General Discussion

Surely more will come out about the aggressors - their political leanings and such. Screenshots of FB posts and interactions, before their profiles and pages were deleted, have been circulating but I don't trust those as solid proof just yet.

That said, I no longer refer to Trumpists (who have been with us forever, long before Trump) as racists. It's more accurate to call them white supremacists, hence my use of the word.

Also, for lifelong Selma and Montgomery residents, the odds are very high that they are, in fact, white supremacists. Tattoos and clothing aren't required for such an identification. Now, I realize that you are, perhaps rightfully, going with the innocent-until-proven-guilty approach. (Edit to add: It appears that nearly all of the white people, if not all of them, are indeed lifelong residents of that area.)

I am not giving them that benefit of the doubt because white people, especially white people who have lived in Selma and Montgomery their entire lives -- white people who are allies, that is -- would know better NOT to jump a Black man like that. Inebriated or not. Allies would not pull that privilege bullshit as they did in the face of a Black man simply doing his job and a literal boat full of Black people. Inebriated or not.

I say this as someone with Alabama roots though I've lived in other parts of the country where white supremacist views are pervasive. It's not a southern thing. HOWEVER, the painful historical facts of white supremacy are so very much in everyone's face in the south that lifelong white residents who are allies would know better. Inebriated or not.

So, yeah, I'm going with the strong likelihood that they hold white supremacist views and it manifested strongly that day for us all to see. If it comes out otherwise, I will acknowledge that fact and apologize for thinking the worst of them.