In Omak, Wash., a city of fewer than 5,000 located in the foothills of the Okanogan Highlands, plans for a demonstration began in a private chat on Facebook Messenger.
But public threats poured in when Sinai Espinoza, a 19-year-old student at a local community college, joined other young women in promoting their “Peaceful March for George Floyd.” The violent messages on social media included a vow that “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” echoing President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Twitter. Another characterized the upcoming gathering as “free target practice.” Continue reading “As protests spread to small-town America, militia groups respond with online threats and armed intimidation”
