As dangerously cold weather hit much of north America, the city of Nashville, Tennessee was the stage for a dramatic incident involving two members of the Tennessee State Guard. As Tennessee experienced no less than fifteen cold weather related deaths, associates of Nashville AntiFa, Nashville Anarchist Black Cross, Middle Tennessee Autonomous Network, and others stepped up mutual aid efforts with a hot meal and clothing distribution program.
The distribution on 3 January in Nashville went forward unhindered. 75 meals of chicken soup were prepared and distributed, and a significant amount of clothing distributed. Street teams from other relief organizations linked up, and shared resources for distribution, such as hand warmers. An Anonymous collective picked up news of the relief, and began promoting it online under the #OpSafeWinter hashtag.
It was not until after the relief, and participants began arriving home, that the drama started. A screenshot of posts made on social media began circulating. A member of the Tennessee State Guard, Casey Gillespie, had noticed the Antifa flags, and posted on Facebook about their presence. What ensued was a conversation with another member of the Tennessee State Guard, John Venable, about driving a “duece and a half” military transport vehicle into the relief workers.
An M-35 “Deuce and a Half” cargo truck
photo: Wikipedia
Anonymous then became aware of the postings. Noting that in the lead up to last year's deadly Charlottesville rally alt-right followers made similar jokes, they initiated a campaign targeting the Tennessee State Guard. In contrast to some of the more “hard” or provocative campaigns that Anonymous is perhaps more notorious for, this was a “soft” campaign of public pressure.
If you see something, say something! - Anonymous screen shot that nearly went viral
image: Anonymous Tennessee
Demented fascists “joke” about running down protesters in the lead-in to the deadly Charlottesville, NC “Unite the Right” rally. Heather Heyer was later murdered when a fascist ran his car into a crowd of protesters.
Photo: Unicorn Riot
In a welcome move, the Tennessee State Guard requested further information via Facebook in order to follow up. A tense two days passed with no definitive word. Discussions about whether to escalate and if so, how much, ensued. Supporters continued to contact the Tennessee State Guard as the post threatened to go viral. At length, the Tennessee State Guard responded to a supporter's comment, stating that “all involved” were to be disciplined under the UCMJ. As the campaign continued to spread following signal boosts by regionally influential pages such as Queer Appalachia, even members of the Tennessee State Guard began signaling support. While Anonymous claimed a successful Op, thanking the Tennessee State Guard for their responsive action, they and others noted the lack of transparency regarding the disciplinary actions to be taken.
Nashville AntiFa and others continue with their mutual aid relief efforts as the cold weather continues unabated. If you would like to assist their efforts, or are in need of help, in the Nashville area, please contact any of the pages linked above. In Chattanooga, please contact Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center.