The congresswoman who called for resistance activists to harass and confront members of the Trump administration is none-too-thrilled to find herself on the receiving end of targeted protests.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., warned supporters this week to stay away from her district office in Los Angeles, explaining that she had received word that the Oath Keepers, a 35,000-member national organization made up of former military and law enforcement officers, is planning demonstrations against her.
“I am requesting those individuals and groups planning a counter-protest to not be baited into confronting the Oath Keepers with any demonstrations in opposition – such an occurrence would only exacerbate tensions and increase the potential for conflict,” the congresswoman said late Wednesday in a statement published on Facebook.
[Maxine Waters asks supporters not to confront armed protesters outside her office]
The Oath Keepers, which was formed in 2009, issued a “call to action” Tuesday against Waters. The group told its members to prepare to hang around the L.A. area for as long as two weeks for targeted protests against the congresswoman.
Waters’ statement continued, saying, “The Oath Keepers have a history of engaging in violent and provocative behavior. The group is known to protest in military-style clothing while carrying various assault weapons. The Oath Keepers would like nothing more than to inflame racial tensions and create an explosive conflict in our community. In order to ensure the peace and security of our community, it is best and preferable if no other demonstrations are scheduled on the same date and time as the Oath Keepers’ planned protest.”
The statement added that the Los Angeles Police Department plans to have personnel on the ground at the time of the demonstrations to “ensure safety and security.”
“As I have stated many times, peaceful protest and civil dissent is the foundation of our democracy. All groups and individuals have the right to assemble and express their opposition to public officials and public policies – regardless of whether or not it is a group that shares our values,” Waters said.
She concluded, “Nevertheless, because of the Oath Keepers’ history of promoting violence and intimidation, my primary concern is to maintain the safety and security of the protesters, staff, and constituents of California’s 43rd Congressional District – a task that would be exceedingly complicated by large crowds of protesters and counter-protesters.”
It’s worth pointing out here that the Oath Keepers call specifically for a “protest outside Maxine Waters’ District Office in Los Angeles,” which is her place of work, and a hell of a lot less dangerous than what the congresswoman called for earlier this year.
“[I]f you see anybody from [the Trump] cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore anywhere,” she told supporters at a rally.
I’m not a fan of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes’ brand of political activism, and I certainly would not want to be on the receiving end of one of their protests. The group is incendiary, and it can be confrontational. But a lot of what has been said about them being a “hate group” can be traced back directly to the ultra-dishonest, hyper-partisan Southern Poverty Law Center (so maybe take the label with a grain of salt).
Let’s just hope the demonstrations outside Waters’ L.A. office go peacefully. The last thing anyone needs is for either group to act in a way that confirms the other side’s ingrained biases.
