Rantz: Racist mob demands white Seattle homeowners kicked out of area

A racist, anti-capitalist, BLM-inspired mob targeted Seattle homeowners on the basis of their race. Their goal is to boot white people from the Central District and self-segregate.

The scene earned nationwide scorn. A group of fringe activists from the Everyday March Seattle threatened and harassed white homeowners in the Central District. Their crimes? Their skin color.

Instead of condemning the behavior, local leaders — from Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis to King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci — have praised the group. They’re too scared of being seen as racist white reactors. The only racists here are the ones in the mob.

A racist mob is showing up at the homes and businesses of white people to threaten them over their contrived concerns of gentrification. It's an ignorant movement more about pursuing a Marxist and Socialist political agenda. I discussed the issue on FOX and Friends. pic.twitter.com/NWKDoYv3kw

— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 16, 2020

Racist BLM Seattle mob demands booting white residents

The activism we saw was part of the general Black Lives Matters movement in Seattle.

The group marched through the streets of the Central District, stopping to give speeches while chanting messages like, “Who do we protect? Black criminals!” and, “Take it to the streets and f— the police!” The group took a break at a park for a speech and Q&A session with King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay.

But as the march continued into the evening, it adopted a theme against gentrification. And it took a racist turn.

“Give up your house … give Black people back their homes,” an activist who appears to be Tatii demanded into a bullhorn as the mob stopped outside a home. Another demanded a homeowner, “Open your wallet!”

Another activist from Everyday March, identified on one video as TK, shouted at residents to, “Give us our s— back,” before demanding reparations. He then demanded the man “move out” of his home.

Seattle BLM protesters march through residential neighborhoods and demand white people give up their homes.

“Give up your house. Give Black people back their homes.” “what are you going to do about it? Open up your wallets.”pic.twitter.com/btRzqos0IR

— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@KatieDaviscourt) August 14, 2020

Self-segregation

At the core of the mob’s belief — or at least the one outlined by TK — is that the Central District should be self-segregated. It’s not that he wants the neighborhood to be diverse. Earlier in the evening, he argued the neighborhood should boot white residents and become a Black-only neighborhood.

Complaining that the Central District now looks “nice,” TK took issue with the development that transformed the previously low-income neighborhood into one with new housing units, restaurants, and economic opportunities. And like too many activists who start with a valid point, in this case complaining about housing affordability (which I’d argue is driven by poor planning policies by the Seattle City Council), TK goes off the deep end because he’s driven by a vicious racist, supremacist position.

“This is a Black neighborhood. It needs to go back to the way it was. This s— needs to go back to the way it was,” TK demands.

What TK is asking for isn’t progress. It’s quite the opposite.

The dubious justification

Some in the racist mob justify their action by dubiously claiming they’re personally the victims of gentrification. The 20-somethings in that mob, however, almost certainly are not. Others fight against the history of gentrification that they didn’t experience but learned about. But at the core, they’re informed by their politics.

Driven by Marxism, Socialism, and Progressivism, these activists have been taught the evils of capitalism. This harassment — it’s not a protest — is the extension of their ideology.

“You work for Amazon, don’t you?” TK shouted to a white homeowner he was tormenting.

He didn’t know the homeowner. He didn’t know the man’s history, where he came from, the socioeconomic past he may have overcome to earn enough to own a town home, or the hours he spent bettering himself so he could make a living and buy that home. He is white, therefore he didn’t earn anything.

Who will call out the racism?

Obviously, targeting people on the basis of their skin color, demanding they move out of their homes, has some serious historical connotations. Indeed, this mob is acting in the same way racist white mobs did when chasing out Black neighbors. It doesn’t matter that these fringe activists think they’re morally just. Harassing people on the basis of their skin color is wrong. Full stop. That’s not a controversial position.

Gentrification certainly happened in the Central District. And it’s fair to have legitimate conversations about the impacts that gentrification can and does have. There very obviously can be some victims. But having honest conversations also means highlighting the generally positive impacts gentrification has. And, to be clear, the Central District clearly benefited from gentrification.

Can we not have a reasonable conversation about any of the issues they have? Can we not address reasonable ones where they exist? Is it wrong to want diverse communities and abhor the idea of wanting segregated ones?

But these activists aren’t interested in conversation. They have demands.

Showing up to someone’s house, screaming invective at people on the basis of skin color, and demanding white people leave a neighborhood makes them radical. They should only be taken seriously in that their vision is dangerous. And can we note how it’s particularly amusing that this woke generation of activists is claiming ownership of a neighborhood that was actually predominantly Jewish, then Japanese-American. before it was predominantly Black? And, of course, before that it belonged to Native Americans.

“Get out of our neighborhood! Pay the fee! Open your purse!” to residents of the neighborhood #Seattle pic.twitter.com/j1QKSh8NFg

— Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) August 13, 2020

No clear leadership

Normally, leaders would call this out. If Proud Boys showed up to Black homeowners and pulled this stunt, it would be rightly condemned. In this area, however, we have few leaders.

Everyday March has earned the support of local white lawmakers terrified of calling out a predominantly Black social justice movement, no matter how radical their beliefs.

Despite elements of the same group threatening physical violence against one of his colleagues if they didn’t vote to defund the police, Councilmember Lewis praised the activists as simply just wanting honest conversations. County Councilmember Balducci praised the mob as “deeply impressive” after they showed up to her home.

So this disturbing behavior will continue. Indeed, the organization is called the Everyday March. And it’ll only escalate. Perhaps they’ll break into a home and pull someone out. Or a frightened homeowner will defend herself. It could all be avoided. But we’re in a region that lacks leadership. So it’ll only get worse.

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