Marissa Janae Johnson doesn’t ‘give a f*ck’ if protest at Seattle Bernie Sanders rally drives people

[Feeling the Bern]

On Monday, 24-year-old Black Lives Matter protester Marissa Janae Johnson told Elon James White and Imani Gandi of This Week in Blackness that she doesn’t “give a fuck” if her strident interruption of a Bernie Sanders rally in Seattle has hurt her cause in the eyes of white people.

Last Sunday, Johnson and fellow Black Lives Matter of Seattle protester Mara Jacqeline Willaford disrupted a rally in support of Medicaid expansion in Washington state as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was getting up to speak. When the two women grabbed the microphone and screamingly insisted they were being reasonable by refusing to let the rally proceed, Sanders left the stage.
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The stunt has left many on the left at odds. Johnson and Willaford’s supporters claim that the two women are acting with the urgency required in a situation where black people’s lives and bodies are being destroyed by police on a daily basis.

Critics say that the interruption amounted to little more than a clownish tantrum that drove as many people away from the Black Lives Matter cause as it could have attracted.

Johnson says she doesn’t care, ultimately, whether the tactics are alienating.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise

[Vinca]

1. She probably doesn't care because someone is giving her a fat paycheck.

[RobertEarl]

3. A Paid disruptor? Very likely

What if everyone went around acting like her? Why, the jails would be full.

On a side note, if you feel the following linked thread should not have been locked since it is not about the primary, but more of a DNC party matter, I suggest you pm the host who locked it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7065189

[Facility Inspector]

4. a paycheck

probably not even a "fat" one.

Morons like her can be bought dirt cheap.

[stone space]

37. Ok, aparently, you've already been alerted on. Hope I get called to jury duty. (nt)

[daredtowork]

40. I tried to get him to MIRT before 100 posts

Unfortunately I gave it to Bravenak, who was Jury-mobbed herself on the same day over conveying the BLM pov during the Seattle disruptions.

In short, this already has a colorful history that MIRT should have handled. Also probably sock-puppet of someone who was in he Torch the Witch threads.

[Betty Karlson]

39. My thoughts exactly.

Or she is just mentally imbalanced. Her professed religious beliefs certainly suggest some psychopathology, where the self and God are confused.

[Shankapotomus]

43. She's confused alright

And so is the God who made her.

[Maedhros]

2. I thought the point was to raise awareness and bring people TO your cause?

More proof that her actions were not about BLM, and all about attacking Sanders.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

6. People that protest then tell people to f@ck off

will find themsrkves with few friends, and the mouth breathers she has hooked here will start to look pretty sad as well.

[Deadshot]

5. She sounds like a paid disruptor.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

27. I don't think she's a paid disruptor.

She has BLM supporting her still and furthermore, if she was being paid, I think she would have come up with something better than she 'doesn't give a fuck'. The people paying her would have given her a script of some kind.

[cascadiance]

35. At least if she was paid, she might have a brain...

If not, she's just plain stupid if she thinks she's actually making many friends or accomplishing ANYTHING with her actions.

[HooptieWagon]

7. But of course. It was all about HER.

[erpowers]

8. She Is Fake and Full of BS

She claims that the reason she does not go after Hillary Clinton is because Clinton has too much security and does private invite only events. Tell that to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. How many times have President Obama and First Lady Obama had to either confront protesters, or shut down protesters. I am pretty certain First Lady Obama spoke a an event at a private home and had to deal with a protester. That is the event at which First Lady Obama threatened to leave the event without giving her speech if the protester did not stop trying to interrupt her speech. President Obama had to deal with at least one protester at the White House. If a protester can get into the White House any protester can get to any candidate they want.

So, if this lady wanted to disrupt Hillary Clinton's events she could do so all she wanted. This lady is going after Bernie Sanders because she dislikes his politics. Some supporters have said people should not talk about what Bernie Sanders has done for African Americans in the past, but talk about what he is doing now, or what he will do in the future. It seems Sanders supporters were right to point out his past long record of civil rights action and now it should be clear why this woman went after a candidate with such a long history of working for civil rights; because she does not care about civil rights, or the plight of African Americans. This woman is just using BLM to disrupt a liberal/progressive campaign.

[PowerToThePeople]

9. Welcome to DU

enjoy your stay.

[MisterP]

10. so she's NOT with BLM, right? I just want her to confirm this

[snagglepuss]

32. She is part of BLM. Yesterday BLM's cofounder Patrisse Cullors

wrote a statement saying that the Seattle protesters are part of BLM, that she supports their leadership and that no apology will be given.

[cascadiance]

38. BLM then needs a leadership overhaul or unfortunately it will DIE!

They aren't going to accomplish anything with the crap they are doing lately.

I just really hope that they can either find new and better leadership (someone like Symone Sanders) or the movement is rebooted to get back to working the cause that really needs working instead of fueling certain individuals' thirst for self-aggrandizement that's going to screw everyone if it is allowed to get any more attention than it has already.

[IVoteDFL]

11. Come on here now guys. She's 24. Not giving a fuck is kind of our thing.

I don't think she cares if it is alienating because it is a dirty tactic that does work. People are talking about BLM more than they have in a while, and I'm sorry I just don't think that can be a bad thing.

[MrMickeysMom]

13. I think not giving a fuck is not much of a tactic to BLM cause… She's an imposter

… Sure Black Lives Matter needs to have everyone's attention… We're going on hundreds of years in American now…

It's a bad thing.

Coming together to fix this problem… It's a good thing. That is what Sanders has addressed for two generations, way before any generation could define what a good or bad thing is for their generation.

[IVoteDFL]

15. BLM supports her.

They don't think she is an imposter. Letting her have a voice is beyond important, even if nobody likes what she has to say.

I mean shit I really hate to say it, but I have seen quite enough here today from Bernie supporters that is divisive and alienating as well. Bernie's fantastic record speaks for itself, honestly a lot of what I've seen in relation to BLM is just not necessary.

[MrMickeysMom]

18. I don't know what you've seen...

Personally, I work and do a lot of community volunteering. I have time to check in DU every day, so I guess I'm able to speak to Bernie supporters outside of that looking glass. I'm in the Sanders group, I post in other chat rooms. I listen to Malloy. None of these things is anything but progressive and cerebral. I've been living on the earth and have long been involved in activism. I've served public office. The Sanders supporters here can provoke a mirror to Clinton, yes, but...

Maybe you could point to some posts? I'm frankly baffled, especially when I linked over to the comments (AA) where now see many Clinton supporters behaving like Bernie Sanders is reflected by some racist support system. WHAT.THE.FUCK. This is nothing that I see when Sanders supporters post… Racist? Again… where is this?

Look, I don't post everywhere and don't suffer fools from the other camps very well… But, if I smell bullshit, I call it…

Look at this: http://www.politicususa.com/2015/08/10/real-black-lives-matter-wsnts-activists-publicly-apologize-bernie-sanders.html

[IVoteDFL]

23. Here is one I took the time to reply to

I don't like to do call outs so this is a link to my post. There is at least one other in the thread that was just not necessary.

My high school principal always drove home the point that you catch more flies with honey, but if you are constantly told that you don't matter day in and day out by society as a whole and they keep shutting down your voice what do you do? Bernie is accessible, it made headlines and people are talking about it. She is 24, she seems a bit on the radical side, but hey people used to say that about me too.


I don't think there really is such a thing as bad press either. Like the poster I replied to a lot of people are going to dismiss these women as stereotypes. Others wont ever hear the story because our media is bullshit. Either way, people learn who Bernie is.

[MrMickeysMom]

24. Agree it's bad, but it wasn't from a Sanders supporter...

I agree that calm minds are called for.

[IVoteDFL]

25. Hmmm I was assuming because of the context (and Bernie's popularity on DU)

You are totally right though, I don't know that particular poster's preference.

[840high]

29. It's a bad thing if people are talking

against BLM because of her.

[IVoteDFL]

31. I'm sorry but no

Those people talking shit about a cause literally named BLACK LIVES MATTER should be ashamed of themselves. It should be a universal fact that black lives matter. If you can honestly distance yourself from an organization of people who are tired and scared of being shot by the police that are supposed to serve and protect them because of one person disrupting a political event probably didn't have their heart in it in the first place.

[Shankapotomus]

44. The trouble with that is

The guy and campaign BLM picked on is the best chance they have for actually saving black lives if elected.

[IVoteDFL]

46. I think that if it were that easy Obama would already be saving black lives

They wanted him to release a plan that dealt specifically with racial injustice and now he has.

[gratuitous]

12. What if you protest and nobody gives a fuck, Ms. Johnson?

That's kind of where I'm headed, and that's really too bad. I've been an activist all my life, and I've given my time, my money, and my talent to all kinds of advocacy over the years. But Black Lives Matter apparently doesn't need me or people like me.

[KittyWampus]

14. It's pretty clear a large number of Bernie Sanders supporters don't care if they alienate people...

See how it feels?

[IVoteDFL]

16. I care

Give me cookie.


Just kidding.

[KittyWampus]

17. I do think you care. So you get a cookie-

[MrMickeysMom]

19. So, would you be willing to point to particular examples?

[brentspeak]

21. Who did they "alienate"?

RWers?

[NuclearDem]

22. Maybe take a look over in the African American group here

Whole bunch of real 'wingers there.

[Gravitycollapse]

26. A rare few here give a fuck about people of color posting on this board.

They care when it's convenient. They vilify and abandon when it isn't.

All the while, all sorts of posts smearing the BLM posters have hundreds of up-votes. Everyone seems to have lost the capacity for critical thought in the blink of an eye because a couple black women dared to speak their minds in the presence of a popular political candidate.

[Logical]

34. So I'm assuming you think everyone should speak their mind like that?? WTF! nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. "movement"; You're doing it wrong, Janae n/t

[840high]

28. Sounds like an immature racist.

[Le Taz Hot]

30. The feeling's mutual, Ms. Johnson

'cause I don't give a fuck about you, either.

[David__77]

33. "Agree and act or fuck off" is not an uncommon political message.

My understanding is that during the Vietnam War, when the US was killing many people in Indochina, a segment of the US antiwar movement sought to ally with liberals (those who weren't supporting and leading the war) and another segment was geared toward a critique of US imperialism, that the US working class was effectively bought off and the objective enemy of the peoples of the third world. I see some analogies here. There is a modern critique that Euro-Americans constitute a nation of settler colonialists whose livelihood depends on subjugation of oppressed nations and peoples. I'm not saying that I think that this woman has this exact critique; at the same time, I believe she's in that orbit. And no one need pay anyone to have such a view.

[joshcryer]

41. Yeah, her views are pretty conventional for someone her age.

And in that activist scene. She'll eventually tone it down.

[David__77]

45. I don't want to be ageist. At the same time, the same thing happened to me.

I went from having very two-valued (black/white) logic to seeing things in a more nuanced fashion. I used to relish blustery intervention designed to piss people off, out of a real a fiery sense of indignation. I totally get it. There are also lots of other ways to build public opinion and seize and wield power.

[restorefreedom]

36. since the us black population

is about 14% and white population is about 77%, not giving a fuck about alienating potential white supporters is not going to advance their agenda, if their agenda is uplifting poc.

if it is something else, then maybe they accomplished their goal.

[eridani]

42. You mean she now likes it when Sarah Palin cries? n/t