\What a joy it was to attend the NAACP’s march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King; we had excellent turnout of the African American community and their allies on a beautiful sunny day. And what a relief it was to march in support of racial justice in the absence of armed counter-protesters.

This year’s MLK march experience stands in sharp contrast with those many of us had during Black Lives Matter marches and protests in 2020, when armed counter-protesters regularly showed up as an intimidating presence, with long guns and full tactical gear. While the motivation most often cited by gun-toting counter-protesters was “to protect our communities,” the vast majority of BLM protests across the nation were peaceful. In light of those experiences, it is interesting to learn that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was crafted for the purpose of setting up state militias which could readily put down rebellions of enslaved people. Same song, new verse.

Martha Johnson

Eugene

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