Abstract
This chapter makes sense of armed counter-protest by viewing it as a form of bottom-up, white supremacist “violence work.” Because many of these counter-protestors arm themselves and/or belong to private militias, this movement encroaches on the liberal state's allocation of “violence work”—a form of labor characterized by its ability to forcefully or violently “maintain order”—to a specialized force of government agents (e.g., police and military). This “on the ground” activity is spurred by an interpretation of the historic function of the state, makes a demand that the state continue to serve that function, and works outside the supposed boundaries set by the state to ensure the function is met. By arming themselves, training in techniques that closely resemble those employed by state violence workers, and making themselves especially visible during times of racial justice protest, these groups work to maintain American systems of white supremacy.
TopBackground: Gun Culture, Civilian Tactical Training, And Armed Counter-Protest
Between January 2020 and April 30, 2021, there were more than 11,000 documented demonstrations linked to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement (Kishi et al., 2021). Many of these occurred in the days and weeks following the death of George Floyd. However, racial justice protest has been a common sight in the nearly two years since his death (and since the murders of Trevon Martin and Michael Brown in 2012 and 2014, respectively) (Kishi et al., 2021). BLM demonstrations are almost universally nonviolent. According to one report, 93% of BLM protests do not result in violence or property destruction. When violence has erupted, it has been “largely confined to specific blocks, rather than dispersed throughout the city” (Kishi & Jones, 2020, 5). Yet, as these demonstrations continue across the county, it has become common to see armed counter-protestors and other armed civilians “policing” racial justice protests (as was the case for Kyle Rittenhouse). Some of these armed civilians belong to private militias while others have no such affiliation. Regardless of their organizational ties, armed counter protesters seem to share a number of commonalities. They are almost exclusively white men. They express a strong affinity with law enforcement, and in fact, see their presence as an aid to local police (Ali, 2020). These armed civilians also generally share a fear of government overreach and support authoritarian right-wing politics, such as the American Tea Party movement and the alternative (“alt”) right, led by politicians like Donald J. Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Josh Hawley. Perhaps most importantly, these armed civilians have a shared sense of order and are willing to mobilize for its protection.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Police Power: The power of the state to intervene in the social body to fabricate and reproduce the capitalist social order in its territory.
Violence Work: The distribution of state violence as enacted through labor of state empowered actors (e.g., police officers, military soldiers, ICE agents, etc.).
White Supremacy: A system of oppression and privilege that secures disproportionate access to social, political, economic, and cultural resources for those racialized as white. A person, policy, group, or institution need not declare explicit racist intent to contribute to the white supremacist system.