The Washington Post has the story about fear and loathing the banner caused for some in the small, overwhelmingly white town of Clifton, Virginia:
It was posted over the tiny Northern Virginia town’s Main Street, in a space mostly used to advertise community events, after residents proposed staging a protest like the ones that have swept the country since the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.
The gesture — which Mayor William R. Hollaway called “a first step” to beginning discussions of racial equity — drew mostly positive responses, according to the town clerk. But it prompted outrage from some residents of Fairfax County and nearby towns. Hollaway called the banner “the biggest controversy we’ve seen in many years.”
One of those outraged is Ginni Thomas, wife of sitting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She wrote an email to the town suggesting that the banner is the first step toward an invasion of Black looters.
“BLM is a bit of a dangerous Trojan Horse and they are catching well-meaning people into dangerous posturing that can invite mob rule and property looting,” Ginni Thomas, who is white, wrote on June 24. “Let’s not be tricked into joining cause with radical extremists seeking to foment a cultural revolution because they hate America.”
Sadly, Thomas was not the only one suggesting that the town had all but hung out a welcome sign for America-hating rioters. But during a town council meeting this week, the feedback was almost entirely positive:
Nearly all of the 16 people who spoke at the meeting said they supported it. Several described their relief and thankfulness that the overwhelmingly white town of about 300 residents had taken an anti-racist stance.
It sounds like Thomas and a band of right-wing agitators decided to make enough noise to give the appearance of an opposition greater than it really is. I would not be surprised if she were the ringleader, just like she is a ringleader of her Trump loyalty operation known as Groundswell. As The Post also noted, it just so happens that her anti-BLM rhetoric echoes Trump and his right-wing allies.
Meanwhile, Thomas will no doubt be worrying for the foreseeable future about radical Blacks swarming into her town and remaking it in their image because the council decided not to remove the banner.
