On Saturday, March 19, Donald Trump’s campaign held a political rally here in Tucson at the Tucson Convention Center. That afternoon at the rally, Tucsonan Bryan Sanders was assaulted by a Trump supporter while he attempted to peaceably protest the event. In the hours after the event, videos of the incident, blogs, articles and rumors flooded the internet. Now, in retrospect, Sanders spoke to the Weekly about what happened.
Can you tell me in your own words what happened?
I went initially to document the event. My initial thought was to go down there and interview people and see what the atmosphere is actually like. Going in, I was a Trump opponent. I oppose his policies on just about everything. I am not trying to portray that I was going down there as a journalist, but I did go down there to document it, see what it was like, and then, you know, protest against his xenophobia, his racism. The atmosphere outside the event was extremely intense … I decided to go inside the convention center and see what the atmosphere is actually like in there. I went in through the front door. I’ve been accused of sneaking in all sorts of interesting ways, but I just walked in like everybody else. I had a ticket. I was never asked for my ticket. I got through security and immediately protesters start getting thrown out. It’s a very intense situation. It’s a mix of banality … and then this kind of underlying “us versus them” feeling.</p.
I decided to pull out my poster. The poster has a picture… of the confederate flag superimposed on Donald Trump’s face and at the bottom it says “Bad for America” in really big letters. It took about a minute or so for people to start noticing it. Some people started yelling “Trump, Trump, Trump” because that’s what they were instructed to do at the beginning of the rally. After a while, I started yelling “liar” at Trump. And now, all hell kind of breaks lose. Security shows up and I immediately start to leave. I don’t resist leaving. I get walked up the stairs. People were yelling. I get up to this landing and this guy I had never seen before in my life stepped up from the right, he grabbed the sign out of my hands and ripped it up, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him and sucker punched me. He hit me a couple more times and when I went down he kicked me in the back and kicked me in the ribs. Some people were cheering. Some people were still yelling “Trump.”
I woke up the next day and I was kind of trending.</p.
What do you think of the media coverage that followed?
I think the mainstream media got the story almost 100 percent correct … but the internet backlash was a lesson in modern troll philosophy. You know, people immediately started lying about everything they saw in the video. Donald Trump himself went on the George Stephanopoulos show and lied about me and said that I was a “professional agitator.” He said that I had dragged an American flag on the ground. He said that I had worn a KKK mask and that I must have verbally assaulted the guy before he hit me. He said I must have been paid by the Bernie Sanders campaign. All of these were lies. The next morning after the event, half a dozen right-wing blogs spewed the exact same lie, never with any evidence at all, simply repeating what Trump himself had said that morning. I’m not being paid by any campaign. I’ve never talked to anyone from any campaign.
A lot of people need to look up the history of free speech and what it actually means. The United States Air Force, who employ the man who assaulted me, released a statement two days after the incident. It was a wonderful distillation of what I am arguing: “We believe wholeheartedly in our fellow American’s right to express their views on political issues and we strongly condemn any attempt to silence those views through force or violence.”
Do you consider yourself an activist?
It’s hard to look at it now and say “no” to that question, but that Saturday when I woke up I certainly wasn’t. I am a politically inclined dude. I am not going to shy away from speaking my mind about Trump and about the dangerous direction he is trying to steer the country. So if that’s an activist, I guess so. Sometimes you just wake up and everything has changed.
What else has changed for you?
There’s a high level of paranoia the first couple of weeks. There is a combination of factors. You’re dealing with being assaulted which is really difficult in itself. It kind of destroys your whole sense of safety. Also, because this was a hugely public event that went viral, you’re dealing with being thrust immediately under the glare of the internet. So I guess I’ve grown a tougher skin.
I think all these assaults at his rallies and the fear that a lot of people have about what his presidency would be mean has really woken people up to the importance of being involved actively, not just voting but actually doing something. It’s amazing how seriously people are taking this election. And they should be. There is a lot on the line.
It’s not enough for us to de-friend everyone who likes Trump on Facebook, stop talking to people who like Trump, make fun of people who like Trump. It’s not enough.
It’s not going to do anything but divide us even further. That’s what he wants. It plays right into his profile … Trump supporters are good people. There’s a mentality within the rallies that is ugly and violent and scary, but those people are good people. I firmly believe that. The last thing I want to do is just to preach to people who already agree with me.
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2016.
This man is full of shit! I was at that rally and there were TWO people, Sanders AND a woman–BOTH in KKK masks! These people are NOT protesters! They’re agitators and their goal is to go to Trump rallies, cause chaos and shout down Donald Trump! These Left-wing agitators are responsible for ALL the drama at Trump rallies. Also, since Trump is financing his own campaign, a Trump rally is basically a private event so Trump can have these agitators removed. Protesters have the right to peacefully protest outside but they DON’T have the right to disrupt the rally or try to shut it down! Also, the media has conveniently tried to downplay the fact that the Trump supporter involved in the fight was Black! I, too, am Black and a Trump supporter because his policies will truly benefit ALL Americans! I tune out the noise and I don’t let the Left do my thinking for me! TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP IN 2016!
This man has hate issues. He wants to hate everybody whose opinion is not the same as his. I don’t want that kind of America.
What I’d like to know is, exactly which of Donald Trump’s policies do the Left have a problem with? Is it his streamlining of the tax brackets from seven to four? Or is it his tax policy that says if you’re and individual making $25,000 or less or married making $50,000 you will pay no taxes? Is it his immigration policy? Let me ask a you lefties something. What would you do if you came home from work and found people you didn’t know sitting in your living room demanding to stay? Would you go out and leave your door wide open? Then why should our country do it? NO other country puts up with that so why should America? Why should certain cities in this country be allowed to blatantly ignore immigration law? This is a serious national security issue that the Left refuses to address. In addition to the murder of Kate Steinle, Hispanic gangs made up of many who are in this country illegally have been killing random Black people in California for over a decade! Many areas that were predominantly Black in LA are now predominantly Hispanic and illegal! So, yea, as a proud Black American i want that wall! Does the Left have a problem with Donald Trump’s plan to bring jobs back into this country? The loss of manufacturing jobs (as well as illegal immigration) has devastated the Black community and many other parts of this country so why would the Left be opposed to Donald Trump’s plan to repatriate all that corporate cash that’s overseas at a low 10% tax rate or his policy which lowers the corporate tax rate to make corporate inversions unnecessary and keep jobs here at home? Why are we protecting other countries and not getting anything out of it and losing our jobs due to so-called “free trade” policies? Donald Trump is talking sense and it seems that the Left can’t stand it and the only weapon they have is to play the race card like they always do when they have no other argument. Well, I’ve erased the “R” word from my vocabulary because it had become meaningless. I’m an American, Black, a woman and I’m proud to be supporting Donald J. Trump for President of the United States!
@LiberalFree2016: nope.
What makes them think he was struck by a Trump supporter? I heard from somebody that it was a black lives matter person that came to the event just to see and hear what was going on.
Can you imagine somebody doing that?
LiberalFree2016,
What on Earth leads you to believe Trump would be able to effect that kind of change? What makes you think that one of the very people who benefits from the status quo would be inclined to fight to change it?
Beyond that, the man is a vocally racist, sexist, classist, xenophobic narcissist who encourages his supporters to physically assault those who speak out against him.
He is a facist who would be incredibly dangerous if he had the power of the presidency, not to mention that he is a downright embarrassment to the US in the eyes of the world.
He was sticking it in faces of many for at least an hour before this happened.
He kept poking, and he got poked. He deserved it. Crash a party, you may get crashed.
I’m just glad that people like LiberalFree2016 spend so much time on comment threads rather than inflicing themselves on the public at large. And please, please, spend as much time and effeort as you can responding to my comment.
I was there, too. And, while it may have been a private event, Tucson taxpayers are shouldering the burden of the extra security required to host a monster at the TCC. Since ACTUALLY I am paying for the security at a “private event” you can shove it. I’d show up again. I’d get pulled off the floor again, and I will continue to scream the message that Trump is a dirty, disgusting, misogynist, racist, narcissistic, party flipper whose values are wholly “whatever it takes” to win the White House. His supporters may be good people, but I don’t know any good people who support Trump. Kind of strange, right?
I, at the Trump rally merely to observe, walked through security with Mr. Sanders. He was nothing but polite going into the arena and was not to my knowledge accompanied by the KKK woman. From across the arena I also witnessed the assault upon Mr. sanders. Let’s not keep blaming the victim for the horrible behavior exhibited by the perpetrator.
Does anybody know who the KKK lady was? It looks like this may also be a new angle. They claim to be supporting Hillary. Is that why they were there?
http://www.vocativ.com/312479/kkk-endorses-hillary-clinton-for-president/
@Suzanne Longo: Thank you! He WAS a Trump supporter and an airman at DM. However, according to the Left, you can’t be Black and be a Trump supporter at the same time. In fact, according to the Left, Black people are not supposed to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time without their help. They are the real racists!
@T.K. Morgan: What makes YOU think he CAN’T effect that kind of change? I’m from NY and I’ve seen what Donald Trump can accomplish. Donald Trump doesn’t need to be president to have power. He’s a billionaire for Christssakes! He could just as soon do nothing and sit back and continue to “benefit from the status quo”. He’s running for president for one reason–he loves his country and so do I. He’s angry and disgusted at the direction this country is going in and so am I. I’ve learned throughout the years that people who are lying to you and don’t give a damn tend to tell you what you WANT to hear. People who are telling the truth and care will tell you what you NEED to hear. I’ve read a couple of his books and his position papers and Trump is saying things that should have been said a long time ago and talking about doing things that should have been done a long time ago! Americans have been getting the short end of the stick from BOTH sides of the aisle for too long. After 8 years of a George Soros-backed Marxist who hates this country, its time for a change we call REALLY believe in. Political correctness is killing us and it has nothing to do with respect. It has to do with stripping us of our freedoms and our pride. The far left has divided us up into groups and pitted us against each other in order to destroy us from within. To hell with “diversity”–American unity is better. To hell with “tolerance”–mutual respect works better! It’s time to take the hyphen out of “American” because its caused us nothing but problems. The Left has called Donald Trump (any anyone else who disagrees with them) all kinds of names but that’s just what the Left does. The only thing necessary to be called a racist, sexist, xenophobe, etc., etc., etc., is to disagree with the accepted mindset of the “Progressive Empire”. I tune that stuff out.
@Impulsenine: Inflicting themselves on the public at large, forcing their ideas down everyone else’s throat, using guerrilla war tactics to shut down political rallies and anyone else who crosses them, name-calling, slandering, destroying the lives of anyone who disagree with them, keeping this country in a state of perpetual racial chaos–no, I’m glad I don’t do that either. I leave that up to the “party of tolerance”.
@Serena Simi: “his supporters may be good people but I don’t know any good people who support Trump”. This statement makes no sense. But I forgive you because I do realize that Liberalism is a mental disorder. I believe you’d show up at a Trump rally again and scream because that’s what the Left is good at: causing chaos and making noise!