Author Jonathan Metzl was about to make a point about his book, “Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland,” when he looked toward the front of the Politics and Prose bookstore, on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest D.C.
“I see this well-organized chain of eight or 10 white men, there was a woman also, there was a guy in front with a bullhorn. They were very well orchestrated — they had a videographer with them,” Metzl told MSNBC.
Through a bullhorn, as some in the audience booed, an unidentified, self-proclaimed white nationalist, said his group “can offer the workers of this country a homeland, their birthright, in addition to health care, good jobs, and so forth.”
Metzl said after initial concern that the intrusion might lead to violence, that didn’t happen.
Soooooo I’m at @PoliticsProse for #IndependentBookstoreDay and a group of white nationalists just interrupted an author’s talk on how the politics of racial resentment is killing the heartland. pic.twitter.com/G0tOdE6MIy
— dckath (@dckath) April 27, 2019
“Then there was this remarkable moment of bravery where people in the crowd started standing up, and pushing back, and people of all ages and backgrounds started booing and booing,” said Metzl.
As the booing got louder, the group began a chant of “This land is our land,” and walked out of the bookstore.
No physical contact occurred, nobody was injured, and no damage was done to the store.
