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lauradi7dwFollen UU has a BLM sign on the front lawn (and the home page https://follen.org/ )
This was apparently enough to attract the attention of the organization Massachusetts 4 Trump, led by former talk show host Dianna Ploss (she is former because WSMN in NH decided she was too racist for their station, and fired her). They are in sympathy with anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America, although not officially affiliated. Lately the Ploss folks have decided to be trendy and add some pro-police stuff as well. People who monitor her Facebook page informed Follen last Monday that Ploss put out a call for protests against the church, from 10-noon yesterday. I suppose they wanted to disrupt a service, not noticing that our services have been on Zoom since March. Their policy is to be as confrontational as possible, without actually damaging property. One of the congregation's gardeners suggested just turning on the sprinkler system and hoping that they get wet, but the decision was made to in fact have a gathering on the church lawn (and patio and wherever people could fit while sort of distanced), with anti-violence training in advance, and the goal of ignoring whatever the Ploss folks said or did, while doing performative loving-kindness meditations and such (is that too cynical of me? I'm sure most people were sincere, but it seemed like a pretty pointed message. It is seasonal for the High Holy days.).
We started setting up our lawn chairs and blankets before 9, and for the first hour, it was mostly chatting at a distance with friends we hadn't seen in months. Beginning at 10, there was a combination of soloist singing (alone in the church, with windows open and amplification for outside) interspersed with prayers and messages from our minister, the minsters from First Parish UU and Hancock UCC, and some dignitaries from the UUA and BLM Cambridge. The aforementioned lovingkindness meditation happened. More listening to singing (congregational singing is felt to be too dangerous). In addition to all of us on the church property, the usual BLM folks from Lexington and some other congregations lined the sidewalks on both sides of the street. They were the ones who took the brunt of the shouting from the Ploss folks (of whom there were fewer than ten, although they had some very big Trump and Blue Lives flags), even though her comments were aimed at us. She claims we should move to Roxbury or Mattapan if we love Black people. One of her companions, backing her up, kept shouting that we are hypocrites, living as we do in a mostly white suburb (at the time of the 2010 census, 68% of Lexington residents were white, under 2% Black. Looking forward to seeing the new data, but we're still mostly white). Predictably, they are all anti-maskers. Guy in her group said that in America they are free to wear what they want. She pointed out, correctly, that eyes offer mucous membrane access. I would think that if she is worried about that, she would advocate face shields in addition to masks, instead of neither one, but she doesn't have to make sense. She claimed we are Commies (because we think people are equal?). Maybe it's because we are mask-wearers. An editorial in the Time of London this morning also claimed that requiring masks is a Commie thing to do (not the exact quotation). I thought this was amusing, and wondered what she'd say if she knew that we have financial analyst/stock broker folks in the congregation. One of her group would occasionally yell that abortion is murder, but that didn't seem to be one of her talking points. So I sat, warmly dressed, in my lawn chair, listening to lovely music and inspiring messages, while all this was going on. Representing with my body, but not in harm's way.
They were punctual, and left a few minutes after noon. After that, so did we.
The local groups that stand in front of the Minuteman statue every day participated yesterday, and were great. I should start going a couple of times a week (I've only ever been once). What happens when it's dark by 5 PM, which is when they gather? Maybe I'll find out.
I didn't notice until yesterday that Lift Every Voice and Sing can be made into a waltz. The 20 year old youth choir alum who sang it didn't emphasize it that way, but someone in the audience started clapping an almost oompah way (rest clap clap, rest clap clap) and dozens of others joined. Huh.
I forgot to mention that some Handmaids walked up and down the street briefly, with signs about Breonna Taylor and others. They didn't stay long, and possibly had other appointments.
This was apparently enough to attract the attention of the organization Massachusetts 4 Trump, led by former talk show host Dianna Ploss (she is former because WSMN in NH decided she was too racist for their station, and fired her). They are in sympathy with anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America, although not officially affiliated. Lately the Ploss folks have decided to be trendy and add some pro-police stuff as well. People who monitor her Facebook page informed Follen last Monday that Ploss put out a call for protests against the church, from 10-noon yesterday. I suppose they wanted to disrupt a service, not noticing that our services have been on Zoom since March. Their policy is to be as confrontational as possible, without actually damaging property. One of the congregation's gardeners suggested just turning on the sprinkler system and hoping that they get wet, but the decision was made to in fact have a gathering on the church lawn (and patio and wherever people could fit while sort of distanced), with anti-violence training in advance, and the goal of ignoring whatever the Ploss folks said or did, while doing performative loving-kindness meditations and such (is that too cynical of me? I'm sure most people were sincere, but it seemed like a pretty pointed message. It is seasonal for the High Holy days.).
We started setting up our lawn chairs and blankets before 9, and for the first hour, it was mostly chatting at a distance with friends we hadn't seen in months. Beginning at 10, there was a combination of soloist singing (alone in the church, with windows open and amplification for outside) interspersed with prayers and messages from our minister, the minsters from First Parish UU and Hancock UCC, and some dignitaries from the UUA and BLM Cambridge. The aforementioned lovingkindness meditation happened. More listening to singing (congregational singing is felt to be too dangerous). In addition to all of us on the church property, the usual BLM folks from Lexington and some other congregations lined the sidewalks on both sides of the street. They were the ones who took the brunt of the shouting from the Ploss folks (of whom there were fewer than ten, although they had some very big Trump and Blue Lives flags), even though her comments were aimed at us. She claims we should move to Roxbury or Mattapan if we love Black people. One of her companions, backing her up, kept shouting that we are hypocrites, living as we do in a mostly white suburb (at the time of the 2010 census, 68% of Lexington residents were white, under 2% Black. Looking forward to seeing the new data, but we're still mostly white). Predictably, they are all anti-maskers. Guy in her group said that in America they are free to wear what they want. She pointed out, correctly, that eyes offer mucous membrane access. I would think that if she is worried about that, she would advocate face shields in addition to masks, instead of neither one, but she doesn't have to make sense. She claimed we are Commies (because we think people are equal?). Maybe it's because we are mask-wearers. An editorial in the Time of London this morning also claimed that requiring masks is a Commie thing to do (not the exact quotation). I thought this was amusing, and wondered what she'd say if she knew that we have financial analyst/stock broker folks in the congregation. One of her group would occasionally yell that abortion is murder, but that didn't seem to be one of her talking points. So I sat, warmly dressed, in my lawn chair, listening to lovely music and inspiring messages, while all this was going on. Representing with my body, but not in harm's way.
They were punctual, and left a few minutes after noon. After that, so did we.
The local groups that stand in front of the Minuteman statue every day participated yesterday, and were great. I should start going a couple of times a week (I've only ever been once). What happens when it's dark by 5 PM, which is when they gather? Maybe I'll find out.
I didn't notice until yesterday that Lift Every Voice and Sing can be made into a waltz. The 20 year old youth choir alum who sang it didn't emphasize it that way, but someone in the audience started clapping an almost oompah way (rest clap clap, rest clap clap) and dozens of others joined. Huh.
I forgot to mention that some Handmaids walked up and down the street briefly, with signs about Breonna Taylor and others. They didn't stay long, and possibly had other appointments.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 07:14 pm (UTC)