1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Welcome back, Dick had happened here? Once again the folks 2 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: from It's going down or taking over the show? As 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: today we do a deep dive into how autonomous organizers 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: are pushing back against a wave of far right attacks 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: on reproductive freedom and autonomy across the United States. A 6 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: note to our listeners, this episode will include discussion on 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: both sexual and far right violence. I'm your host, Mike Andrews. 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: Let's get into it. In May of twenty twenty two, 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: Politico first reported on the historic league from the Supreme 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: Court about the overturning of Row versus Wade, the landmark 11 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,919 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy three decision which ruled under the Fourteenth Amendment, 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: that a pregnant person has the right to privacy, including 13 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: the liberty to abort their fetus. In June of twenty 14 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: twenty two, the Dabb's Decisions struck down Row, ruling that 15 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: the Constitution does not guarantee a person the right to 16 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: an abortion, triggering a wave of state governments rolling abortion 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: rights and access for many. However, the fall of Row 18 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: only further cemented a lack of access to reproductive healthcare 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: has already been the norm for millions. As the Hill wrote, quote, 20 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: as of twenty twenty, six states had only one abortion 21 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: clinic each in eighty nine percent of America's counties had 22 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: no abortion clinic at all, the cumulative effect of decades 23 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: of restrictions authored by anti abortion lawmakers. This is not 24 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: to say that things haven't gotten worse. They have in 25 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: the months following the dabb's decision. In states like Ohio, 26 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: where access has been attacked, A rape survivor was forced 27 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: to travel out of state to find an abortion, while 28 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: local politicians, including the state's Republican attorney general, claimed on 29 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: Fox News that the story was totally fabricated. In other instances, 30 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: people in Ohio have been denied care even though they 31 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: faced potentially life threatening complications. In Texas, one woman nearly 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: died due to sepsis because she was initially barred access 33 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: to an abortion by doctors. And these are only some 34 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: of the stories that have made headlines. The deeper impact 35 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: on this countrywide attack and reproductive health has hit low 36 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: income and communities of color the hardest. A recent study 37 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: from the University of San Francisco found that quote a 38 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: third of American women of reproductive age now face excessive 39 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: travel times to obtain an abortion, while twice as many 40 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: are being forced to travel more than an hour to 41 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: reach an abortion provider. In short, attacks on abortion, coupled 42 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: with the already exploding wealth gap, lack of access to healthcare, 43 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: the rising cost of living, and the continuing COVID nineteen pandemic, 44 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: will only expand existing equalities, especially for people of color, 45 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: the disabled, and queer and trans folks. In particular, on 46 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: the legal front, some states have pushed to expand abortion access, 47 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: and many are challenging legal attacks in the courtroom. Minnesota, 48 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,239 Speaker 1: for instance, most recently became the first state to enshrine 49 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: abortion as a right. Meanwhile, many continued to donate to 50 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: abortion funds and nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, or even launching 51 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: mobile clinics to provide care and areas hit the hardest 52 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: due to recent bands. But as our first two guests, 53 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: Beck's part of a clinic defense group in New York City, 54 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: in ashe an abortion doula in North Carolina, reported, many 55 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: autonomous organizers aren't putting their faith in the courts, the cops, 56 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: or the state. You know. Living in New York City, 57 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: abortion is legal, and it is legal before a row, 58 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: and it's been legal after row, but that doesn't really 59 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: necessarily mean anything kind of is what we've seen. So 60 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: one of the things that we've seen is we've seen 61 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: on anti abortion protesters and activists coming up from red 62 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: states to target blue states now and so we've definitely 63 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: seen their presence increasing outside of the clinic that we 64 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: defend and soho in Manhattan. And so that's I would say, 65 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: is one of the biggest things that we've seen is 66 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: that they really are targeting Blue states, are targeting New 67 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: York City. There I'm actively trying to recruit people to 68 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: come to New York City, is I think the biggest 69 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: thing that we've seen. And then also in New York City, 70 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: we've been struggling a lot with a really esculatory police presence. 71 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: I don't our clinice. So that's the other thing that 72 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: we're definitely really really struggling with is the response of 73 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: the state after Doubs. So the first thing that I 74 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: want folks to know is that people abortion haers, people 75 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: who might have abortions. Where I am in time and space, 76 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: they have always already been navigating some of these post 77 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: rorealities that a lot of folks are just getting hipped 78 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: to like after that fateful Friday in June last year. 79 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: And so I want to name here that we've always 80 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: had a seventy two hour waiting period in North Carolina, 81 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: which is one of the longest waiting periods in the country. 82 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,559 Speaker 1: And there's a slew of other things that we find 83 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 1: both hostile and restrictive. And I'm using those words to 84 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: describe a situation, an ongoing situation, because these are the 85 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: words that are being used to describe North Carolina now 86 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: as we're seeing an influx of folks coming to North Carolina. 87 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: So I'm saying that for the folks who live here 88 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,719 Speaker 1: always already like they've been dealing with a restrictive, hostile climate. 89 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,679 Speaker 1: Becks just shared a little bit about like the presence 90 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: of anti abortion protesters, so we've always been dealing with that. 91 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: In twenty eighteen, the abortion clinic that I had two 92 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: abortions at in my life, they saw the most anti 93 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: abortion protesters in the Southeast, and we continue to see this. 94 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: We also continue to see as we see these anti 95 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: abortion protesters right a police presence, and we know or 96 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: I'm concerned about what that means for black folks having abortions, 97 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: for people who are undocumented and for people who otherwise 98 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: like don't want the police all up in their business. 99 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: In addition to what's changed since jobs are not change, right, 100 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: but change, we have semen influx of folks coming to 101 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: North Carolina from states where abortion is illegal or there 102 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: are bands kind of early ingestation, and we're seeing those 103 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 1: folks come to the clinics and access the services and 104 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: the support networks that we have here in North Carolina. 105 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: I think that one thing with the group that I 106 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: work with called ed VIC for Abortion Rights, one thing 107 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: that we've been working really hard on is not only 108 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: talking about abortion, not only talking about you know, going 109 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: beyond just legalizing it, but also really focusing on like 110 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: our communities and building mutual aid networks, building repro justice networks, 111 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: and also just working overall on like community defense. So 112 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: we work with a lot of mutual aid organizations all 113 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: over the city of New York. And that's one thing 114 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: that we're doing, like Ash was saying, is we're focusing on, 115 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: you know, how do these people who are outside of 116 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: our clinics are not only anti abortion, but they're also 117 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: anti LGBTQ. They are fascist. That is something that we 118 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: should be saying they are also pro police. None. None 119 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: of these things happen inside of a vacuum. They're all interconnected. 120 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: And I think that that's one thing that we really 121 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: really have to do is talk about how the issue 122 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: of abortion bridge is out to so many other things, 123 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: and we can't only fight one issue. We have to 124 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: fight all of them. But we also have to fight 125 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: the root of where these things are coming from. And 126 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: they're coming from this mass conservative movement that's been being 127 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: built since the nineteen seventies, you know, groups like Focus 128 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: on the Family, like the ETI Federalists. These groups have 129 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: so much influence in our society, and we need to 130 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: be going after all of it. We can't only be 131 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: going after you know, one tiny, you know, sector of 132 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: the massive problem, because like Ash said, it is all interconnected. Here, 133 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about like some political education that needs to happen, 134 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: like and that is the framework and the theories of 135 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: reproductive Justice. I know that they recognize so many it 136 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: recognizes so many things. But one of the things that 137 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: grounds me that it recognizes that r J recognizes is 138 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: that dismantling white supremacy is key to achieving reproductive justice. 139 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: It also says it posits that we live interconnected lives 140 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: and not single issue lives. And it also for me, 141 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: this yields that, like we can't rely on the state 142 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: to provide what we need. I'm seeing abortion doulas, clinic escorts, 143 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: abortion funds, and other organizers and organizations really come together 144 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: to support people having abortions and resist criminalization and state 145 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: violence right now, and we need to see more of that. 146 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: You know, you talk about pro choice. I think it's 147 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: so whack, like the logics of pro choice. We need 148 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: to go further beyond the logics of pro choice and 149 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: understand that RJ says that there is no choice without access. 150 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: And furthermore, RJ posits that the key to controlling entire 151 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: communities is to controlling bodies. So if they're coming for 152 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: the trans people on their HRT and their access to 153 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: gender affirming and medical care, then they're gonna come for 154 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: everyone else. Then they're gonna come for the abortion avers. 155 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: They've been coming for the poor people. I think that, 156 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 1: like again, when we go back to that reproductive justice framework, 157 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: we can begin to like make these connections. And I'm 158 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: also saying this as an organizer, like reproductive justice is 159 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: my lane, but so as like environmental justice and so 160 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 1: as racial justice. And I'm on the front lines of 161 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: different movements, and I go back to this this framework 162 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: because it acknowledges that, like black people need an in too, 163 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: anti black racism, and we need an end to the 164 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: police and clean fucking water right now. I don't know 165 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: of a framework that says that, like we ought to 166 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: demand all of those things right fucking now, and that 167 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: we actually can't live self determined lives without all of 168 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: that shit. And so I'm ready to talk about RJ, 169 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: like I'm ready to do that political education. I think 170 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: it's ongoing work, and right like, you don't have to 171 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: be an abortion dou lah or a frontline organizer to 172 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: help someone get to their appointment, to fund an abortion, 173 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: to affirm someone's decision and support their decision to have 174 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: an abortion. And so we really need that, like we 175 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: need that vibe right now. We need people to show 176 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: up that way. I think that my biggest frustration with 177 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: Democrats is they've been telling us for years, like, oh, 178 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: you know, vote for us, vote for us. They've been 179 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: fundraising off of the issue of abortion for decades now. 180 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:55,719 Speaker 1: They have done absolutely nothing, And I think that what 181 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 1: they've really done, is they've really made us, made us 182 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: as in the general like American populists feel as though 183 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: voting is the only way that we can change things, 184 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: and that voting is the only way that we can 185 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: like show our impact and like help our communities, when 186 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: in reality, it isn't. It's going out onto the streets. 187 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: It's also you know, doing abortion do the work. It's 188 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: also you know, going out defunding clinics. It's doing all 189 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: of this work. And we don't need the Democrats to 190 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: do that. And what we need to be doing is 191 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: we need to be talking about the state and how 192 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: we can go beyond the state. I also want to 193 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: say here, like fuck Row. Like Row is the kind 194 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: of legal infrastructure that made abortion possible, but it also 195 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: made it possible for like both the Democrats, the Republicans, 196 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: the Christian Evangelicals, anyone who was checking for it to 197 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: take abortion away. So like fuck Row. It also gave 198 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: us the trimester framework, which is like really whack. And 199 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: it also kind of made it more possible for the 200 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: states and the federal government to put in bands and 201 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: restrictions on abortion. That's something that we need to get 202 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,600 Speaker 1: clear about as well. As we fight to decriminalize and 203 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: not legislate further abortion. Stay with us, it could happen here. 204 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 1: We'll return after these words from our sponsors. On July 205 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: twenty seventh, nineteen ninety six, Eric Rudoff said off a 206 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: nail bomb during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The 207 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: explosion killed one person immediately. All over one hundred more 208 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: were horrifically injured. In the communicate, claiming responsibility for the bombing, 209 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: Rudoff denounced the Olympics, abortion and LGBTQ rights with talking 210 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: points that seemed ripped right out of Tucker Carlson's nightly 211 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: news headlines. He wrote, the world converged upon Atlanta to 212 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: celebrate the ideals of global socialism. The purpose of my 213 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: attack the Washington government sanctioning of abortion on demand. Along 214 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: with abortion, another assault upon the integrity of American society 215 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: is the considered effort to legitimize the practice of homosexuality, 216 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: whether it's gay marriage, homosexual adoption, hate crime laws including gays, 217 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,959 Speaker 1: or the attempt to introduce a homosexual normalizing curriculum into 218 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: our schools. All of these efforts should be ruthlessly opposed. 219 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: The existence of our culture depends on it. Rudolph would 220 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: go on to carry out more deadly attacks against abortion 221 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: clinics in a queer nightclub, releasing communications under the banner 222 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: of the Army of God, a group which endorsed leaderless 223 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: resistance and was linked to the white supremaci Christian Identity 224 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 1: movement and the murder of multiple abortion providers. The Army 225 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: of God was just one formation that grew out of 226 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: Christian Identity, a mix of white supremacy and Christianity. The 227 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: priests that Jews were Satanic and people of color were 228 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: subhuman and needed to be destroyed in a racial holy war. 229 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: Christian identity adherents set up paramilitary compounds, Bible camps, radio stations, 230 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: and churches from the Aryan Nations to the Covenant of 231 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: the Sword in the Arm of the Lord, and they 232 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: helped usher in a wave of homegrown terrorist groups such 233 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: as The Order and individuals like Timothy. They carried out 234 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City bombing. Meanwhile, above ground, groups like Operation 235 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: Rescue cheered on the violence against abortion providers while organizing 236 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: mass protests at clinics with the aim of shutting them down. 237 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,959 Speaker 1: In twenty fifteen, when a gunman killed three people in 238 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: a mass shooting at a clinic in Colorado Springs. The 239 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: far right anti abortion movement had carried out eight murders, 240 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: seventeen attempted murders, forty two bombings, in one hundred and 241 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: eighty six arsons, all targeted against abortion clinics and providers. 242 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: Wanted to know more about the history of far attacks 243 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 1: on abortion access if they were indeed rising in the 244 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: current post Stops period. We sat down with bullitsa Fowler 245 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: of the National Abortion Federation. Unfortunately, since abortion was legalized 246 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: with the versus Weight decision, there has been a really 247 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: coordinated campaign of harassment and violence to target abortion providers 248 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: and try to stop access to legal abortion. And we've 249 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 1: been tracking this since the late seventies. There have been 250 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: a number of escalating events, everything from clinic protests and 251 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: clinic blockades all the way up to arsons and murders 252 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: of providers just because they do this work. So when 253 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: we talk about this, it's very real, it's very real threats, 254 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: and it is really terrorism that's happening by a coordinated 255 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: group of people and individuals who really are aimed at 256 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: stopping any access to legal abortion care. So we definitely, 257 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: and have seen for a long time that there is 258 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: an overlap between the people that target abortion providers and 259 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: the people that are involved in other types of violent 260 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: and extremist movements, including white nationalists. We've known that for 261 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: a long time existed many years. In fact, in the eighties, 262 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: the KKK began creating one imposters listing the personal information 263 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: of abortion providers, and the first provider who was murdered, 264 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: doctor David Gunn, who was murdered in nineteen ninety three, 265 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: was murdered by someone who was a white supremacist who 266 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: had been mentored by someone who was a former KKK member, 267 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: And so we've seen the overlap of these groups, and 268 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: in the last couple of years we've seen that overlap 269 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: be more coordinated and more public. So on January sixth 270 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: at the insurrection, a lot of our members were watching 271 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: on TV and recognized people because they were the same 272 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: people that protest at their clinics. In fact, providers that 273 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: even noted that day of pulling in the parking lot 274 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: and not seeing their usual protesters and wondering what was 275 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: going on because they saw less people outside of clinics, 276 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: And we later found out it's because many of them 277 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: were at the Capitol, and a number of people who 278 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: are active the anti abortion movement have boasted about being 279 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: at the insurrection, posted video and pictures of themselves at 280 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: the insurrection, and so it's very clear to us and 281 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: we very much see that overlap. We also see more 282 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: more of these right wing groups actually showing up and 283 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: participating at anti abortion events, so attending some of the 284 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: marches around the country in a more visible way than 285 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: we've seen in the past. Sometimes these right wing groups 286 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: will do quote unquote security for the anti abortion movement, 287 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: so when they have people who are speaking or they're 288 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: holding large events to target providers, they'll get security assistance 289 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: from white nationalist groups. And so, you know, it's particularly 290 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: disturbing to see. It doesn't surprise us because we've been 291 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: we've known that there's an overlap in these groups for 292 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: a really long time. But as as we've seen in 293 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: recent years, as people seem to be more okay being 294 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: more visible about their membership in these groups or more 295 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: vocal about their hate, we're seeing it more publicly. The 296 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: anti abortion movement is not doing anything to distance themselves 297 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: from these groups. So since the leak happened, last May, 298 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:19,120 Speaker 1: we immediately saw an increase in harassment and online posts 299 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: that were threatening toward abortion providers. Even though we got 300 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 1: a preview of the decision and we knew what was 301 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 1: coming and that it would lead to clinics closing, that 302 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: wasn't enough for some people. We saw calls for people 303 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: to go and burn clinics, or go and take matters 304 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: into their own hands and not wait for the decision, 305 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: to go and try and stop abortions from being provided 306 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: that moment, and so we track those types of online posts. 307 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 1: We saw a real spike in May and June around 308 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: the decision, and we also started immediately hearing from our 309 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: member clinics that they were seeing an increase in protesters 310 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 1: and increase in threats, and it increase in the intensity 311 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:03,120 Speaker 1: and hostility of those activities, so more really aggressive protesters 312 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: that were touching patients and staff, yelling at patients and staff, 313 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: photographing patients and staff, and you know, since the decision, 314 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 1: we have seen a number of clinics close in places 315 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: that are considered more hostile to abortion rights. But we 316 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: know from our past experience that when a clinic closes, 317 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,959 Speaker 1: the protesters don't just give up and go home. In 318 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: many cases, anti abortion individuals will travel the same paths 319 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: that patients are traveling, and they will go to other 320 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: states where abortion remains successible and target the clinics there. 321 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: So we are seeing an increase in activity in the 322 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: places where abortion is remaining legal and where patients are 323 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 1: going to get care. And we're still you know, we're 324 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: just now collecting the numbers for twenty twenty two, so 325 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: we don't we don't have those for a little bit, 326 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: but we do know anecdotally and what we're hearing from 327 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: members and what we're seeing on the ground is that 328 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: there is an increase in that activity. There have been 329 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: a few arsons this year. We're also seeing clinic invasions continue, 330 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:06,359 Speaker 1: and these are instances where people might pose as patients. 331 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: In some cases, they go to a lot of work 332 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: to try and infiltrate the clinic and find out about 333 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: their practices for making appointments, and then they will pose 334 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,360 Speaker 1: as patients, make fake appointments and try to get into 335 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: the clinic forcibly if they if they have to, and 336 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:29,640 Speaker 1: then once they're inside they're harassing patients, they refuse to leave. 337 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: In some cases they hand out flowers or sing or 338 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:38,719 Speaker 1: yell in California, they walked through the halls screaming the 339 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,640 Speaker 1: name of the doctor, ordering the doctor to come out 340 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: and face them, and it was very traumatic for staff. 341 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: They didn't know if this person was armed or what 342 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: they were doing. And you know, they had patients in 343 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:52,239 Speaker 1: procedure rooms with them or in counseling rooms, and they 344 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,199 Speaker 1: were locking the door and sheltering in place, and it 345 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: was very frightening. And we continue to see these types 346 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: of invasions happen across the country. Ironically, however, laws passed 347 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: in the nineteen nineties designed to protect people seeking abortions 348 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: and reproductive healthcare have now been weaponized against those who 349 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: have been taking action in the wake of the Daub's decision, 350 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,680 Speaker 1: most notably under the banner of Jane's Revenge, a moniker 351 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: used by anonymous activists taking action, usually in the form 352 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: were broken windows and graffiti against anti choice, crisis pregnancy 353 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 1: centers and beyond. As Natasha Leonard wrote in the Intercept, 354 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 1: Congress passed the Face Act in nineteen eighty four, owing 355 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: the assassinations and mass clinic blockades, making the physical obstruction 356 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: of clinics a federal offense. As well as threats of 357 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: force and violence against clinic workers and clinic property. In 358 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: its thirty years on the books has been used sparingly. 359 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: Now this laws being used to prosecute to reproductive rights 360 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: activists who allegedly spray painted the outside walls of misleading 361 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,920 Speaker 1: and dangerous crisis pregnancy centers known as CPCs and now 362 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: face up to twelve years in prison for the graffiti. 363 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: This use of the ACE Act against those fighting to 364 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: protect reproductive freedom and autonomy by weaponizing laws supposedly aimed 365 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: at those threatening it mirrors the numerous domestic terrorism charges 366 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,919 Speaker 1: lodged against forest defenders in Atlanta, made possible by a 367 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 1: bill in twenty seventeen following the massacre of nine black 368 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,880 Speaker 1: parishioners by the white supremast. Dylan Roof stay with us, 369 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: it can happen here, will return after these words from 370 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:30,199 Speaker 1: our sponsors. As the culture War is deepened on the 371 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,640 Speaker 1: right and even mainstream GEOP leaders have embraced white nationalists 372 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: talking points, many openly neo Nazi and white supremise groups 373 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: have come to see the anti choice movement as a 374 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,639 Speaker 1: lucrative recruiting ground in a point of engagement with the 375 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: wider right wing base. Again, we hear from clinic defender 376 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: Becks in New York, an abortion doula Ash in North Carolina. 377 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: In our case in New York City, the group that 378 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 1: we defend, the Clinic Front, is this Catholic group that 379 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: gets an armed escort from the NYPD. So that's one 380 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:01,360 Speaker 1: thing that really scares me, you know, when we talk 381 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: about a far right is that the NYPD has been 382 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: aiding these far right groups and getting them escorts for 383 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: a very very long time. And so I think that 384 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: kind of like goes to a lot of the fears 385 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: that a lot of us have when it comes to 386 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: this kind of collaboration and the changing face of anti 387 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: abortion protesters. We already know down here that cops and 388 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: clan go hand in hand, and unfortunately, like newly white 389 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: radicalized I don't know if you can call them that, 390 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:28,120 Speaker 1: but like politicized white women who want to defend clinics, 391 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: they saw they they realize these realities, like the cops 392 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: are not here to defend you or people who want 393 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: to have abortions, and we actually don't need the cops 394 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: to have abortions and to make reproductive justice a real 395 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,720 Speaker 1: possibility in all of our lives. I'm thinking here also 396 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: about like the need to decriminalize abortion and not legalize 397 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:56,480 Speaker 1: abortion again, as an abolitionist, as an abortion doula, and 398 00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: as someone who's had abortions, I'm making these connect and 399 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: as a trans person. Right, I'm making these connections that 400 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: like the folks who are standing outside of abortion clinics, 401 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 1: the anti choice, the anti abortion folks, these are the 402 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,239 Speaker 1: same people who are pro police people. These are the 403 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: same people who are racist in our communities, who are classist, 404 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 1: who are anti black, who are fascists, and furthermore, right, 405 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: like these people who stand outside of abortion clinics, they 406 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: are the same people perpetuating these rhetorics that like gay 407 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: people are groomers, but also that like critical race theory 408 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: for examples, shouldn't be taught in school. I am making 409 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: these connections, and I'm also going back to that reproductive 410 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: justice framework that reminds me that, like, what do we 411 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:44,120 Speaker 1: have to do now is that we have to fight together, 412 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 1: and one of the ways we can do that is 413 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: by making these connections. Right, like these people are Christian evangelicals, 414 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 1: they are fascists. Explicitly, we need to say that, and 415 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: it behooves all of us to like, really fight together 416 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: along those lines. In the year since the attempted pro 417 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:10,119 Speaker 1: Trump coups on January six, neo Nazis, white supremacists, and 418 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: Proud Boys have ramped up their presence at anti choice events. 419 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: The neo Nazi group Patriot Front has shut up to 420 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: march alongside various anti abortion groups, often to be bent 421 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: with handshakes from anti abortion activists and police escorts to 422 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: protect them from anti fascists. Several weeks ago, openly fascist 423 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 1: groups took part in the yearly Walk for Life rally 424 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: in San Francisco, California. US thousands took to the city 425 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: streets after being bust in from across the state. Marching 426 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: alongside them were Proud Boys decked out in your uniforms 427 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: and mass neo Nazis holding openly racist banners. Wanting to 428 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: know more about this continued crossover, we spoke with anti 429 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: fascist journalists Pshaw Singh based in southern California. In the 430 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: wake of the reversal of Rovy Way, there was big 431 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:57,439 Speaker 1: spike in demonstrations from the right wing where they were 432 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: targeting clinics. They were targeting any kind of cool aboards 433 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,920 Speaker 1: with any kind of reproductive health anything. They were doing 434 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:08,720 Speaker 1: it for several months in places like California, where abortion 435 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: is still provided and still accessible. That makes a lot 436 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: of the anti abortion movement still feel like they're the 437 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: victim of something even though they just had this massive 438 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 1: political victory. And at least in Southern California, I've noticed 439 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: that they've continued to rally. They've had some pretty large rallies, 440 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: especially for the pro life thing that happened recently, where 441 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: cities around the country, including San Francisco, had some pretty 442 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: alarmingly sized anti abortion rallies, and some of them, like 443 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: in San Francisco, you had some of the more extremest elements, 444 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: white supremacist elements showing up quite explicitly, quite proudly. And 445 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: here in southern California, I've seen that starting to pick 446 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: up again. It's almost building off of the momentum from 447 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,160 Speaker 1: all these rallies, targeting drag shows, which have been excellent 448 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:02,440 Speaker 1: networking opportunities for right wing groups to work with more 449 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 1: far right extremists and even about all out white supremacists. 450 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: Once they get into a groove together, even if these 451 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,920 Speaker 1: groups don't always get along, they have a revolving door 452 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: of enemies, and if it's time to target somebody because 453 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: they think there's an advantage to it in the moment, 454 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: then they're going to do it. And right now it 455 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: does seem like reproductive rights is back in the crosshairs 456 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: alongside LGBTQ rights. Just a couple of weeks ago, there 457 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: was a rally in southern California outside of a outside 458 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: of a Walgreens shareholders meeting, where a lot of right 459 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: wing activists were marching through the hotel chanting that Walgreens 460 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: is killing people because they because you can get an 461 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 1: abortion fill through them. I think this has created a 462 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: very tenuous situation where there's always someone to go after. 463 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,679 Speaker 1: If it's not planned parenthood this week, next week, go 464 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: after your local pharmacy, go after your local clinic, go 465 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:01,400 Speaker 1: after your local doctor. The an abortion movement is very malleable, 466 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,640 Speaker 1: it's very fluid, and right now they're taken whoever they 467 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: can get, and that includes a lot of openly radical 468 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: militant groups who they turn to as groups that can 469 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: do quote unquote security work, you know, because they're afraid 470 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,640 Speaker 1: of the left coming and attacking them. The anti abortion 471 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: movement isn't sewing down as our guests from across the 472 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,400 Speaker 1: country of discuss the more mainstream organizations with deep pockets 473 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: also aren't attempting to distance themselves from the street level 474 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 1: fascist groups flocking to right wing demonstrations, especially at a 475 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: time when far right violence is escalating across the country. 476 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: And our last segment, Iged correspondent Marcella speaks on recent 477 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: anti choice demonstrations which brought together both the mainstream and 478 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 1: the fringe, organized in part by progressive anti abortion Uprising, 479 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: which weaponizes feminists and progressive language against drug store giants 480 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,399 Speaker 1: CBS and Walgreens in effort to stop them from selling 481 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: abortion medication. Anti abortion people protest it outside like CBS 482 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: on Walgreens. It's passed out a day like in multiple 483 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,560 Speaker 1: places to prevent pharmacies from selling abortion pills. I'm honestly, 484 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: like really angry at this, not only because these people 485 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: are trying to make sure they completely takeaway our rights 486 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,720 Speaker 1: to bodily autonomy, but because you're also making me have 487 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: to defend CVS and Walgreens. I've also thought about protesting 488 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: outside CBS and Walgreens, but not because I'm obsessed with 489 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: other people's to productive organs. I'm tired of them putting 490 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: everything I need behind a glass. Anyway, Like these abortion 491 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: protests outside CBS and Walgreens were organized by the Progressive 492 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: Anti Abortion Uprising. Yes, I will say that again, the 493 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: Progressive Anti Abortion Uprising PAAU, which claims to want to 494 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: dismantle the abortion industrial complex. Honestly, it sounds like the 495 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: pa you think that you can just add industrial complex 496 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,680 Speaker 1: to something to make it sound bad, or they're just 497 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: trying to sound cool to make people forget that they 498 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: are fascists. Like one interesting thing about PAU is they 499 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: want to be so cool that their lead organizer, Lauren Handy, 500 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: calls herself a feminist. I honestly can't believe that I 501 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: have to say this, but being anti abortion immediately disqualifies 502 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: you from being a feminist. Fun fact about Laura in 503 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: Handy is that she randomly she didn't randomly. She was 504 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: caught with five fetuses in her apartment and was indicted 505 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: from blocking a clinic in Washington, DC in twenty and twenty. 506 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: So she's out here blocking clinics collecting fetuses just like 507 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 1: doing the worst. This is like just the tip of 508 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: the berg about how like these people are trying to 509 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: act like their freedom fighters. Well, the PAU spokesperson literally said, 510 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: and I quote, their vision to turn pharmacies into abortion businesses, 511 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,080 Speaker 1: which will exploit and kill disproportionately low income people and 512 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 1: people of color for profit will be met with non 513 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: violent resistance at every turn. That's hilarious. These people are 514 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: literally trying to make fascism sound like freedom fighting. Like 515 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 1: if PAU actually cared about low income people and people 516 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 1: of color, they would be giving away abortion pills that 517 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: like every corner, not trying to stop people from buying them. 518 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: And also they'd be boycotting CBS on Walgreens for totally 519 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: different reasons. They wouldn't be boycotting Walgreens and CBS we're 520 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 1: trying to sell people abortion fills. What they'll be doing 521 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: is that there would be boycotting Walgreens and CBS. We're 522 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: putting toothpaste behind a lock glass, which makes it much 523 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: harder for poor people to get a five finger discount 524 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 1: on things that they need. That is going to do 525 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: it for us today. Thanks for tuning in once again. 526 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: This has been it's going down, occupying the offices of 527 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: it could happen here. Be sure to follow us online. 528 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: It's going down dot org, on Macedon at igd, Underscore 529 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: News Until next time. It could Happen Here as a 530 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: production of cool Zone Media. Well more podcasts from cool 531 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: Zone Media, visit our website cool zonemedia dot com or 532 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 533 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources for 534 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 1: It could Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zonemedia dot 535 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 1: com slash sources. Thanks for listening.