The Secret Service paid me a visit for criticising Trump while Transgender

[Portland_Anni]

Early this past week the wooden door to my apartment was beat like a drum. As a long time environmental activist used to dealing with weird and nasty behavior from 'Freddies' and cops dealing with protest and non-violent civil disobedience I knew right away this had to be a cop situation. I quickly got out of bed exiting into the hall closing and locking my door. Two Secret Servicemen informed me that they got a report I might be dangerous to Trump because when talking to someone using a veteran resource my anger and disgust of Trump alarmed them and made them fear for his life.

It was easy to give them enough information to check me out and confirm the sad fact that at age 62 I had failed to be arrested for anything more than non-violent protest offenses like trespassing and passive resistance. There would never be close to enough evidence to prove anything more then when making a point politically I can be bombastic, annoying and in your face. I am not violent, nor am I a criminal.

The only violence I have been involved with when protesting was when I was attacked by a young inexperienced security guard who caused me to fall forty three feet while climbing a tree in a city tree cutting protest at a Nike Store construction site breaking my arms, skull and right leg. I was in a coma several days and suffered permanent impairment to my memory and range of motion and nerves in my arms. I could of hurt or killed the young man by fighting back, but that would have been damaging to the message of the protest and reputation of me and future protesters dealing with environmental issues.

So I was highly annoyed but not worried about their presence. Historically I already had been charged with disrespecting the flag by having my fingers out of alignment while saluting the flag while in the 82nd Airborne Division and presented with non-judicial punishment options in the 1970s. In this sanction my commanding officer in my troop in 1/17th Airborne (Air) Cav would be the judge jury and executioner as he obviously would find me guilty. I would no doubt have been giver a couple more and kicked from the Army as a suspected gay man as was the norm back then.

I took it to Special Court Martial, won acquittaland went on to make Sergeant E-5 and become a helicopter crewchief. I was then the victim of reputation assassination by homophobes back then, so to find that a VA human asset had used verbiage criticising and expressing revulsion for Trump to punish an uppity transgender woman didn't actually surprise me much.

I later found out when I got to work I was now unemployed as no doubt they had gone to my work place and been the kiss of death to my job. I had said that I hope Trump does us all a favor and dies in the immediate aftermath of the election, but that was merely an expressed hope, not a threat. Being bombastic is not a crime. Neither is being transgender.... At least not yet.

My only crime obviously was pissing off a Trump supporter who hates people like me. I have never threatened to kill anyone or committed violence that could send me to jail or prison. My criminal record only reveals that I wantonly commit non-violent civil disobedience with impunity. Being a pain in the butt politically is just not much of a crime.

I am not going to start pulling my rhetorical punches and let a hater trying to bait the SS into action against me shut me up I should say. If anything, I am much more disposed to notching up my political activity and becoming more involved in fighting to remove the lying, pussygrabbing piece of shit from office than I have been planning to.

I don't need to get even, I just need to increase my political activity and efficacy. I also think people should be proactive and talk about it if the Feds or other authorities contact them to suppress political activity. We can't fight it if we don't know about it when it happens.

[BSdetect]

1. Amazing that we now experience the same Nazi "dob in your neighbor" climate

That was largely how they spread their web of terror.

Reported for making an obviously non violent threat?

What next? Only "truthspeak" acceptable?

[HAB911]

2. With this

we are all in the same boat with you, just a matter of time before we all get the knock unless we stop it

[Portland_Anni]

5. This is a worry of mine.

The powers that be love to exploit any oppertunity to make people fear the consequences of pro-active political efficacy. People like Ghandi, Steve Biko - the father of the Black conscious ness movement in South Africa, Dr. Martin Luther King are heroes and role models for me. I am just not ever going to cross any line that hurts my political causes or personal standards of behavior.

But many people are tempted to shut up and hide if scared, so law enforcement entities and Trump apologists and supporters will work to prevent free speech and the exercise of the right to express political dissent. It is better to speak one's mind or practice peaceful dissent or non-violent civil disobedience and work to suppress or stop the use of these tactics.

Regarding the danger the damage to our democracy and national reputation Trump is causing, it is far better to engage and remove the problem using tools long shown to be politically effective when used in numbers, even if one's voice quivers or knees shake while doing so. I was in the military to serve and protect, but that is a job we all must take on in times like this, even if it involves inconvenience and is unpleasent to do so. It is a proven fact that not fighting back to defend rights and liberty risks losing both.

[AgadorSparticus]

3. Thank you for your years of protesting to protect the environment.

[Portland_Anni]

6. Thank you for the kind words

I also should say I'd like to thank those two SS agents for being courteous enough to respect that I am female and use the correct pronouns. I don't appreciate the mechanism of dissent suppression they are involved in, but I will give them credit where credit is due. I have nothing against them on a person to person level.

[enough]

15. A remarkable detail in this story, says a lot about them but especially about you.

Thanks for your OP, and your human tolerance.

[Dustlawyer]

4. +1!!!

Welcome to DU!!!

[PatSeg]

7. Thanks for sharing your story

[keepthemhonestO]

8. Wow

that must have been so scary.It would be for me anyway. You are quick on your feet. They definitely want to shut us all up. I am sorry about the job that's a bummer.

[El Mimbreno]

9. Yep, it's starting. nt

[Scruffy1]

10. Hats off to you.

I have been involved in many protests, but have never suffered violence like you have. Only the occasional foreign object hurled at me. It seems the fascist are in power and we have to deal with it, somehow, but backing down is not an option. I was actually ready to leave the country, but am now thinking the fight maybe more important. We all need to to abandon politeness and realize what we are dealing with. The only safeyy is large numbers.

[heaven05]

11. a true dictatorship

being formed and made solid. Fucking nazis are marching.

[Equinox Moon]

12. Thanks for sharing. This is very concerning.

I have little doubt grabberman and his nazi minions will fully access the massive spy apparatus and use it against us.

I don't use a cell phone and take other measures to protect myself. I hope you are careful with electronics.

May you find a better job!

[magoo221]

13. Thank you for your service

Then and now

[HelenWheels]

14. My daughter was attacked on FB by a relative

My daughter expressed to a family member that those that need a wall to "protect" them are cowards. This set off the relative who contacted USA Today who saw fit to print the squabble in the local paper (an affiliate of USA Today). My daughter has served on our school board for several years. The relative called the Board president who to his credit blew her off when she proposed he "fire" my daughter. Most of the comments in the newspaper backed my daughter saying it was wrong of the other woman to try and take away my daughter's seat on the Board.

[lpbk2713]

16. They hoped to intimidate you.

Good for you that it didn't work.




I had NJP in the 1960's. It was a waste of everyone's time.
If you can believe it ... they were writing people up for going
to the beach and getting sunburned. They called it destruction
of government property if they decided it affected your work
performance. Seriously. I still find it hard to believe.

[LAS14]

17. Scary!!! nt

[Quayblue]

18. Rec & a heart for you.

[janlyn]

19. I am truly sorry

you had to experience that,but sounds like you know how to hold your own against such individuals. Thank you for sharing your story! I think this will be a common thing if this administration has their way. I fear for my niece,nephew and LGBT friends. The trump administration has simply brought to a head, a nasty pustule that has been festering for a while. Horrible people who now feel it is alright to say and do anything they please. May you stay safe my friend!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. She (Portland_Anni) Persisted.

Thank you!

Do you have grounds for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit?

Best wishes.

[Portland_Anni]

21. I do. But I am going to be moving back to Eugene, OR from Portland anyway.

I also actually have trouble with memory issues from a near fatal head injury when I was dislodged from a tree by a law enforcement sort of guy and fell 43 feet in a tree cutting protest in Eugene 23 July 1998. My regular job starts back up 1 June this year in Eugene after a major reconstruction project. I've primarily been in Portland to go to culinary school to increase my skills in the year they are closed in Eugene. I would say I prefer to call it good and move on from this recent job.

In this job I just lost I deal with the public and my boss was worried because a few of the conservative ones worried about a transgendered person like me preparing their food and the fact I am more notorious as a conservation and political activist locally than he realized.

I have more important things to do actually than fight with this idiot. It's all good.

[JudyM]

22. Good attitude you have, uppity woman persisting. Eugene is such a great place, best of luck to you!