Thread by @abreezeclayton

Rural organizing story time: I was driving home tonight with my friend Noah in the car with me and we were discussing the number of speeding tickets I’ve gotten. Now, I fully admit — I’ve had a good number lol. I was in the middle of arguing the point of because I’m on the road…

…more organizing in rural places, I’ve had more speeding tickets. And then…that got me me thinking. About the one time I was rural organizing, I was pulled over, but I DIDN’T receive a ticket. And Noah looked at me and he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you tell that one.”

So I told him of the time of when a cop didn’t give me a speeding ticket on my way home from a day of field organizing.

Sometimes folks often think i only see the good side of rural organizing! But that’s not always true. Rural organizing is — a lot.

There was a day in Iowa…

…obviously during my time as an organizer in the Iowa caucus, and I was the Grinnell Library in Poweshiek County. Grinnell is a very small, beautiful blue hub in the middle of a big, rural sea of red. And I was there that day putting up fliers for a mamas4kamala event…

I was going to host in the park near the library a week later. I had asked the librarian and she said it was fine, and I was in the middle of putting up a flier when an older man came up behind me and said, “that’s for the wrong party isn’t it?” I had a smile on my face before…

I could even turn around. “No sir, the Democratic Party— that’s the one I belong to. Have you heard about Kamala Harris?”

The words coming out of my mouth because I had done this a hundred times and I thought I knew just about everything anyone would ever say to me about…

being a democrat in rural county. What I didn’t expect was for this old man to proceed to take his hand and grab me around the back of my neck. His fingers gripped my neck and continued to shake my head aggressively. He said something else and his - wife - who was beside him…

throughout all of this, pulled him away from me. And he let go and walked away.

And I was left frozen in place in the middle of the public library. My hands were shaking and I felt the tears before I realized I was crying. And I was so damn mad.

It was the first time as an organizer that I didn’t know what to do — and the first time as a rural organizer that I was afraid of people in my turf.

I cried the whole drive home that day from poweshiek to benton. Including when the cop stopped me to try and give me a ticket…

…but couldn’t because his computer couldn’t get service to even print the paper. So he let me off with a warning.

I tell this story because people think 2016 or 2020 was the worst we saw of anger and violence of canvassers/organizers on the doors / just in rural communities…

and I’m here to tell you that’s just not true. There’s more anger for / towards the democratic party in rural communities now more than ever — and I think campaigns + staff really need to be strategically thinking about how to approach these areas from a safety perspective.

I’m always going to believe in knocking ever door + talking to everyone regardless of party affiliation. But sending organizers — especially young women and non-binary organizers into rural communities that they are not from nor signed up willingly to organize in — is worrying…

And campaigns continue to do this all the time. It’s time we have better safety training.

This thread is also to say to young, #rural organizers — there will come a time that will test your ability to stay and love organizing in these communities. Do what you need to do for yourself. And know you’re not alone — always always always know that.

if you’ve made it to this tweet — like it for me bc I’m coming to ur wedding this was a hella long thread lol

BUT as I tell everyone I tell my personal story to: if it’s a long story — don’t make it short. ✨

Also just because there have been a lot of replies around this thread with “rural America is this or that” + I just want to make perfectly clear: I love rural America. I believe in rural America. I know rural America is worth fighting for. It’s is why I’m still here organizing.

I love rural Iowa. There are so many good people fighting to make rural Iowa a better place. But it’s going to take a lot of time.

This thread is focused around a) organizer safety and b) supporting rural organizers. Not bashing rural America. Or the people who live here.