Yorba Linda, Orange County, California

MAGA Thugs Attack, Fighter for Justice Faces Outrageous Charges

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September 26, just three days after the decision came out to not charge police for the murder of Breonna Taylor (one officer was given three counts of a minor felony charge for the shots he missed which could have hurt someone else), the Urban Organizers Coalition, a coalition made up of several organizations, called for a rally and march against police brutality, social injustice, and systemic racism in Yorba Linda, California. The Revolution Club and Refuse Fascism have worked together with many of those involved in the coalition, and were part of this demonstration.

As one member of the Revolution Club noted, Yorba Linda, part of Orange Country just outside of Los Angeles, has a history of racism, including being one of many “Sundown Towns,” known as places where white mobs would arrest, attack or even lynch non-white people found there after sundown. Fitting to that legacy, the rally by the Urban Organizers Coalition of about 60 people was surrounded more than 3 to 1 by Trump MAGA mobs, jeering and shouting racist taunts and vile insults against Breonna Taylor and repeatedly assaulting the rally, all while deputy sheriffs either stood by or corralled those being assaulted. 

In the ensuing chaos, many heroic people pulled together, including revcoms who helped people find their courage and determination to stand against this outrageous fascist assault. Facing attacks and repeated splitting apart of the rally by Trump supporters and police, people persevered to march against systemic racism and murders by police. The assault on this march is the kind of mobilization Trump has called for to terrorize and intimidate people standing up for justice, “to dominate the streets” in cities and towns across this country.

At the end of the rally, an incident occurred where one woman, part of the Urban Organizers Coalition, was arrested and charged with attempted murder for driving her car into a crowd. The woman, Tatiana Turner, has pleaded not guilty and is being held in jail on 1 million dollars bail, unable to get the truth out about what actually happened. 

What  is known at this time is: 1) This came after hours of a hostile MAGA crowd surrounding protesters, and repeatedly attacking and assaulting those who were there for Black Lives, including Tatiana, while the deputies did nothing to stop this violent MAGA mob; 2) The incident occurred as she was trying to leave the area; 3) A defense lawyer has communicated that she repeatedly attempted to get assistance from nearby deputies to help her safely leave the area that was surrounded by the hostile, violent crowd of Trump supporters. She maintains she feared for her life when her vehicle was surrounded and blocked from leaving by this crowd before the incident occurred.

One million dollar bail and attempted murder charges! To put this in perspective for a minute, according to Ari Weil, deputy director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, there have been over 100 cases of cars running into protesters since the uprisings that began after the police murder of George Floyd. Only two, including Tatiana’s case, are alleged to not have been carried out against those protesting for Black Lives, and at least 43 of those cases have been identified as having been carried out with clear “malicious intent,” meaning they were done while shouting racial slurs or by people declaring their hatred toward protests, or otherwise admittedly intending harm. In a number of those cases, drivers receive far more lenient treatment and much lighter charges, and in some cases are not charged at all.1 

What is going down in Yorba Linda has ominous meaning for everyone who cares about justice, the environment, and a future worth living for humanity. Tatiana should be given the full support of the movement that has come together to protest against police brutality, for justice and against systemic racism. This means getting legal help in fighting these charges, and political support making known the facts of her case and demanding justice. We will continue to stay on top of this situation, and keep our readers informed of how they can be part of standing up against these charges Tatiana is facing.  

Trump has been ranting about “law and order” and “retribution” against “left-wing mobs” and encouraging “Second Amendment people” to put down those he calls “mobs.” Unleashing this force of violent white supremacists is part of how Trump is destroying the election to stay in power and fully consolidate a fascist program. As people continue to stand up against these kinds of fascist attacks on the people, everyone now needs to be taking up the mission of RefuseFascism.org to bring people in the streets day after day with the unified demand Trump/Pence OUT NOW!

 

1. Cars have hit demonstrators 104 times since George Floyd protests began, USA Today, 9/27/20.  [back]


Photo: RefuseFascism.org

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