A first-hand account

Liberal activist Tim Pierce (who is white, incidentally) offers a first-hand account of the Boston anti-Nazi rally. I offer his text here -- translated from Twitterese to conventional prose -- because it deep-sixes some false impressions that have taken hold.

Y'all should hear about my experience with BLM at the Boston Anti-Nazi Rally.

First, BPD did an outstanding job of managing conflicts. Police escorted Nazis to and from the rally. Did not prevent interactions but stood close by to prevent rioting.

Black Lives Matter also escorted Nazis. Surrounded them to prevent fights.

I want that to be crystal clear. BLM marshals were preventing fights from breaking out. BLM organizers have said over and over again: if a rally turns violent, people of color will be targeted. Don't start none.

At one point they were escorting a Nazi out of the rally near where I was standing. Nazi dropped his flag. I snatched for it. He picked it up. I yanked at it.

The BLM marshal next to me whupped the back of my head. "DON'T!" At that moment he stopped me from possibly sparking a riot.

I was stupid. I was ready to escalate. BLM stopped me. This is no surprise to anyone who has actually been to a BLM event or worked with them.

But the "BLM are terrorists" narrative persists. I want everyone to understand just how bullshit this narrative is.

BLM is not starting riots. They're stopping them.

The Black Lives Matter movement has gotten an utterly unfair bad rap. I'm quite sure that this movement has been infiltrated; all movements get infiltrated, once they reach a certain size. But BLM hardly deserves the vilification it has received.