The Day the Hoods Came Off
“There’s just no way that this can happen.”
That was my mantra throughout the entirety of the 2016 Presidential campaign because I just didn’t think that enough people would vote for someone whose views were so contrary to what our nation stands for. Everything that Donald Trump built his campaign on was an assault to what this country was built on. Well, we all know what happened on Election Day and the days since. In the aftermath of his election, we started to get some of the answers as to how this exactly happened.
I remember the day after the election I was still working at Barnes & Noble. Prior to that day, I hadn’t really seen many of those red hats that became the epitome of Trump’s campaign. Sure, I saw them on TV in footage of his rallies and such. But I hadn’t really laid eyes on any out in the real world. The day after the election? They were out in droves. It then dawned on me exactly what had transpired during the election.
Donald Trump appealed to the beliefs of a certain sect of this country that has been rearing its ugly head over the last few days. During the election, they simply skulked in the shadows biding their time. They didn’t want to show their faces and deal with any ridicule from being a Trump supporter. Once he was elected, though? All bets were off. They came out the woodwork. And they’ve continued to come out the woodwork until everything came to a head this past weekend.
We’re all very familiar with the footage by now. Thousands of white men with tiki torches (which, by the way, how dare you also disgrace the island folk with your use of their torches for these hateful acts. What happened, y’all run out of crosses to burn? I digress.) spewing plenty of hateful ire. Groups of white men shamelessly beating up an unarmed, defenseless black man. A car plowing through a group of anti-protesters. Lives lost. Innocents injured. Truly a dark weekend.
Now, in the face of all of this, there is one person that is supposed to guide us through. Well, besides God. He’s always there for us even in these dark times. But the President! He’s supposed to give us words of encouragement. Let us know that the White House and the Administration won’t stand for hateful acts and will stop this injustice. That’s what Barack Obama did after Sandy Hook. It’s what he did after the Dark Knight shooting. It’s just what a President does.
Well, again, we all know what happened with Trump in this instance.
It took him days to come up with an actual statement, and then on Monday things went off the rails. Here’s a taste.
Yeah, that is a thing that actually happened. When I watched the above video, I felt myself getting emotional. This was the President of my country sympathizing with a group of people that have a history of killing and abusing and demoralizing people like me. How am I supposed to feel safe?
More than that, that video made me realize that the hoods truly have come off. Whereas the KKK of old walked around wearing sheets over their heads to concealing their activities, today they’re just walking free.
Much like the Trump supporters who felt confident to wear their red hats on the day after the election, these people are now free to continue their activities in the public. With no possibility of repercussions. When they can march and chant and attack and kill, and still get a pass from the fucking PRESIDENT, there is no hope.
I mean, look at this.
For the uninitiated, David Duke is a former Imperial Wizard (don’t ask me why they call themselves wizards) of the KKK. He sees Trump’s speech today as a win. Unbelievable.
People wonder why us black folk don’t feel safe. It’s because those that wish to kill and vilify us are getting backed by our President. We have no support from the leader of our nation.
So yeah, the hoods came off completely today.