How a Large Autonomous Coalition Shut Down “Straight Pride”

The Modesto experience shows both the strength of organizing autonomously, but also how hard it can be sometimes. Autonomous organizers have everything stacked against them: non-profits and local faith leaders push people not to protest, while the police join the attack on communities already under assault by the state and the far-right. While the media can bring attention to the threat of reactionary forces, more often it is simply interested in publishing click-bait and sensationalizing “both sides” without ruffling the feathers of those in power. The ability to go beyond and outside of all of these pitfalls demands of us not only infrastructure, legal observers, medics, communications, media, and beyond, but also the relationships and base building needed to actually organize — especially at a time when social media is hitting a wall of diminishing returns.