walkaway rally beverly hills

Mom: “Honey, I’m a Republican.”

JNET: “That’s okay, Mom. I’m an anarchist.”

A: “JNET, if you’re an anarchist, does that mean you don’t vote?”

JNET: “I will vote for whoever I like that is anti establishment. I voted for Bernie last election. But seeing how Trump is upsetting everyone, he’s the best bull to let loose in a uptight bureaucratic china shop. I’m kinda loving it.”

Los Angeles lockdown is approaching its ninth month. What day is it? I have lockdown brain. I rarely go out. 2020 is my Rip Van Winkle year. Schools are still closed. Many businesses have shuttered. And I haven’t seen my students IRL since March.

I am still sheltering
in
beast
mode.

The opportunity to attend a rally that had guest speakers and hired security had the political geek in me curious. With summer concerts and activities cancelled, rallies are the substitute. Has any other election year got this much attention and engagement?

I attended a walk away rally in Beverly Hills. I heard about the walkaway movement several years ago from my brother’s childhood best friend.And soon after discovering it, I watched the mainstream media falsely call it a Russian plot to influence the 2020 election. The smear on its founder, Brandon Straka, didn’t work and the movement grew. Here’s the video that caught my attention two years ago.

Friends were concerned that the rally might get hostile and dangerous. Dangerous? It’s hosted by a gay man and Scott Baio will be one of the speakers. Charles in Charge, Chachi.

Here’s Scott Baio. I sat up front on the ground so no one can breathe on me.

J: “My BLM group isn’t able to get permits to protest in Beverly Hills. Why walkaway?“

JNET: “Walkaway stayed on the sidewalk for the mile or so walk from West Hollywood to the park in Beverly Hills. Lots of flags. It felt like a 4th of July party. I could’ve easily taken a kindergarten class. It was that pleasant of a walk. Police along every block on bikes, motorcycles, or cars. A lot of people waving and giving support to police. A lot of ‘We love you! Thank you for your service!’ Maybe that, staying only on sidewalks, and crossing street when lights say so makes a difference.”

My friend left it at that. She’s traveling a different protest circuit; Portland, Seattle, DC. She’s having a different experience. Tear gas, pepper spray. She’s not out with her friends thanking the police for their service. Definitely nothing to bring a kindergarten class out to.

The political climate is more polarizing than I can recall from previous years. My leftie friends are extremely wound up; depressed and angry. My rightie friends are staying hush in order to navigate the social minefield. And my voluntarist - anarcho - capitalist - homesteader friends are the calmest bunch. We’ve been prepping for this day for years watching bubbles pop while the economy pretended to be healthy.

The news feed cycles at a blinding speed with different flavors of the sky is falling. It’s quite amazing. Manic if you follow x path of information. Cautionary if you follow y path. While others, like myself, say have lots of popcorn and whisky. Enjoy zee show.

Lockdown has made Los Angeles quiet. But people are feeling loud inside their heads.

Saturday Afternoon on Santa Monica Blvd

We will never have an election year where so many people have time to be curious to get out and be a rally tourist. The world over is in lockdown and able to scrutinize their government. How many nations are feeling a bit tense over their spotlight? Everyone is starting to know that the journalists are doing a poor job at reporting that regular folks have to do the research to call them out. It’s hard to manipulate an audience that has a ton of time to care. If there’s a time for the baddies to get hunted down, it’s now.

I just wish there wasn’t so much division. My friends think the President is evil incarnate.

I think Trump’s the patsy. The machination of the mainstream media relentlessly digs at him and doesn’t take a break. If he is Hitler 2.0, why did world leaders send their thoughts and good wishes when the president came down with Covid? Why didn’t everyone plea for another country to come in and save us? If we were truly oppressed and ruled by tyranny, wouldn’t some nation feel obliged to step in?

I returned home safely and reported that I had a great time and that I didn’t see any KKK or racist groups. There was a lot of everybody. White, Black, Asian, Latino, gays, church people, children.

The common thread was that Democrats we’re unhappy with how their party was evolving. Cancel culture, the anti-free speech / pro-censorship sentiment invading the internet and culture is destroying relationships. People are canceling their parents, their siblings, neighbors and colleagues and the folks at walkaway feel it’s destroying our country. So they are hopeful. They say they’ve woken up and are done with being angry and feeling broken. They walk unified in hope and love for the country and it’s countrymen. Cars honked their horns in passing the whole time. It was a mostly positive experience. I enjoyed the happy hopeful vibe. There were a few passerbys that gave the birdie and screamed that they hope we die. Gotta love 2020. It’s an election /covid year.

I recommend attending any rally for the experience. I’d love to attend a Biden/Harris rally to compare.

My California rally outing was fun. I felt like a tourist out to just understand and enjoy people. Not everyone is full of doom and gloom. There’s a lot of power in unity and love.

And maybe
it’s easier to learn truth
when fear and hate isn’t a distraction.

JNET