“I love you. I want your voice to be heard. And, I’ll be honest, I go to sleep afraid that you might die each night that I hear the airplane circle and sirens blare.”
A city councilman in Olympia, Washington wrote a "love letter" to Antifa militants last year during the violent George Floyd riots and is now running to retain his seat on Olympia City Council.
Clark Gilman, Olympia City Councilman since 2016 and member of the public safety committee, penned a letter to Antifa in May 2020 titled A Love Letter to a Friend Dressed in Black.
The letter reads:
"I recently received a Facebook Message from one of the people breaking windows and spray painting buildings downtown Olympia. They asked me why I wasn't joining them in the streets and if I really believed that working inside of the system as a Councilmember could create any positive change. Here's my response to my friend dressed all in black and draped in homemade armor."
My love letter to a friend dressed in black. There is hope. https://t.co/zqiQu64wyH
— Clark Gilman (@clarkgilman)
"I love you. I want your voice to be heard. And, I'll be honest, I go to sleep afraid that you might die each night that I hear the airplane circle and sirens blare," Gilman said.
"You and I agree that we want all people to be liberated from the threat of State-sponsored violence. That we want all people to have an opportunity to have their needs met, to feel safe, and to have a feeling of belonging. Yes, I do believe that working inside the system, coupled with outside pressure on the system, can and will create positive social change," Gilman continued. "I have great hope for a more just and humane world. It breaks my heart that you don't share that hope. I'm genuinely surprised that you've decided anonymously smashing storefronts is the most powerful action available to you."
"Be safe out there. Don't die on the streets tonight...We have a long road ahead of us, time is short and we need to keep moving," Gilman concluded.
Clark Gilman, who is also Olympia's Mayor Pro-tem, showed more anger towards a car show taking place during the pandemic than he did towards Antifa terrorizing businesses and his constituents during last year's perpetual riots. Gilman expressed his frustrations in a letter to city council members, the city manager, and the Olympia police chief.
"I am very concerned that over 100 people are gathered at the Isthmus this evening and a second group is gathered at Martin Way Autobody for two car shows. Hot rods are cruising downtown between the two events," Gilman said, according to The David Ross Show.
"These gatherings of large crowds of people, in my perception, are acts of violence intended to spread the COVID-19 infection further through our community," Gilman added.
Following the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, Gilman called for individuals that went to the rally to be held accountable for their actions in a Twitter post. An individual quickly pointed out the councilman's hypocrisy and said that Gilman "wants rule of law" except for when "protesters are vandalizing the city."
Since last year, the city of Olympia has been at the forefront of political violence. Most recently this past September, an Antifa militant shot a right wing protester unprovoked during an anti-mandate rally at the state Capitol. These "black-clad" protesters are the same one's that city councilmam Gilman supports.
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