Thursday, June 16, 2022

“They Deserve To Be Put Down Like Dogs!”: Teachers Help Protect Pride Event Targeted by Anti-LGBTQ Bigot from Bikers for Trump

Report on recent attempt by far-Right anti-LGBTQ bigots to harass Pride event in Bedminster, New Jersey.

On June 14th, a Pride event was held for regional families at a local library in Bedminster, NJ. The event which was publicly advertised a few days prior, on social media, was descended upon by an online horde of reactionaries. While online hate isn’t an out of the ordinary experience for queer people or pride events, specific threats of murder, violence, and references of attacks against the school event and queer people quickly materialized. Teresa “Terry” Beck, of Hillsborough, NJ, very publicly outlined her hatred against queer people in the day leading up to the event and her plan to organize an attack. You can see Terry’s threats below.

The next evening, as she previously stated, Terry showed up at the school with about a dozen other transphobes prepared to attack attendees. A little more background on Terry Beck: she’s an organized and well connected far-Right and pro-Trump organizers who is currently a member of the New Jersey chapter of Bikers for Trump, the Iron Knights motorcycle club, and the Rolling Thunder network.

Terry Beck of Bikers for Trump with Donald Trump in Bedminster, NJ. SOURCE: FACEBOOK

She has helped organize several nationalist “ride alongs” and blockades all over the east coast. Her personal connections with other local nationalists and reactionaries, such as “Cowboy,” who is a member and vice president of the racist 13 Rebels motorcycle club (chapter 7). She has also been known to be connected with the New Jersey militia movement, including local 3% crews and the Oath Keepers.

Luckily not long after posting threats against the community, local community members and teachers found out about the plot and were able to quickly organize a defensive response. The teachers were able to confine the fascists movement to the school parking lot and used deescalation techniques to divert attention off of attendees and onto themselves. No attendees were injured or attacked thanks to their efforts.

Something important to note here as well is the fact that the state nor any of its agents took any of Terry’s threats or calls for violence against queer people seriously. This is not to endorse or ask for “protection” from the state, but to highlight their own complicity and parallel role in violence against queer people. We cannot rely on or trust the state in any capacity, especially when it comes to community safety.

“Cowboy” pictured left and Terry Becks on the right.

For weeks, across the so-called United States, there has been an uptick in fascists becoming highly organized and planning strategic attacks against the queer community, spaces, and pride events. Most notably, 31 fascists were caught in so-called Idaho in the process of planning a massacre against queer people at a pride event. Other strategic attacks in so-called Texas and now New Jersey only highlight this disturbing trend further. Fascists are more organized than we have seen them in a long time and they pose a serious threat to queer people everywhere. If you plan on attending a pride event or even just checking out your local gay bar make sure you make a strategic security/community defense plan with your fellow community members.


by Jersey Counter-Info via It's Going Down

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