For Shame.....White Supremist causing PTSD on black staffers in Congress
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  1. #1

    For Shame.....White Supremist causing PTSD on black staffers in Congress



    Luke Broadwater





    From left: Jabir McKnight, Mike McQuerry, and Remmington Belford, sit on the House steps at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (Brandon Bell/The New York Times)
    WASHINGTON — Jabir McKnight woke up on the morning of Jan. 6 with an uneasy feeling.
    The day before had been great: He and another congressional staff member had celebrated Founders Day for their historically Black fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. But as McKnight walked that Wednesday to Capitol Hill, where he had always felt safe, images of white supremacist violence in Charleston, South Carolina, and Charlottesville, Virginia, began to race through his head.
    Hours before the violent pro-Trump mob rampaged through the halls of Congress, leaving nearly 140 police officers injured and five people dead, McKnight recalled, he could not shake the sense that something very bad was about to happen.
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    “The writing was on the wall for this,” said McKnight, 23, who is the communications director for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.
    He pointed to examples of right-wing violence in recent months and years. “For Black staffers, it’s a little bit different, because a lot of these attacks are directed toward our people,” he said. “We’ve seen these things happen over and over and over again. I don’t think we were blinded that people who are domestic terrorists would say, ‘Oh, it’s the Capitol, we’ll stop there.’”
    Symbols of racism and white supremacy were on full display at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Rioters paraded the Confederate battle flag through the halls. One man wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt, others flew the flag of the fictional country Kekistan, which mimics a Nazi war flag.
    Black Capitol Police officers have described the intense racism they endured from the mob; one told Buzzfeed News he was called a racist slur 15 times, causing him to break down in tears.
    Only a small percentage of congressional aides are Black. Since the attack, McKnight and others who were in nearby offices in the Capitol complex that day have been talking among themselves about how close the violence came to them, what it means to experience such a virulent expression of racism in what is supposed to be a citadel of liberty, and the suspicion they now feel toward other aides, members of Congress and random people they encounter as they go about their business on Capitol Hill.
    “It makes the trauma worse,” McKnight said. “Because as you’re walking around, you don’t know who could have been involved with what.”
    For some Black staff members, the Capitol attack brought back memories of how they had tried to avoid people they felt could be prone to racist violence — only to find them at their place of work.
    “This was the ugliest display of racism that I’ve seen ever. And I’m from the South,” says Remmington Belford, 30, the communications director for Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y. “There’s a specific demographic of people that you know conduct themselves that way, and you find your way away from them. Those people came to Capitol Hill. The people who believe in supremacy due to genetics were on Capitol Hill, and they were armed, and they were incensed.”
    The staff members described feelings of fear about the physical threat and anger about the psychic damage done by the mob.
    “I never though I’d see the Confederate flag walked through the halls of Congress,” said Mike McQuerry, 50, the communications director for Delegate Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands and an impeachment manager in the trial of former President Donald Trump. “As much as we think we’ve had progress, we haven’t progressed that much.”
    McQuerry said that white rioters, using force and rage, gained access to parts of the Capitol that had always been off-limits to him, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office or the floor of the Senate.
    “Those insurgents got to places where we as staffers couldn’t go,” he said, “places we wouldn’t even think about going.”
    McKnight, Belford and McQuerry watched the worst of the violence from fortified offices in the Rayburn Building on the House side of the Capitol complex.
    “The fear was very present,” Belford said, adding that he had planned two escape routes, including rushing through a window. “As far as close? They were steps away. Let’s be very clear. There’s no force that protects us in Rayburn” once the rioters breached the Capitol.
    “We were fortified in our offices,” McKnight said. “You don’t know what’s on the other side of the door. You never knew what was on the other side. We were worried about any sound we heard. Are they here? Are they in the building? The only time you would have known is when it was too late. Everyone was terrified.”
    As they watched the mayhem that day, the aides said, they feared for their lives, realizing that not only lawmakers could be attacked but so could they.
    After the siege, congressional aides have reported trouble sleeping and feeling anxious, claustrophobic, angry and depressed. Lawmakers have requested additional resources to support the mental health needs of employees in response to surging demand.
    “It was the first time I realized that post-traumatic stress syndrome is a thing,” said Belford, who is from Houston. “We as staffers are still dealing with the trauma.”
    Despite what they experienced that day, McQuerry, who is from Detroit, said staff members felt an obligation to push on with work.
    “There’s not that many of us that work up here,” he said of Black aides to members of Congress. “It’s affected us tremendously. We have to just push through. I think we deal with it every day. PTSD is really real.”
    During the riot, some Democratic lawmakers said they thought they might be able to blend in with Republican members of Congress to avoid the violence. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said recently on the House floor that he recognized his privilege when this thought occurred to him.
    “Within moments, I realized that blending in was not an option available to our colleagues color,” he said. “So I’m here tonight to say to my brothers and sisters in Congress, and all around our country: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. For I had never understood, really understood, what privilege really means.”
    Aides who represent members of color said they were well aware that Black lawmakers could be targeted because “our members are some of the most vocal against Trump’s harmful and divisive practices,” Belford said. “The fear was very present. We cannot blend in. We cannot not be visible. Our skin color often becomes a target.”
    They were reminded this week of the threats to lawmakers when a top security official suggested on Tuesday that members of Congress consider upgrading their home security systems to include panic buttons and key fobs. In a lengthy memo sent to House lawmakers and their aides, Timothy Blodgett, the acting sergeant-at-arms, reiterated measures that he advised lawmakers to take to protect their Washington and district offices as well as their homes.
    The guidance — which encouraged refraining from posting about lawmakers’ appearances at events until after they have “safely left,” using special hoods to reduce exposure to “harmful materials” sent by mail and installing panic buttons in lawmakers’ homes — starkly illustrated the continuing shock waves after the Jan. 6 attack.
    Lawmakers have received briefings on a handful of specific active threats to the Capitol and to members after the attack, and court documents have detailed plans by individuals in the pro-Trump mob to kill specific members of Congress.
    One man threatened to put “a bullet” in Pelosi’s head “on Live TV,”; another threatened to assassinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., that day, according to federal prosecutors.
    McKnight, who is from Philadelphia, said he had spoken with colleagues who felt shocked after moving to Washington.
    “So where can you go?” McKnight said. “You just moved to D.C. to work in politics and be in a safe environment, and now that’s changed.”

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  2. #2
    Marine Platinum Member Zulu 36's Avatar
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    Anyone who thought they were moving to safe environment in DC is mental. Regardless of their race, sex, or political leanings. DC hasn't been a safe place for many years.


  3. #3
    what a bunch of WHINEY WIMPS .. they need to seek out their "safe space" and cry, cry, cry....

    Last edited by oldtop; 02-20-21 at 01:32 PM.
    Si vis pacem, para bellum

  4. #4
    William, you and Chris are prime examples of "The Good Ole Boys". When these oppressed men are suffering and scared.....ya'll kick 'em, over and over. When the awful truth comes out, ya'll always come out with the "White Wash" to cover it up. Men like ya'll, spent ya'll's entire life making fun of Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima. However, Ya'll are my Brothers, so I'll help you. I have the contacted the authorities on the board of "The Re-education of White Supremacist", and they have agreed to send ya'll to the WRRC......"White Racist Rehabilitation Center", as soon as Russ and Dave graduate. If I'm not mistaken, Barrack Obama gives the Orientation speech on day one. Russ had to repeat the the 6 week course, for accusing Obama of being half White.........just saying......


  5. #5
    Marine Free Member m14ed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldtop View Post
    what a bunch of( [B]WHINEY WIMPS[/B... )*they need to seek out their "safe space" and cry, cry, cry....
    [quote]

    /\ *


    TOP ,

    did you teach billymongooses
    ex-girl to do that trick with her tounge
    everybody loves when she does it ?
    [B]


  6. #6
    I flunked out again Billy, another 6 weeks if they can continue to stand me. There's a rumor here that if you flunk out 3 times you go to the Manual Labor camp. Good thing I like Mexican food.


  7. #7
    Russ, you would eat Mexican Tacos even if it had hair on it. We all know how partial you are to other Countries special treats. Remember that Chinese gal you almost married? What was her name......Liki-Bung-Ho. I'm not racist or judgemental, but hell Russ, that black Midget woman with no legs was more than I could handle. It sort of shocked me, when I saw you carrying her around in your back-pack while she's hollering gitty-up muter fvker. I am praying that you and William try to understand that it's not human to take advantage of people who are not White. I have asked Mike to share with ya'll, a letter he received from Al Sharpton, when Mike was the spokesperson for the Washington Chapter of the NAACP. I hope it will have the same impact on ya'll as it did Mike. .......Take care Brothers.....just saying.....


  8. #8
    yeah, Billy, I just can't wait to go to White Rehab, just so I can get WOKE, which I understand is around noontime, with a little "head" to make sure you're up... no wonder Russ keeps flunking out...

    Si vis pacem, para bellum

  9. #9
    William, you have to understand, Brother, that WRRC is not a retirement home for older than dirt Marines. That is part of ya'lls problem. Ya'll are privileged because your White. The WRRC is designed to open your eyes, your heart, and your bank account. You and Russ will learn that sharing your good fortune with those who won't work or take care of their families, will give you inner peace. The WRRC is working on a program for White Supremacist, called "MABF". Which means My adopted black family. 50% of all your income, including S.S. and retirement, will go to your designated black family. This will look very good on your application to enter Heaven. Also, 35% of your leftover income will go to the Progressive Government of the U.S. The Government office on "Reparations for Non-Whites" have concluded that 15% of your White income is all you need to breath air, which in itself will be taxable in coming years. So take it one day at a time Brother. I would say a prayer for you, but, prayers have been banned.......just saying......


  10. #10
    The only thing about these is they are all !!!!!!!!!!



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  11. #11
    Billy, I have already put all 15 kids from my "government imposed minority family" through college, bought them homes, and taken care of of the boy's "baby mama's"...There's about nothing left for "Bozo Joe" to tax....

    Si vis pacem, para bellum

  12. #12
    William, you fulfilled your "White Obligation".....almost. Under the new "White Obligation Bill"......all the Government imposed taxes will be added up, and taxed as well. Biden's Administration has called it "Taxing Taxes Tax". Under the new plan the "Taxing Taxes Tax" will be designated as a (Gift), and will also be taxed under the (Gift Tax) law.....Is it not a joyous time, Brother????


  13. #13
    They need to watch out for the one's who know what PTSD is like . Then they can clam it ...




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  14. #14
    Bill, I think your a good example of White dominance. At Christmas time you portray Santa as being White. However, there are many that think he is black. Al Sharpton is demanding that Santa be designated as African American. He is also lobbying Congress to change the racist name of the song White Christmas to black Christmas. I have heard that North American Indians are protesting because of the racist implications of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Where do we get off making Christmas so damn racist! The NAACP wants the old films of the Three Stooges banned from being seen on T.V. because Larry is guilty of racism by wearing his hair in an Afro. Bill, the list goes on and on.....we need to start humbling ourselves.......


  15. #15
    Super Moderator Platinum Member USMC 2571's Avatar
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    Black Christmas. ..lol


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