There Are No Kings Here—Resistance When it Counts

 

 

This Saturday, June 14, from 11 am to 1 pm hundreds of concerned folks are expected to respond to a call for a No Kings  roadside witness at Route 31 and McCullom Lake Road in McHenry.  The event sponsored locally by Indivisible Mc Henry County is one of more than 1800 Day of Defiance rallies and marches nationwide.  Chicago will hold one beginning with a rally at Daily Plaza at 2 pm.  That will coincide with major Anti-ICE protests.

There is a palpable sense that we are at a tipping point between outright fascism and a successful resistance to oppression.  Here is why…

 

                                             Trump embracing--or molesting--the Flag.

Saturday is Flag Day, a Federal holiday of such relative obscurity that many folks hardly know exists.  As a regular post here put it:

Flag Day, a demi-holiday easily overlooked is celebrated by displaying the American Flag….No other country on Earth makes quite the fetish of its flag as does the United States.  The word idolatry comes to mind.  At its worst it elevates the symbol—the Flag—over the substance—the democratic values espoused in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution.  It is an absolute truism that those who wrap themselves most in the Flag—and these day that is not just a figurative term—are the most disingenuous and dangerous.

It is also considered the birth day of the United State Army by the official creation of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775 during the Revolutionary War.  That makes the Army more than a year older than the Independence.  A 250 year anniversary is certainly a notable achievement and worthy of note.  But no other significant milestones were celebrated with much hoopla beyond opening forts and bases to the public and some parade ground drill.

Oh, and little Donny Trump is having a birthday and thinks that a big, exciting, and intimidating grand military parade is better than clowns and balloons for his  party.  He loves parades and when he goes to Europe he gets green eyed with envy for things like France’s Bastille Day hardware display, Moscow’s May Day marches, and D-Day celebrations.  

 

                    The French Bastille Day military parade was the porno for Trumps teeny erection  for one of his very own. 

In his first term the Fête Nationale in Paris inspired his desire for Fourth of July spectacular of his own down Pennsylvania Avenue.  But the hubbub in the aftermath of his Capitol insurrection, investigations, impeachment drama, and resistance by the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoiled that dream.  All he got was a delayed Veteran’s Day parade stripped of it heavy armor and missile launchers with few spectators and half-empty reviewing stands.  So disappointing.

His recent European trip inspired him to try again linking the celebration to World War II victory which he says “We won” demeaning the sacrifices of Ally nations  except for noting that the Soviets  lost 55 million people (one of his plucked-from-the-ass exaggerations) but not their Eastern Front victories.  Tying a bigger and better parade to the 80th anniversary was golden opportunity.

 

 The Grand Review of the Armies in Washington after victory in the Civil War. 

The parade he plans for Saturday is unprecedented.  The Grand Review of the Armies in May of 1865 was an impressive troop procession of victorious armies.  Homecoming parades of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in 1919 after the Great War were also victory laps.  But millions under arms scattered across the globe made any such mass grand display logistically impossible.  Troops returning from Korea and Japan were barely acknowledged.

Trump had to dispatch the old Joint Chiefs and most senior commanders to elevate toadies who would not only let him have his precious parade but also be unqueasy about defying Constitutional restraint.

 

Heavy armored vehicles are already being positioned for Trump military parade this Saturday, 

His big parade is more than just a boondoggle ego trip—it is a declaration of raw power and a threat to any and all who oppose his whims.  He made that clear Tuesday.  Trump told reporters in the Oval Office right after he spoke about sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests there. “If any protesters want to come out, they will be met with very big force.”  He pointedly did not make any distinction between peaceful demonstrations  and alleged rioting.

 

Repeated images of the same few incidents in Downtown Los Angeles gave the impression the whole city was in flames.  It was not.  Thousands demonstrated peacefully in the city and most residents went about their business unmolested. 

As the timing of that threat makes clear, the danger is in sharper focus than ever in response to resistance to ICE workplace raids and kidnappings in Los Angeles.  Thousands have taken to the streets to protest and to block raids.  The militant, but largely peaceful demonstrations saw some street tussles and a few arrests.  Some clashes did occur in a few block area of downtown LA including rock throwing, window smashing, vandalism, and a couple of car arsons.  Repeated clips of the same incidents of TV and cable news gave the impression that rioting was widespread over the city.  It was not.

It may have given Trump his Reichstag moment—a phony excuse to usurp dictatorial power.  He first mobilized 2000 California National Guard troops invoking a claim of national emergency over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsome and a Constitutional prohibition of the use of the military against domestic civilians.  Predictably the move inflamed the situation.  Thousands more have taken to the streets.  The Governor and President exchanged insults and threats.  Trump and his lapdog emigration enforcement Czar threatened to arrest him and the Speaker of the House of Representatives suggested the being tarred and feathered was another alternative.

 

S                                                peaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested the Governor Gavin Newsom be tarred and feathered.

Trump doubled down with more Guard call ups and 700 active duty Marines with combat vehicles and armed with live ammunition.  Clashes in the downtown area escalated with the use of flash bombs, tear gas, and rubber bullets.  Hundreds of arrests have been made mostly by the LAPD.  Most Guardsmen have not been deployed on the streets and Marine officers have admitted that their troops have not been trained in crowd control. 

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have each suggested that similar deployments will be made to other sanctuary cities.  That might be tested after the announcement of special immigration enforcement raids using armored vehicles in five Democratic cities including Chicago on Friday.  Major resistance is expected in all of them.

 

California National Guard troops stand guard in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles.

And on Wednesday Hegseth told a Congressional committee that he would not commit to being bound by any court decision against his deployment of Marines.  “What I can say is we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy for the country.”

The concern is that clashes in those cities could open the door to a Declaration of Insurrection that would suspend Habeas Corpus,  allow mass civilian detentions, override the courts, seize local governments, and possibly even suspend elections.   

 

Events are unfolding faster than a mere blogger can keep up with.

Compassion for Campers Hosts Christmas Week Distribution in McHenry

With the support of The Faith Leaders of McHenry County, the host church, and Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church volunteers Compassion for Campers, the program that provides supplies and gear for the McHenry County homeless who have no steady shelter, will hold a special Christmas Week distribution at be at the First United Methodist Church, 3717 Main Street in McHenry on Tuesday December 22 from 3:30 to 5 pm. 

The group is well supplied with tents, sleeping bags, pads, tarps, stoves and fuel, gloves, hats, scarfs, warm winter wear, personal hygiene products, and non-perishable food.

Clients will be Covid-19 screened with a temperature check and standard screening questions.  No one failing the test will be turned away but we will ask what they need and  supplies will be brought out to them.  All clients are required to be masked before entering the buildings and a mask will be provided to anyone who does not have one.  Clients will be admitted one at a time and no more will be allowed inside at any time than the location can safely accommodate with correct social distancing.  At the conclusion of the distribution all remaining supplies will be packed for storage and the host area will be cleaned and disinfected. 

Compassion for Campers volunteers and Warp Corps staff at the November 24 distribution in Woodstock with just some of the gear available.  

Volunteers are needed to help with the distribution, especially younger folks in good health.  Contact Patrick Murfin at pmurfin@sbcglobal.net  or phone 815 814-5645 if you are available on Tuesday afternoons.  Distributions are scheduled two weeks apart and will rotate between sites in Woodstock, Crystal Lake, and McHenry.  Donations to continue this work can be made by sending a check made out to Tree of Life UU Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road, McHenry, IL 60050 with Compassion for Campers on the memo line to the church.

 

 

Faith Leaders and Compassion for Campers Plan More Supply Distributions for the Unhoused

Coverage of the Compassion for Campers gear distribution for the homeless ran on page 2 of the North West Herald
on August 15. 

The Faith Leaders of McHenry County and Compassion for Campers will continue to distribute camping gear and supplies to the unhoused.  Three more offerings are scheduled in Crystal Lake, McHenry, and Woodstock in August and September. Additional distributions may be scheduled later as needed.

“Many of McHenry County’s homeless have to resort to camping and the need to help them will become more urgent,”  According to Patrick Murfin of Compassion for Campers,  “We expect a surge of new homeless with the suspension or reduction of unemployment insurance and the expiration of eviction suspensions.  Many will be unhoused for the first time and will include formerly secure individuals and families.”

 Distribution of supplies will be drive through/walk up with face masks required, social distancing observed, and no gathering.  Among the supplies available while they last will be tents, sleeping bags, tarps and pads, coolers, mosquito repellent, sun screen, hygiene products, other sundries, and non-perishable food.

The Faith Leaders of McHenry County is an informal group of clergy serving local congregations or as chaplains as well as lay leaders and volunteers who meet regularly to address the needs of the community The group came together to share wisdom, experience, and positive community action as the Covid-19 epidemic arose.  It has also taken up the issues of racism and privilege brought to the fore by the Black Lives Matter Movement and the protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and other Persons of Color.  It is also now addressing homelessness.

Compassion for Campers is a program founded by the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry which has been serving the homeless every summer for the past eight years.  Monetary donations from the Faith Leaders and their congregations have been added to Compassion for Campers funds to purchase the gear.  

Additional donations can be made by sending a check made out to Tree of Life UU Congregation with Compassion for Campers on the memo line to the church at 5603 West Bull Valley Road, McHenry, IL 60050.  Compassion for Campers is a dedicated fund and no donations to it can be used by Tree of Life for any other purpose.  The church absorbs all administrative expenses so 100% of donations will be used to aid the homeless.

For more information contact Patrick Murfin at 815 814-5645 or e-mail pmurfin@sbcglobal.net.

Surprise Surprise! George Floyd et al Ignite McHenry County

The call for the youth-led march and rally on Woodstock Square. 400 or more showed up.

Who would have thought that the murder by police of a Black man in a distant city would touch off more than a week of sustained and militant action by hundreds of people in McHenry County, Illinois?  That’s right, the suburban/exurban/rural county in the northwest boonies of the Chicago metropolitan area which was 90.1% white by the 2010 Census and until recently an unassailable conservative Republican bastion has been swept up in a national Black Lives Matter movement that has seen demonstrations in more 450 cities and towns across the United States.

Of course since 2010 the Latino community has grown and there has even been a modest influx of African Americans but my guess is the 2020 Census will show only about 2% Black residents. 

Activism of all sorts has been on the rise since the election of Donald Trump including Women’s March events, March for Our Lives and National School Walk-out anti-gun violence actions, March for Science and climate change, immigration justice rallies, and LBGBQ Pride events each of which have turned out hundreds.  Meanwhile grass roots progressive Democrats have changed the political landscape carrying the county for Barack Obama, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Representative Lauren Underwood.

A lot of that activity was organized by a small overlapping core of activists, many of the women and/or gray haired elders like the Old Man who pens this blog.

But the energy and leadership behind the current wave of protest has been entirely different—young people under the age of 25 most of whom have had no relationship with existing organizations.  Inspired by the nation-wide protests, the local movement was spontaneous and without either charismatic figure head leadership or organizational backing.  Protests in different towns have been organized independently.  Those taking the lead include Black and Latino high school and college students but also white youth allies.  They also include significant numbers of LGBTQ and gender queer young people showing that the movement has a clear understanding of intersectionality.

A portion of the crowd in Woodstock on Sunday listen to speakers before taking off on a march around the Square.

Crowds at marches and rallies in Huntley, Woodstock, McHenry, Crystal Lake, and Harvard have included up to 600+ participants, 80-90% young and reflecting the local demographics mostly white.  Geezers like me who have turned out have been happy to simple foot soldiers in the struggle taking our cues from collective youth leadership.  All of the actions have been entirely peaceful.

The first action I participated was in Woodstock on Sunday May 31.  There were well over 400 in attendance—enough to completely and continuously surround the Square in an angry and determined but entirely peaceful march. Better yet more than 85% of the marchers were under 25. Many geezers my age stayed home due to health concerns. At 71 years old, I have some of those too and I got winded after three laps around the square. Most of the young folks kept up the march for at least an hour and a half. My granddaughter Mathilda was born earlier that day and I felt I owed it to her to leave her with a better and more just world than the dangerous crappy one into which she was just born.

Protesters in Crystal Lake lay face down with hands behind their backs in front of the City Hall.Police Headquarters.

Yesterday afternoon I was at an even larger event that began in Crystal Lake’s Veterans Acres Park and marched several blocks to the City Hall/Police Department and lay down silently on our stomachs for the nine minutes that George Floyd had a cop’s knee on his neck. Safe to say Crystal Lake had never seen anything like that.

A separate youth led group is planning two days of   Crystal Lake Protests For Black Lives  today, June 5 and tomorrow June 6 both beginning at 11 am at the five way intersection of Crystal Lake Road, Walkup Road, and Grant Street near The Cottage pub and will participate in the first civil disobedience in the McHenry County protests—intermittent occupation of the streets.  Crystal Lake Police are not expected to take action against the protestors.  The group will then march to the Gazebo by the Metra Station on Woodstock Street for a short rally.

Details on Saturday’s march through Crystal Lake’s downtown and rally at the Gazebo will be announced later.  Both days rally speakers will be exclusively Black and other minorities to lift up often unheard voices.

On Monday, June 8 McHenry County Faith Leaders are planning a George Floyd Memorial Service at 7pm at churches across the county.  The faithful will gather in the Church parking lots or on the grounds observing safe social distancing for services to coincide with the public viewing at The Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas where Floyd was an active member before moving to Minneapolis.  There will be prayers and eight minutes of silence in memory of Floyd and other victims of racial oppression.  The congregations will acknowledge their own privilege and repudiate the systematic racism embedded in their churches. Check with your own church to see if it is participating. 

McHenry County Faith Leaders plan George Floyd Memorial Services at churches in McHenry County.

The Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry will host one of the memorial services on its grounds.

The is so much going on now in McHenry County that it entirely possible  that other local actions have been planned that I don’t yet know about.  Keep your eyes peeled for them.

And thanks for the new generation showing us all the way.  They/we/I are not giving up!