Omaha, NE: March Report Back

Submitted to It’s Going Down

This fall and winter in Nebraska has been quite unprecedented in terms of radical organizing and resistance. New above ground groups including Omaha ABC, Nebraska Antifa and La Alianza have been providing anti-capitalist perspectives in a place that has not seen major anarchist and anti-authoritarian resistance since the disappearance of the summit hopping crews of the early 2000’s. Like most places there has been an infusion of energy into projects from newly disenfranchised left-leaning folks, and in the weeks after the election there were multiple protest marches in downtown. Like most marches in Omaha these crowds of over 200 stayed on the sidewalk and obeyed all traffic laws. For some the thought of simply stepping in the street was too violent an act. In this context, the J20 march here, stood out as a potential starting point for more intense confrontation and resistance to fascism.

People gathered across from the downtown public library during the afternoon. Various leftists, socialists and anarchists were a part of a crowd that numbered above 100. Numerous pamphlets were distributed by multiple groups while a number of diverse speakers shared their view on the rise of Trump and the resistance to white supremacists in Nebraska. There were also multiple banners reading; “Antifa Nebraksa”, “We are ungovernable”, and “Smash White Power.”

A giant paper-mâché Trump head was stomped and smashed before the march set off down 14th street. After a number of blocks following the sidewalk a few people started taking the street and the rest quickly followed. For the next hour the march snaked through the Old Market business district taking the street whenever it could before getting strong-armed back to the sidewalk by cops. Eventually more police reinforcements were called-in including the Metro Emergency Response Vehicle and the paddy wagon. Gradually, it became clear that any further confrontation with the police would be met with a mass arrest. While the march had a large black bloc contingent it was apparent that people were not quite ready to fight back or to potentially de-arrest comrades and so the march stayed to the sidewalk and returned to the site of the earlier rally.  A few minutes later two cars with Iowa license plates began circling the block with confederate flags flying and playing the opening line of “I wish I was in Dixie” on horns affixed to the roof. They made a loop around the rally sight but then were stopped by a red light, right in front of a boiling mad crowd of antifa. People swarmed the cars, evaded the police and snatch one of the flags. A moment later, the flag was burning on the ground and a small group of cops moved in and grabbed two people. There was a moment when the larger bloc could have moved in to protect the pinned protesters but it didn’t happen and quickly multiple officers and cruisers sped up and secured the arrest area.

Reflecting on the march and the police response, it was clear that the OPD was not ready for a combative black bloc to persistently take the streets and disregard their orders. Even though the police had prepared snipers on a roof adjacent to the announced route, individual cops seemed timid and scared. Over and over again, officers would approach the march and ask “Please, move to the sidewalk,” and over and over again they were met with insults and chants of ACAB. Some officers looked visible shook, while others were obviously not willing to confront the march until backup arrived.

Leading up to the march many of us did not know what to expect.  The size of the crowd and feistiness of the participants left us pleasantly surprised and elated. While marked with a certain amount of timidity, people clearly exhibited a desire to have each others’ backs and there was almost a complete lack of internal bickering or peace policing that could have plagued the diverse crew of people involved. There were moments when it seemed like things could have been taken farther, when the crowd which seemed to include a number of people of limited experience nonetheless desired to push the boundaries of what was possible.  For us, this is very encouraging.  From our perspective, the mainstream media crews (or at least their cameras) most definitely should have been ejected much sooner than they were. Furthermore, if the boldness of the bloc had been a few shades more intense and confrontational, the police surely would have been even more outpaced and bewildered than they were.  It seems like they would have had to mobilize an even greater number of officers than they did just to cope and return the shopping district to a semblance of normalcy.

It feels like there is a lot of new energy in Omaha.  Let’s get ready to rumble.  2017, we’re fucking coming for you!