Richmond Braces for Invasion of Extremists As Trump Fans Flames

Members of a "Lightfoot Militia" - these are
NOT sportsmen or those focused on self-defense.

The husband and I have a number of friends in Richmond, know a number of members of the Virginia General Assembly, and are friends with Governor Northam and the First Lady of Virginia.  It is with horror that we watch that city braces for a possible invasion by some of the ugliest elements in America.  A piece at NBC News looks at the fear gripping Richmond where businesses will be closed and some are staying in other parts of the city away from the Capitol area. Making maters worse, Donald Trump, a/k/a Der Trumpenführer on this blog, is fanning the flames of hate on the right and then suggesting Republicans will win in Virginia in 2020, suggesting just how delusional Trump is - he is widely hated in Virginia and, if Richmond sees violence tomorrow, rest assured the so-called urban crescent of Virginia will vote even more heavily Democrat.  A piece in Vanity Fair looks at Trump's dangerous and irresponsible behavior:

A tweet from President Donald Trump Friday, one of the sort that Speaker Nancy Pelosi might categorize as “crazy,” drew sharp criticism for seeming to fan the flames of unrest ahead of a gun-rights rally in Richmond, Virginia.

Trump’s social-media eruption warns Virginians that their 2nd Amendment rights are “under attack,” and offers a sarcastic “thank you” to Virginia Democrats who will “take your guns away.”

Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund called Trump’s comment “irresponsible and utterly, truly unconscionable.”
 After the deadly events in nearby Charlottesville during the “unite the right” rally in 2017, [Trump] the president was sharply criticized for blaming violence on “both sides.”

Trump seemingly wants violence so he can use further fear mongering with his hideous base of support that increasingly seems to consist of outright racists, white supremacists and evangelical "Christians" (who in general are also racists/white supremacists in my view having followed right wing  "Christian" organization for over 20 years)

As for some of the types of out of state extremists on their way to Richmond, the Washington Post has more information.  Belatedly, Republicans who for years have given a wink and a nod to some of the dangerous extremists in the party base seem to have awoken to the danger these people pose to the public.  Here are artile highlights:

RICHMOND — The convoys and militias are coming, if social media posts are to be believed, headed to Virginia's capital to take a stand for gun rights — or, in the words of some, to fan the flames of a civil war.

“I’ll be rolling into town early. I can’t give you my exact time for security reasons,” said Christian Yingling, head of the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia and a leader at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

“I organized a convoy, places we can meet up and drive up together. I’ll be leading it,” said Tammy Lee, a militia activist in Oklahoma.

Both Lee and Yingling were members of groups that signed consent decrees never to return to Charlottesville while armed, part of a lawsuit settlement over the violence there. But there is no restriction against coming to Richmond.

Thousands will join them, they say, for a rally Monday on Capitol Square to protest plans by the new Democratic majority in the General Assembly to pass gun-control laws. State and federal officials were preparing for a volatile mix of weapons, passions and anti-government fervor. Central Richmond was braced for road closures and extensive police presence.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions for Richmond airspace, making it illegal to fly planes or drones above the city on Monday. Northam has said officials are concerned about threats from weaponized drones.

The pro-gun rally is always the most visible event, but this year it has virtually wiped out everything else. The Virginia Citizens Defense League has appealed for 10,000 supporters to show up unarmed to fill Capitol Square and asked several times that many stand outside with weapons.

One of Richmond’s staunchest gun rights Republicans, who needled Northam over the ban earlier in the week, closed ranks with the governor after a closed-door briefing on the security threats Friday.

“Any group that comes to Richmond to spread white supremacist garbage, or any other form of hate, violence, or civil unrest isn’t welcome here,” House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said in a written statement Saturday. “While we and our Democratic colleagues may have differences, we are all Virginians and we will stand united in opposition to any threats of violence or civil unrest from any quarter.”

Gilbert declined to discuss the content of the briefing, but his statement referred to efforts to “infuse” the event with a “twisted or extreme worldview.”

National militia and extremist groups have mobilized, with some making threats against elected officials. Many promise to use Virginia as the place to take a stand against what they see as a rising tide of anti-gun sentiment, invoking language of insurrection and civil war.

Lee, the convoy leader from Oklahoma, has promoted the Richmond rally in Facebook live videos. “I can absolutely not wait,” she said in one. “This may possibly be the first time that almost the entire patriot movement is there.”

But in a video posted Friday, she also expressed dread. “If you’re not apprehensive about going to this event, then I would worry about you and your mental state and your thought process,” she said.

In an interview, Lee said the convoy would kick off in Oklahoma on Saturday morning and swing through 10 states before its scheduled arrival in Richmond on Sunday afternoon. She declined to say how many vehicles or people would be involved.
In a recent video, she indicated that the gun rights movement was fractured over whether the out-of-state militias would help or hinder their cause in Richmond.

“While some don’t want outsiders coming in, it’s too late for that,” she said. “There are so many people woke to what’s happening … that I don’t think you could keep people away if you wanted to.”

I hope sane Virginians are watching and will punish Republicans further at the polls come November, 2020.