Elon James White and Imani Gandy Interview Marissa Janae Johnson. Very Illuminating. Thoughts?

[gobears10]

Last edited Tue Aug 11, 2015, 06:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Marissa Janae Johnson did an interview that was posted on Youtube. You can listen to it here.

Description: In this segment of TWiB! Prime, Elon James White, Imani Gandy and Aaron Rand Freeman talk with one of the organizers of the Seattle #BlackLivesMatter disruption of a Bernie Sanders event. Hear in her own words what the action was about, "Why Bernie Sanders?" and about claims of her being a "Radical Christian/Sarah Palin supporter. You won't want to miss this.

Here are some highlights:

At around 6:55, host Imani Gandy compares the Seattle rally (at which Bernie spoke) to a Ku Klux Klan rally, while host Elon James White pushes back on that comparison. Imani Gandy was outraged at how white progressives reacted when Marrissa Jane Johnson disrupted the event, and called the white progressives in attendance "racists," and "white supremacists." Imani Gandy felt that the white progressives' responses were akin what people would say at a KKK rally.

At 8:42, Marissa Janae Johnson explains why she targeted Bernie Sanders. She said that Netroots, the BLM protesters specifically asked O'Malley and Sanders to formulate a specific criminal justice plan. When Bernie came to Seattle, he had not released a specific plan or policy proposals whereas O'Malley had done so. She also felt the need to disrupt Sanders because he's portrayed as a very left-wing and progressive candidate, but her experience growing up in Seattle has led her to believe that even white progressives in Seattle and elsewhere are very weak on racial justice.

She wanted to not only protest Bernie, but the white progressives in Seattle who view themselves as left wing but don't take police brutality seriously, and according her, sometimes even harm black people by upholding and reinforce the "white supremacist" society that we live in. She's critical of the Democratic Party.

At 11:06, when asked why neither she nor BLM protests Hillary, she says that "Hillary has better specifics than Obama" and praises Hillary for somewhat being specific on criminal justice issues. However, she also says that Bernie is far more accessible, given that Hillary has a lot of security around her, her events are smaller and more exclusive, and more closed off, so it's much easier to disrupt Bernie's events.

At 18:03, Marissa Janae Johnson says that she's 100% not a Hillary plant, or she's not part of any astroturfing by George Soros. She was acting completely on her own will, doing what she thought was genuinely right. She's a legitimate Black Lives Matter activist, and she protested Sanders because she is further to the left than Sanders, and Sanders is too right wing in her views (more on this later).

At 18:44, Marissa Janae Johnson says she's 24 years old now, and she used to be a Sarah Palin supporter when she was 17 or 18. Her parents were both Tea Partiers, and she grew up in a conservative household. But now she's not a right-winger, now she's extremely, extremely left-wing in her views (further left than Sanders).

At 20:23, However, she does say she's an extremely devout evangelical Christian, and still is do this day. She says her faith drives her politics and her activism. She says her religious convictions are absolutely not right-wing, but she wants to lay down her life for the most marginalized, and says "I guess I am a Christian extremist."

24:00: Marissa says about the white progressives in the Seattle rally crowd, "they were white supremacists. I stand by that. They were white supremacist liberals. I will say that a thousand times."

27:36: Elon talks about how rumors of BLM (the national organization) disavowing or denouncing Marissa's actions were not correct. Patrisse and Alicia, the co-founders of the national BLM, have not supported denouncing Marrisa's actions or distancing themselves from her. As of now, they are standing by Marissa and supporting her disruption. Marissa said she also spoke to Patrisse this morning. And there was apparently a petition going around called "BLM Activists call on Marissa to apologize to Bernie Sanders," and Patrisse and Alicia said they didn't start or endorse that petition.

29:00: Marissa says that she doesn't have faith in politicians, don't have faith in the electoral process. She feels that doesn't work for black people. Her aim isn't to get politicians to change what they do, and getting them to do anything in particular (although she does think politicians will change what they do based on what she does). She uses electoral politics as a platform to get her message across. She wants to agitate so much to question the system that we're in, and as we're doing it, she wants to dismantle the system. She wants people to ask questions, and refuses to believe that the system that we're in is the only option that we have.

30:00: Marissa says many Bernie supporters say, "well Bernie's your best option." Her response is "if he's our best option, I'm burning this down." She wants to teach people to blow up the system, and so unrespectably, that she shows people the possibilities outside of the system that they are stuck in

30:35: Marissa says that she primarily does agitation work. She's not for any politician, but she's in favor of anything that pulls people further to the left. To her, Bernie Sanders isn't left-wing enough, and she's criticizing him from the left. She thinks Bernie Sanders is too right-wing for her and for black lives. She wants people to get people to ask questions and dismantle the system that has never served black people or ever will. She feels that her actions are justified in that she is working to free black people from an oppressive system (in her view).

[villager]

1. So then the Hillary supporters supporting *her* actions agree with dismantling the entire system?

Well, shoot, then -- perhaps Hillary's platform is far more formidable than I thought!

[LittleBlue]

2. "I guess I am a Christian extremist."

Says it all

[Skittles]

3. 30:50

Skittles says Marissa is a nutcase

[cwydro]

27. Cwydro agrees, and adds

that Marissa is a baby demanding attention.

[Skittles]

66. I hear I am rushing to judgement on the poor gal

gawd

[cwydro]

89. No that judgment was pretty easy to come to

and pretty fast for me as well.

A shrieking fool who just looked silly.

She has done a lot of damage to her movement from what I'm reading around the web.

[Warpy]

51. She does what she accuses all white people of doing

She's made up her mind about every person in this country who was born with white skin and nothing will ever change it.

Sigh.

[ecstatic]

4. My thoughts?

Marissa is not representative of BLM. Marissa, a former Palin supporter, is an atypical distraction. She's young, immature, and possibly mentally ill. Why are we even talking about her? There are crazies in every movement.

I applaud how Bernie Sanders is reshaping his message to be more inclusive. That's impressive, IMO. What I don't applaud is what I've been reading on DU lately.

[ecstatic]

9. I can only speak for myself. When I speak of BLM,

I'm not talking about any particular organization or group, I'm talking about the actual concept of black lives matter. I could be wrong, but I think the vast majority of BLM supporters are not thinking about the actual group/organization that goes by the same name. However, the impression that I'm getting during interviews is that the founders of the group view the overwhelming support of the concept as a mandate for their specific organization. But at the end if the day, it's two separate issues.

Even if the organization that goes by that name becomes completely unhinged (which, based on recent events, could be happening and is unfortunate), I'll still hold the belief that black lives matter. I kind of wish that such an important thought/movement wasn't tied to the whim of one or two people.

[gobears10]

11. I completely agree...

If you are a progressive, you have to be 100% in favor of the concept that "black lives matter." That belief, message, and hashtag is essential. We need an agenda to end police brutality. We need to acknowledge anti-black systemic racism and how that serves as the foundation for structural white privilege. We need to dismantle oppressive systems, and acknowledge institutional racism as a distinct issue from economic inequality.

But of course, if an organization, or specific people claiming to be part of that organization, act in a way that does more harm than good to the progressive movement, they warrant criticism. I think criticism of the BLM leadership/founders/representatives are warranted, but even if you do that, you have to always be 100% behind the message. It really is such an important thought and movement.

[JackInGreen]

12. "If he's my best option, I'm burning this down"

lingers with me.
That's not the statement of someone that wants progress, that's someone that wants ashes to rebuild from.
Not particular ashes either, the whole works.

Though I'll always side with the movement, I don't know how they can support that or anyone here can support it.




Oh, wait, that's right. If we don't support it we're either racists or haters. Right?

[gobears10]

16. great post

I completely agree with you, JackInGreen.

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. I said she's a political arsonist and doesn't care

about whose house or business she burns down just so its a convenient place and doesn't have tight security even though there may be occupants sleeping at night.

She is also racist though she and others might not be able to see that
The KKK thing bugged me.

Black lives matter but this is not a part of the movement I support.

[HughBeaumont]

21. What's even more delusional than "rebuilding from ashes" . . . .

. . . is thinking a liberal utopia, rather than a totalitarian dystopia, will rise from those ashes.

[MH1]

60. You just nailed one of the most important points in this discussion.

Only someone very immature and/or devoid of real life experience can reject the possibility you mention.

In fact I would suggest that totalitarian dystopia is very much more likely, based on history.

[LanternWaste]

38. You then have an objective cost/benefit analysis measuring increments of harm and good

"act in a way that does more harm than good to the progressive movement..."

You then have an objective cost/benefit analysis measuring increments of harm and good done by the organization?

[HooptieWagon]

32. By the 60s, a majority in US supported Civil Rights.

That doesn't mean they supported Nation of Islam.
BLM's actions and rhetoric are placing themselves in the same position. The country (as a whole) wants to end police violence on blacks. When the problem is resolved, the solution isn't going to involve BLM. They aren't interested in a resolution, they see continued conflict as a vehicle for their power-trip.

[Supersedeas]

98. this is just the beginning -- there will be no apologies

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

49. Mentally ill?

She's young and immature. Isn't that enough?

[GoneOffShore]

6. She wants her 15 minutes to turn into a full hour.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. At 11:06,

Is interesting because its not true and her answer was very weak.

Also this last one

freedom of the oppressive system is not a exclusivity

[notadmblnd]

8. I think it's a dangerous game she is playing

- because if we don't change the system via the system, there's is only one other option and it isn't gonna end well for anyone.

[Supersedeas]

95. is there another game to be played?

the other option may be the only way to heal what ails us

[notadmblnd]

96. I feel that the course of treatment this self admitted agitator is prescribing

will not cure the ailment- but instead prove fatal for those participating in the cure.

[druidity33]

14. Honestly?

She sounds clueless. Full of hate and the need to destroy. She doesn't care what white people do, she wants to damage all of them. Right now it looks like she is a part of this movement... and if that's the case it's a mark against them. I think BLM was getting somewhere, but this will set them back a little.

[daredtowork]

15. I think it's a terrific interview

I've already commented on this elsewhere so this is a cut and paste:


Many people have had a knee-jerk reaction to the "white supremacist liberals" remark. I've been convinced that this remark wasn't just a random insult, and that it's important for people on DU to study its sources. A simple Google search will show you that this remark didn't come out of thin air. I thought it might be a response to "All Lives Matter", but Jenae's posting about Farrakhan makes me wonder if it could have anti-Semitic roots that even the African American community doesn't think about anymore since they've come to use it as a more generalized response to oppression.

Anyway, if people on DU want to make a coherent response to the "white supremacist liberals" accusation instead of just show their "white fragility" with emotional reactions, they should do some research.

This interview is a great place to start!

Some highlights:

Bernie as as a stand-in for Seattle white liberal culture. (Yes, "White Supremacist Liberals" does seem to be the standard way of looking at living in a really progressive city that still doesn't do right by black people. IMHO, that point of view needs to be listened to more: I live in a similar super-progressive white-washed city).

"I don't give a F about your white gaze."

Claim that the Sarah Palin thing was a result of having Tea Party parents, but now her politics are more radical leftist.

Not a Hillary plant: just can't get past Hillary's security. The call of #BLM is to challenge any candidate anywhere.

Doesn't hate white people: her mom is white.

"Most people say they don't hate black people. The question is, do you *love* black people."

Thinks the whole Democratic party is the same, so getting to Bernie will ultimately shift Hillary.

Is not apologetic. Proud she has people thinking/talking about race.

Is not about supporting political candidates, though she will use them to forward her agenda. She wants to break the systems that "never did anything for black people."

*************

I don't want to cut and paste two comments at once, but elsewhere tonight I also did a comparison of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Free Speech Movement. I want to double down on that comparison after hearing this interview. And the observers of the Free Speech Movement thought they were a bunch of Marissas at the time!

[cali]

23. wow. that's some impressive cherry picking you're indulging in

[daredtowork]

24. Cherry-picking for what purpose?

I'm not mounting any sort of argument in Marissa's favor and have stated repeatedly that I think Bernie needs better security and better stage management to prevent this from happening in the future.

The reason I like this interview is I now understand what happened a lot better, and I now understand BLM better, too. For instance, I now see more clearly how it's NOT related to our party politics.

This interview is over a half hour long - those are the points that stuck out for me. Your mileage may vary.

[Bluenorthwest]

25. She says she is a Christian Extremist, and she's bullying a Jew to bow down. If that was done to a

Muslim by a Christian Extremist, would you feel that was a groovy thing to say? You are stating that it is acceptable to you for Christian activists to hound those of other faiths and order them to bow down? Do you think there are any limits at all? Or are you saying that all Christians have the right to commander others and command them to bow down?
You would be fine if this was done to a Muslim, right? Bow down Mohammad?

[daredtowork]

26. Did you read that big about Farrakhan in my top paragraph?

Even Alicia Garza, the founder of the #BLM hashtag uses the "White Supremacist Liberal" phrase. Either that term is being used unreflexively as a way of expressing the experience of oppression or it may have sources in Black Muslim history like Malcolm X or Farrakhan.

Instead of lambasting people like me over whether I have "limits", you should be looking into this yourself to see whether this is anti-semitism and whether people are prepared to charge the whole BLM movement with anti-semitism before Bernie adopts it.

Regarding this interview, I thought it was great because it showed that many of the knee-jerk assumptions about the situation made by people on DU were wrong. What it most did for me was it clarified that BLM was not subject to party politics. At all. It shouldn't even be seen at that light. This is useful to know.

[Bluenorthwest]

29. Darling, I am not going to confuse a massive movement with one or two persons, I hold the persons

accountable. You have ignored the question directly placed to you and instead lectured me about a pile of crap I did not even come close to saying. That's not being an honest broker.

Would you approve of the same thing being done to a Muslim by a Christian extremist? Ordering them to bow down? It is a yes or no question. Yet you typed many words to avoid typing either 'yes' or 'no'. Your evasion of the simple question demonstrates that you have not thought this through.

I do not support Christian Extremists nor their agenda. Sorry if that bothers you. Black Lives Matter is not a religious extremist movement. That individual says she is an extremist Christian.

[daredtowork]

31. No, but I never heard "bow down Bernie" either

I only started seeing "Bow down Bernie" in the last couple hours, as part of Manny's posts. I am happy to take everyone's word that this is part of what the women shouted, though.

But...so what? You are the one not thinking this through. What does it matter if those two girls are shouting incredibly offensive things. What really matters is if there is a whole discourse or movement behind those two girls driving them to say those things.

I can see from your last sentence that you have prejudged this to be a case of Marissa's Christian "extremism". I again suggest you google "White Supremacist Liberals", notice that it is a BLM thing - and perhaps an African American studies thing, and stop lashing out at me about my "evasiveness".

[Aerows]

36. You absolutely

knocked it out of the park, Bluenorthwest.

[kwassa]

48. What anti-semitic comment had she made? Before you smear with a broad brush ...

[Skwmom]

17. Hillary has better specifics than Obama.

I do not believe that Bill Clinton ever let lose of his anger over Obama winning the election. When Hillary Clinton went to Congress there was an article where one of the elected officials was gushing how they couldn't wait for Hillary to be President because she actually knew the issues, etc. (seeming to infer that Obama was stupid). And Trump has praised Hillary for being smart while continually calling our elected officials stupid and I've always thought he was referring to Obama (his dislike of the man is long standing). I'm sure that the Clintons would like nothing more than to be considered better for the blacks than Obama and for Bill Clinton to regain the crown of the first Black President. They are angry at progressives who supported Obama instead of Hillary.

We have serious racial issues in this county and something desperately needs to be done to stop the killing and brutalization of people by the police force and the fact that a black teenager can be killed in this county and the murderer get off scott-free because unconscionable defense attorneys will play on the unfair stereotype that Blacks are angry and dangerous people. However, it isn't like these type of actions just occurred, which begs the question why now? And why does it seem that things are unfolding which will push a race war rather than resolve the issues for the Black Community. I think the answer is obvious. Divide and conquer and the hedge fund owners, the corporate interests and the 1% can retain control of this government.

After the Trayvon Martin case I thought this nation might finally have the discussion on race that was so desperately needed. Piers Morgan had a great town hall on the Trayvon Martin trial and I thought finally... However, Piers Morgan was fired and no national discussion was held.

As far as big money backers manipulating this group. Let me assure you, if I had unlimited funds I could manipulate a group of individuals for my own advantage without being in their face saying - hey I'm manipulating you. It doesn't take a genius, just someone devoid of conscious.

Painting progressives as white supremacists while lauding a Clinton with their track record - the prison industrial complex, welfare reform, etc. and Obama as better than Clinton for Black Americans..... Hmm.... So who do you think is behind this? I don't think it takes a genius to figure that out.

Black Americans have every right to be angry. However, how things are unfolding will not make things better, only worse.

[TM99]

19. Damn this group is over the top.

I am sorry but they start out with factual errors and then go straight to the bullshit.

This was NOT a Sander's rally. He was invited to speak with others at a rally celebrating the anniversary of Social Security and Medicare. The crowd was not specifically there to hear him speak. Another BLM representative gave an earlier speech but apparently they are not all on the same page with regards to facts, motives, and action.

So when the crowd gets upset about the disruption and boo's, they are now a Ku Klux Klan rally!? What in the living fuck. "I am serious" Imani says. I can not take seriously someone who compares a displeased & diverse crowd of progressives to a Klan rally. The Greensboro massacre in my home state is a real example of what happens with Klansmen!

I definitely am turned off and do not trust Marissa. She was a fundamentalist and retains the thinking and narcissism of one even though she has moved from the far right to now to the far left. She is a violent extremist. Yet, fundamentalists are always authoritarians. 'This is the only way', they yell. So how can you 'show people the possibilities outside of the system they are stuck in' when you are stuck in your own system? You simply can't. It is just an inner conflict made outer.

That Black Lives Matter accepts and allows such a disturbed young woman to be a spokesperson or leader is an affront to civil rights activism. Attacking Sanders because he is accessible where Clinton is not is just cowardice. That others are able to rationalize this appalling behavior from an immature and quite frankly disturbed individual as representative of this movement is as disgusting as it is tragic. Do this kind of shit long enough, call enough 'white progressives' Klansmen, and the focus becomes these twits and NOT the actual lives of our community at this present time.

[flamingdem]

43. +1

[hay rick]

52. +2

[lumberjack_jeff]

72. "Why protest Bernie?" "Because it's easier".

She and her accomplice are only in it for the 15 minutes of fame. Sadly, that' 15 minutes we won't get back.

[onecaliberal]

76. +1000

[Daniel537]

77. +1.

This is just flat out nuttery. No reason to take any of these people seriously.

[brush]

78. Your last paragraph nails it

BLM needs to reign this woman in. She doesn't have the life experience or her head on straight to be leading anything.

Can anyone here say that seven years ago they were a Palin supporter and now are a far leftist, Christian extremist who releases a "drinking white tears" photo and expect to be taken seriously?

IMO she's damaging the Black Lives Matter movement.

[AndreaCG]

85. Well said

[pnwmom]

88. Actually, most of the crowd WAS there to hear him speak. It was heavily promoted locally with Bernie

as the keynoter.

Most of the crowd wasn't there to hear the good Rep. Adam Smith, the Councilwoman, or the folk singer. They went there and stood in the hot sun in hopes of hearing Bernie.

So when he gave up and abandoned the stage, they directed their anger at the three BLM people.

[geek tragedy]

20. Sounds like a nut. So does Gandy.

Comparing people to the Klan isn't speaking truth to power, it's just self-important, deranged ranting.

No individual has a right to be taken seriously.

[MH1]

63. I think these people have not been exposed (in real life) to actual white supremacy.

And any stories they've heard haven't sunk in.

To equate a geek who goes to work every day to feed his family in a nice progressive town and doesn't happen to think much about oppressed black people, to someone who makes it a core part of their life to actually harass and brutalize black people, shows a really impressive lack of perception. Or maybe obliviousness to reality.

That doesn't mean that it wouldn't be good to find a way to wake the geek up and make him aware of how privileged he and his family are. But labeling them "white supremacists" for just living their lives is probably not an effective way to do that.

[seveneyes]

22. she's an extremely devout evangelical Christian

Well, that rules out having any logical or scientific approach to solving problems. It would help explain the reckless behavior.

[Marr]

28. A "Christian extremist" who focusses exclusively on disrupting our first viable Jewish candidate.

Even orders him to "bow down". Yeah, that doesn't smell funny at all.

And comparing a celebration of Medicare/Social Security to a KKK rally? Seriously? Who could possibly defend such idiocy?

[TBF]

35. Right? She is an anti-semetic mess. nt

[kwassa]

46. What proof do you have that she is anti-semitic? Where is that in this interview?

[Democat]

90. Since when did this young woman need proof?

She's sure anyone who disagrees with her behaviour is a white supremacists.

[beam me up scottie]

91. BLM Activist "Marissa Jenae" Johnson Is Helping a Louis Farrakhan Group Organize a March On DC

BLM Activist "Marissa Jenae" Johnson Is Helping a Louis Farrakhan Group Organize a March On DC

[kwassa]

92. Where is the proof she is anti-semitic?

[beam me up scottie]

93. I was convinced when she called him a white supremacist and a Zionist.

The fact that she supports Louis just confirms what I already knew.

Of course we both know you won't acknowledge anti-semitism when you see it since you're still claiming it's not anti-Semitic to accuse Jewish Americans of dual citizenship.

[TBF]

30. If she thinks Bernie is too conservative -

wait until she meets Hillary and Jeb!

She may say she's leftist but I have seen and heard zero evidence of that. I would like to hear from her on leftist positions. Is she Marxist? Is she Anarchist? What is her vision?

All I see and hear is pro-Christian with Sarah Palin button on her backpack. And that speaks volumes.

[JackInGreen]

34. Try listening to some if her audio

She prefers hill because "she's got more exacts" on criminal justice reform.
I wonder if she knows her history at all

[bullwinkle428]

33. "Hillary has better specifics than Obama" - perhaps she could address the "specific"

point about how much money Hillary receives from the private for-profit prison industry, and how that industry contributes to the actual issue that drives BLM's very existence.

[MrScorpio]

37. Thanks for posting this nt

[BainsBane]

39. The comments here are heartbreaking

It pains me to see so many people respond so negatively to a movement for black lives. I had hoped people cared about something other than their own feelings and privilege. To think I have spent three years of my lives talking to people so unyieldingly focused on their own privilege. There is no version of leftist that affirms the feelings of the few above the lives of the many. That is and will always be injustice.

[LanternWaste]

40. I think they were simply looking for an excuse to begin denouncing the movement en toto

"to see so many people respond so negatively to a movement for black lives..."

I think they were simply looking for an excuse to begin denouncing the movement en toto. This was that excuse, the censure of the movement as a whole follows shortly. Apartheid is an insidious and sneaky little bugger... even the tiniest crack in the whole allows the ants to come in and claim validaity.

[Ichingcarpenter]

44. she didn't give a shit about the seniors and people on social security

that came to that event ......

she is not ''the movement'

[romanic]

45. Cry some more.

If you think this agitator X-tian nutcase represents all of BLM, then you're already a lost cause.

[LanternWaste]

50. I can be fun for the irrational to pretend someone is crying...

I can be fun for the irrational to pretend someone is crying, regardless of whether you've lost your agitating cause or not...

[geek tragedy]

68. The cause is a lot bigger than two dumb unhinged kids. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

74. "She" is not "the movement"

Anyone who outright admits to protesting Bernie because it's easy is a waste of attention, and deserves no credibility.

[aikoaiko]

80. None of these comments are directed at the movement, but a person's words and her actions.

You say your heartbreaks, but HRC supporters appear to love this wedge being driven between BLM and Bernie supporters.

Black lives matter and #BLM matters, but specific actions and words can be criticized. That's what equality looks like.

[brush]

83. Sadly that interview is revealing of a young lady who is still growing up . . .

Last edited Wed Aug 12, 2015, 11:57 AM - Edit history (2)

and trying to find her own political voice.

It was reported that seven years ago she was a Palin supporter and now is a self-avowed Christian extremist and far leftist. I mean, I really find it hard to trust someone who supported that kook Palin just seven years ago and is now proporting to be a leftist leader? How does one make that flip-flop while leaving adolescence and entering the formative years of young adulthood while learning to support herself and gain the requisite life skills and judgment needed to help lead a political movement that is 180 degrees different in political direction from where she reportedly was just seven years ago.

I am a big BLM supporter and find it's hard to trust and take some one like that seriously as a leader. IMO she's damaging a critically important movement with immature actions like saying she disrupted the Sanders event because it was easier than a Clinton event and "If he's (Sen. Bernie Sanders) our best option, then I'm burning this down."

She's burning it down? God, this is what goes for leadership nowadays?

Why not a repug event for God's sake where there should be protests?

I hope you got, as I did, out of reading the posts here, is that many understand that BLM is worthy of support and are able to separate the movement from this individual. Many aren't able to though unfortunately.

IMO, this still-maturing young woman who lacks seasoning is probably not the one to be leading Seattle's BLM group. I mean just the fact that she released that "drinking white tears" photo. Come on, that's bordering on egomaniacal hubris that smacks of attention seeking. That paired with colossally poor judgment are not characteristics ones looks for in a leader.

[Turin_C3PO]

41. She has some valid points.

Most of the rhetoric is far too extreme though. And I will never believe that Clinton is better than Sanders on civil rights issues (although she certainly doesn't have a bad record).

[maxsolomon]

56. She definitely had some valid points

But she could use some perspective - Seattle is not nearly as bad as she thinks. Maybe a trip to see a little southern rural poverty? I'm sure SPU could send her on a mission.

Hoo boy it's made people angry here - almost as much as the WTO protests did, when people actually did smash things. Of course, she was 8 when that happened.

[flamingdem]

42. The hosts are trying too hard to justify her bs

Including excuses for calling everyone at the rally white supremicists, ugh. And ugh to her evangelical bs and previous teaparty support that the hosts tried to justify. No thanks

[romanic]

47. This really gets me

29:00: Marissa says that she doesn't have faith in politicians, don't have faith in the electoral process. She feels that doesn't work for black people. Her aim isn't to get politicians to change what they do, and getting them to do anything in particular (although she does think politicians will change what they do based on what she does). She uses electoral politics as a platform to get her message across. She wants to agitate so much to question the system that we're in, and as we're doing it, she wants to dismantle the system. She wants people to ask questions, and refuses to believe that the system that we're in is the only option that we have.

30:00: Marissa says many Bernie supporters say, "well Bernie's your best option." Her response is "if he's our best option, I'm burning this down." She wants to teach people to blow up the system, and so unrespectably, that she shows people the possibilities outside of the system that they are stuck in

30:35: Marissa says that she primarily does agitation work. She's not for any politician, but she's in favor of anything that pulls people further to the left. To her, Bernie Sanders isn't left-wing enough, and she's criticizing him from the left. She thinks Bernie Sanders is too right-wing for her and for black lives. She wants people to get people to ask questions and dismantle the system that has never served black people or ever will. She feels that her actions are justified in that she is working to free black people from an oppressive system (in her view).

Dismantle the "system", blow it up, and then what???

This is why I'll always side-eye so-called anarchists and they're nilhistic bullcrap. They don't have any ideas or plans beyond "destroy"; they have no end-game, no future.

[hifiguy]

53. A nutbar. Pure and simple.

And people here are defending this nutbar and convincing themselves anything she says is not from cloud cuckooland. Alrighty, then.....

[Juicy_Bellows]

82. And not the good kind.

She's trying to pass a peanuty turd off as a chocolate Payday.

[maxsolomon]

54. She did, in fact, call the entire crowd white racists

the interview hosts try to dance around that, but seriously, if you were there, that's what you would have taken away.

and that crowd had Asian Americans in it, probably more than it had African Americans. this is Seattle after all.

the old British lady taking offense is hilarious. I've heard that tone so many times.

I wish the term Bigot would come back. Racist is so absolute.

[BillZBubb]

55. Grandstanding attention seeker without a clue.

Someone else called her a nihilist, but you cannot be that and be a Christian extremist. She's lost is a sea of conflicting notions. There isn't a coherent thought there at all.

[AOR]

57. Seems like BLM is a mixed bag...

you have chapters of the movement - if you can call it that - all loosely tied together to to fight for Black lives and against police brutality. That's the common thread amongst the movement obviously. Beyond that you get a bunch of different outlooks on what demands are. Obviously you have capitalists in the movement that think Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are some kind of answer and back the Democratic Party. You have people in the movement identifying as Black liberals and Democrats, you have people in the movement identifying as Marxists and leftists that think fighting outside the Democratic Party is the answer. You probably have some libertarians in the movement also. Anarchists, Feminists, Nihilists, Socialists, and probably some Communists.

It is a big tent - so to speak - and there is no set of concrete demands except that Black Lives Matter. The question is how do you organize a movement like that into something that has a real concrete set of demands that rises above slogans and emotions. Overall what is the movement fighting for and against as a movement. That is not defined because there are divisions in the movement on what is important and what might not be. It's the same as the Democratic Party whose factions only can agree on one thing and that is that Republicans suck. It's the same way with leftists in which there are dozens of different factions and the only thing they agree on is that class struggle is the defining cause. Everything is confusion because nothing is defined. That has to be changed for any movement to be effective. That's why criticism of what is real and what is not has to be put on the table.

Nothing can be immune from criticism and critique. That goes for BLM, the Democratic Party, electoral candidates, leftists, Marxism, Black leadership, white supremacy, capitalism, socialism, past history and the present conditions on the ground, and everything else. We are so damned thin skinned that we can't take criticism. We hold onto to political critique and criticism of everything as if it was an attack on our very personal being. This can't be personal. It has to be about what is real and what is not for the whole. Who has power and privilege and why that is in all discussions. Who stands with capital and who stands with labor. Who stands with the power and the ruling class and who stands with the struggling and the exploited and oppressed. That is what must be sorted out and those of us who seek real change are not even close to sorting that out.

[reorg]

59. Thanks for posting, although some of the replies here ...

suggest that they were posted by people who didn't bother to actually listen to the interview.

I appreciate your attempt to make it easy for the lazy ones by summarizing it. Unfortunately, though, this appears to have resulted in some misinterpretations.


Regarding her 'religious extremism', for instance, the context makes it very clear that she is joking. The punchline that she could be labelled a 'Christian extremist' is clearly meant to be ironic:

'I do wanna say I AM a very devout Christian, I have been, that's well documented and people who know me locally and nationally in my organizing work know that that is why and what I do.

And so, yes, I did run up there and confronted Sanders because of my religious conviction - absolutely. Are they right-wing religious? (Laughs) NO ... but they're religious in the sense that my religion says "You lay down your life for other people ... and the most marginalized" and so that's what I do.

So, yes, I guess I AM a Christian extremist (snickers).'

Likewise, when she responds to the question 'why not Hillary' and states something to the effect that Clinton's record re Blacks is better than Obama's, the reaction is LOUD LAUGHTER by the interviewers. Obviously, everybody present agrees, as is explained during the interview, that the point of the protest action was to achieve public attention, and the attention of ALL democratic contenders, not to punish or hurt anyone and especially not Sanders.


Finally, she did not call everyone at the gathering 'white supremacists', she reacted to those who were screaming and shouting at her, calling for the police to taser her and so forth. What she says she stands by is the following statement:

'Anybody who hears me say that and thinks about their feelings first is a white supremacist.'

Seems completely sane and straighforward to me.

[maxsolomon]

69. I listened but the Audio got garbled and too quiet after a bit.

"a bunch of screaming white racists" is not really distinguishing the crowd from the hecklers.

you can tell by the reaction that it certainly wasn't perceived as the interviewers parse it.

but sure, the older British Lady who's event got waylaid by the protest and who misinterpreted the distinction, she's a White Supremacist.

hyperbole, like that of the interviewer saying "this is just like a KKK rally, I'm serious", is not constructive.

only in Seattle...

[reorg]

70. the audio is good enough

and yes, if you are 24 and not really used to speaking publicly it might occur that you are momentarily distracted and inclined to overgeneralize.

Right, not everyone at the gathering was abusing the protesters, I watched a video where you could clearly see some people applauding them (who happened to be white).

But you only need to read the various threads here on this very forum to get an impression what these young protesters are up against.

[maxsolomon]

75. i'll relisten, but mine was too quiet to hear. at work, at least.

they're up against ignorance about black academia terminology ("the white gaze&quot , but also human nature.

i'll own my prejudices and I certainly agree with the inherently racist structure of American society, but I won't concede all her points. she's 24, and she's evangelical.

youth and fundamentalist monotheism are 2 of my biggest prejudices!

[joshcryer]

86. +1

Just listened to the whole thing. I encourage people to listen to the damn thing because while OP made a commendable overview the language context and the way the conversation happens is very cordial and people calling her insane aren't listening.

She's just a young educated woman and she's saying what she feels is correct. Some of the terminology can be annoying but overall she's not as horrible as she was in the protest video.

[Ruby the Liberal]

61. Dismissed

The more they double down on the "white supremacist liberal" shit (as "evangelical Christian" Palin supporters), the more meaningless their cause and their words. Sorry Seattle 206 (or whoever you brand as this week), but *meh* to you and your cause du jour.

Onto causes I feel motivated to support.

[nadinbrzezinski]

62. Flat movements with no clear leadership

are extremely easy to take advantage off.

As to her views of life, and politics... ok kid, I will byte, After you destroy the system though revolution or what have you... what is the plan?

I suspect I will be waiting an eternity.

[Cosmic Kitten]

64. Funny you should say 'waiting an eternity'

I reasonable guess would be she would
prefer a Christian Theocracy?

She was raise fundamentalist, it seems.
She's a self-described radical Christian.
And she sees secular govt as the enemy.

Spells Theocracy to me

[nadinbrzezinski]

65. I have asked many young local leaders this question

the nihilism just oozes I have yet to get an answer.

I doubt she has formed a view on what comes next. But that is based on my experience, Though you might be correct, and theocracy is her solution

[reorg]

73. why do you insist on spreading this BS

without even listening to the interview?

[kelliekat44]

67. OK she lost me with "used to be a Sara Palin supporter." Speaks volumes about her critical thinking

abilities.

[reorg]

71. except she never said that n/t

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

79. .....

At 18:44, Marissa Janae Johnson says she's 24 years old now, and she used to be a Sarah Palin supporter when she was 17 or 18. Her parents were both Tea Partiers, and she grew up in a conservative household. But now she's not a right-winger, now she's extremely, extremely left-wing in her views (further left than Sanders).

[reorg]

81. you are quoting the OP

not the actual text from the interview.

As I said in another post, the probably well-meant summaries in the OP led to a number of misunderstandings. This is another one, what she explicitly said is that:

1. Her parents were/are both Tea Partiers, clearly she is not
2. She is still religious

The line about she being 17, 18 years old was said by the interviewer who meant to point out that when she might have had a Palin badge, Melissa Johnson would have been at that age, or younger.

She never said that she was a Palin supporter, though. Some poster here claimed to have found a picture of hers with a byline about a Palin sticker on a backpack many years ago.

[m-lekktor]

87. you are correct. i just listened to the part where she was asked about her Palin support

and I never heard her answer that question though she DID say her parents were tea partiers!

[SHRED]

94. What's up with the "bow down" statement?

[seveneyes]

97. My thought is she needs to grow the fuck up

Kids gloves are for kids.