Watch out for this on Saturday

[ShazzieB]

34. Just thinking out loud here...

Last edited Wed Jun 11, 2025, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm always skeptical about internet rumors, just because I know the internet is like a giant game of telephone where things can easily get blown up and/or distorted out of proportion. So, imo, taking an unverified rumor with a grain of salt is usually a wise course of action. But assuming this one is true, here are my thoughts...

1. From what I'm hearing, there are around 1800 No Kings protests cheduled as of right now. That means there aren't nearly enough PBs to infiltrate all of them. If there are multiple white supremacist groups involved, that would change the calculus, but even so, I doubt that most of the protests will be affected, just based on sheer numbers.

2. That means they are going to have to choose which one(s) to target. If they show up at one of the really big protests in major cities (especially Philly, which is going to be the flagship event), they're more likely to make the news in a big way. But there will also be more police presence on hand to deal with them quickly.

3. If they show up at smaller protests, they'd probably have a significant impact in those localities but would be less likely to get the kind of mass media coverage I'm sure they want.

Considering all these factors, and assuming that media attention is a major motivation, I'm inclined to think they would focus on the bigger, major city protests, or maybe even just the one in Philly.

Personally, I'm going to be be at one of the more than two dozen protests scattered around the Chicago suburbs, rather than the big one in downtown Chicago. (The older I get, the more I tend to avoid gigantic crowds, and I know that one is going to be humongous.)

I'll won't be terribly surprised if there are PBs or other unpleasant counter protesters at the suburban protest I'm attending, and if they try to start anything, I plan to launch into "Give peace a Chance" at the top of my lungs (because it sends the right message and is easy to sing and familiar to just about everybody). But I won't be extremely surprised if nothing like that happens. Either way, I'll be prepared!