The Tenacious Hold of White Supremacy
The Patriot Front arrests in Idaho are the latest in the US’s long reckoning with racism and homophobia
It was a great day to be in the park in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho yesterday. The sun was shining, the temperature was a pleasant low 70's, and the grass was green. Around 1000 folks from northern Idaho congregated in City Park to celebrate Pride month — “the largest ever” according to a tweet from one of the organizers.
Watching video of the event, you can see fest-goers milling among vendors looking care-free. The sounds of drag show tunes from the stage nearby carry through the air. People are dancing, talking, playing with their children. It’s just a day in the park, if one with a bit more glamourousness in it than usual. Or at least that’s all it should be.
Looking closer, there are hints of menace, an organized hostility lurking in the wings, of a kind that no longer happens in more urban or progressive localities. Idaho requires no permit for open carrying and individuals mixed through the crowd wearing various firearms. A couple of folks had been arrested earlier in the day for broadcasting disruptive speeches against the Pride event. A motley mix of bikers, beards, bellies, and Bible-wavers were reportedly refused entry when attempting to enter the park to…
