Racists held up a ‘white pride’ banner in SLO County. Will they dare to tell us why? | Opinion

To the racists who displayed an “Embrace white pride” banner on a Templeton overpass:

You may bristle at the term “racists” — and declare you do not deserve to be slapped with that label — but that’s what the “white pride” movement is.

Did you not know that?

Did you think your “white pride” statement was the equivalent of “Black pride” or “gay pride” or “trans pride”?

It was not. White pride is a euphemism for white supremacy.

It is a dog whistle for hate and intolerance, a rallying cry for white people who feel put upon; who harp about being discriminated against every time they or their loved ones fail to get a job or a promotion or a college acceptance letter; who insist that the slogan “Black lives matter” is racist because all lives matter.

As American philosopher and author David Ingram so elegantly explains it, Black pride is a defensive strategy.

“Affirmations of white pride — however thinly cloaked as affirmations of ethnic pride — serve to mask and perpetuate white privilege,” he wrote.

So we know you’re racist. But you’re destructive as well, willing to divide your community in public for all to see.

What possessed the two of you to stand on the Vineyard Drive overpass in Templeton at approximately 11 a.m. on a sunny Saturday morning to display your “Embrace white pride” banner to passing motorists?

Images of the banner have been shared on social media, apparently flipped to a mirror image so that the words read properly. That would place the pair holding the banner on the north side of the overpass, displaying it to southbound traffic.

And by the way, where did that banner come from?

From the looks of it, you cut up a sheet and spray-painted the letters on with stencils, poorly, we might add. Nice way to spend an afternoon.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, as this particular spot has become an unofficial free-speech wall for the MAGA crowd, whose followers can be found there regularly flying a collection of Donald Trump, Infowars, “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Let’s Go Brandon” banners.

Last year, when “pro-democracy” progressives tried to reclaim the spot with their own demonstration, a man was arrested after he pepper-sprayed the activists.

But this was a departure even from those examples of right-wing extremism — so much so that many passing motorists took to social media to register their disgust.

They called you fascists and racists and other terms that aren’t printable.

Is that the reaction you expected? Does it make you proud? Does it make your families proud?

Was this act the culmination of years and years of grievances, or did something happen recently that set you off?

Was it your intent to promote self-esteem among supposedly downtrodden white people?

If so, you failed.

Do you have any idea how this reflects on the community ... or do you even live here?

Another post on Reddit, showing two people holding what looks to be the same sign on an overpass in Porterville recently, suggests maybe not.

You stood there, in broad daylight, for what, 30 minutes? 45 maybe?

Whether you’re homegrown white supremacists or drive-by bigots, this stunt was high-profile enough, it seems, to have reinforced the North County’s reputation for being a less-than-friendly place for people of color.

Or, as one Reddit poster put it, “And people wonder why North County has a bad rap ...”

The community is stepping up to answer that ugly act.

A rally is scheduled for Wednesday, May 10, from 2 to 6 p.m. on the same Vineyard Drive overpass where the banner was displayed.

Those who attend are invited to bring messages of “love, inclusion and support.” Excellent.

Bottom line, there is no excuse for this kind of hate, and no hiding behind the protections of free speech.

But maybe, if you’re brash enough to stand on an overpass trumpeting your racism, you dare to back up your thinking on the record for us.

Because we’re still wondering, why?

So please, send us a letter or reach out on Facebook, if you have the guts.

But, honestly, we won’t hold our breath on that.

Because out in the fresh air that day in Templeton, whoever you are, you hid your faces behind masks.

So in addition to being bigots, you’re cowards as well.