules are posted and/or circulated. It is not uncom- mon to have a provocateur(s) stand in a forum and speak beyond their time limit or to engage in forms of personal harassment. Under those cir- cumstances it always needs to be made clear to the audience who is in the right and who is in the wrong before any ac- tions are taken. More than 20 years ago I Given the signals that the Trump administration has conveyed to the political Right—as in suggest- ing that it is appropriate to beat up opponents—the rabid Right feels empowered sive and radical groups in the 1960s and 1970s, demon- strates that agents and other disrupters can either carry out a provocation to encour- age progressives to break the law, and/or they can infiltrate our organizations and insti- tutions and covertly encour- age us to carry out illegal ac- saw an excellent example of the handling of a disrupter. Bernadette Devlin McAlis- key, the iconic Irish leftist and nationalist, was deliver- ing a presentation on the sit- uation in Northern Ireland to an audience of hundreds. Well-known for her outspo- ken support of socialism, a united Ireland, and rights for the Catholic (nationalist) com- munity in Northern Ireland, McAliskey was the subject of assassination attempts and various forms of harassment. An opponent, who was ob- viously a supporter of Britain and the Protestant (Loyalist) community, surfaced in the audience during the question and answer. He started asking very provocative questions and clearly aimed to disrupt the event. Rather than evict the provocateur, McAliskey asked the provocateur ques- tions and let him talk. Within a few minutes the provoca- teur demonstrated that he was an idiot and vanished. We are not entering a new era. These sorts of disrup- tions have a long and igno- minious history in the USA. Many people have forgotten this and act as if so-called ci- vility is the normal state of af- fairs. The right wing has little interest in civility but a great deal of interest in suppress- ing progressive thought. So, get organized! Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the former president of TransAfrica Fo- rum. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billf- letcherjr.com. He is the author of the murder mystery The Man Who Fell From the Sky. Our Democracy is on the Line, Congress Must Act Now W hile the debate whether President Trump obstructed justice should be over with the release of Spe- cial Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, unfortunately, it is not. In fact, it has just begun as Congress prepares to con- duct exhaustive examina- tions into these breathtaking revelations. Given the overwhelming ev- idence to the contrary, Attor- ney General Barr’s attempt to exonerate Trump is simply stunning. It is crystal clear that Trump interfered with the Mueller investigation. Even the redacted report con- tains a multitude of actions in which Trump obstructed jus- tice in one of the most conse- quential investigations ever conducted regarding the state of our democracy. We warned the nation about Attorney General Barr when we opposed his confirmation to the position. We told the Senate that William Barr “can never overcome the public perception that he endorsed Trump’s efforts to hold him- self above the law. William Barr simply cannot serve as the independent leader our country needs at this critical time.” We were correct. Barr’s lack of independence and Trump’s obstruction rais- es critical questions about Derrick Johnson NNPA President & CEO the rule of law. But this is also about the integrity and secu- rity of our democracy. Just as “ Trump has caused in- finite damage to the office of the presi- dency by im- peding justice and subvert- ing the rule of law. important in the Mueller re- port was the astounding dis- closure that our country was subjected to a full-scale attack on our democratic process. Astonishingly, the Mueller report concluded that Russia “interfered in the 2016 presi- dential election in sweeping and systemic fashion.” Russia intended to benefit and did in fact benefit Trump. We also know that the Trump cam- paign knew about Russia’s as- sistance and welcomed it with open arms. Russia helped Trump win the presidency by manipulating voters, foment- ing racial division, and tar- geting the African-American community to suppress voter turnout. Back in December 2018, we led a boycott of Facebook. We called upon Congress to con- duct further investigations into Facebook after a report released for the Senate Intel- ligence Committee revealed that the Russian influence campaign “made an extraor- dinary effort to target Af- rican-Americans” using an array of tactics to suppress turnout among Democratic voters. Now, with the results of Robert Mueller’s report, the outrage should be palpable. Congress must fully investi- gate, take all appropriate ac- tion, and ensure the integrity and security of our democra- cy. This must be done with the urgency it requires. The 2020 election has already begun. Candidates are making pitch- es. Voting machines are being purchased. Yet our democra- cy is not safe from the exter- nal forces that want to cause us harm. Congress begins their ex- amination and investigation without a full record, and completion of that record must be a top priority. The redacted report re- leased by Attorney General William Barr falls woeful- ly short of what is owed to Congress and to the Amer- ican people. It shows that the Trump administration is intent on hiding facts and covering its tracks. Mr. Barr should immediately release the complete Mueller report in unredacted, unedited, and unvarnished form. The American public deserves the truth. We are also troubled by Special Counsel Mueller’s de- cision not to press for a sub- poena or interview of Trump. Trump has caused infinite damage to the office of the presidency by impeding jus- tice and subverting the rule of law. He should be called to answer and held accountable for his actions to harm our democracy. Our democracy is in a hold- ing pattern. We need answers and we need them fast. The Trump administration has al- ready harmed our civil rights in devastating ways, and it will take us years to recover. But we cannot, and must not, allow the foundations of our democracy to be undermined, knowing full well of the threat. This is our democracy, and we must act to protect it. nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve
