maxcooperavl.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

submitted 3 hours ago • 0 comments

My coverage of yesterday's protest in #ashevillenc which I totally forgot to post here, lolz. #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest #avlnews open.substack.com/pub/maxcoope...

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[2/2] "A great and bloody fight round this whole world tonight . . . Good people, what are we waiting on?" youtu.be/-3xUPpkxAco?... #avlnews #april19 #50501protest

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

In traffic in garage. Thinking about the boomer guy who got in my face. He said, "tear the fascists down, you know, like the woody guthrie song." Indeed i do know. He's the perfect illustration for today. If leaders won't hear the crowd's anger, they'll turn it on each other. #avlnews #april19 [1/2]

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Alright, program is wrapped up. Back to desk to get photos posted. For record, some APD officers watching from a distance. #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest

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... [2/2] would do any good. He said no. Said he was worried i would give my pics to the gestalt. I promised I wouldn't. We shook hands and went our separate ways. #avlnews #asheville #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest

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I approached, raised camera. Guy gives me the finger. Shoot photo, nod, he approaches me. Told him to give me space, he would not. Said I would step back and i wanted him not to follow. He agreed. I asked him what he was so angry about. He said "all of this! Trump!" Asked if he thought this [1/2] ..

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Heard screaming from the middle of the crowd: Older guy in boomer fit bouncing around and yelling TEAR THE FASCISTS DOWN! COME ON, GET ANGRY! #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #50501protest

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Speaker with the Free Palestine folks asking photographers to ask for speakers' consent before taking pictures. What are your thoughts on this y'all? #avlnews #april19 #50501protest

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Free Palestine folks are definitely a competitive show. Actually chanting. Someone says "I hope they can hear us over there." #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest

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#ashevillenc council critters on stage: Maggie Ulman and Bo Hess. Both making comparatively passionate remarks. #avlnews #april19 #50501protest

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Calls for a medic ring out. Show stops. I went running across the Plaza cause I carry a FAK (i am NOT a medic). Seems to be unrelated to any conflict. Heat exhaustion, seizure issue maybe? All seems well with the individual now but after running I might need a medic. #avlnews #asheville #april19

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Long pause btwn speakers. Meanwhile, tri-corn hat guy: "Our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor!" #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest

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Speaker: "i was on the board of directors for a great organization called...." Simultanelously overheard in the crowd: "What is the remedy for treason?" #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #50501protest

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1.5 hrs in, local TV cameras are setting up. To their credit, Mtn Xpress has had someone here the whole time. I see other journos but none wearing branding. #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #50501protest #fiftyfiftyone

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Also, for the record, two APD cruisers and an unmarked vehicle are parked on college st in front of the courthouse but do not seem to be here for the protest. #avlnews #april19

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There is a steady stream of folks trickling back to their cars. #avlnews #april19

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The faux townhall continues. Some of the speakers seem to have realized what the crowd is here for. "No disappearances" = roar of approval. #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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Still, most passionate speech is coming from tri-corn hat guy. #april19 #handsoff #avlnews #ashevillenc

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But, followup: big cheer from crowd when speaker concluded with "EVERY PERSON IS ENTITLED TO DUE PROCESS OF LAW!" #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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Back near stage. Current speaker: "We need to let them know how we feeling 2026, and really, even before then." #avlnews #ashevillenc #fiftyfiftyone #april19

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Crowd as of 1300 local time in the #ashevillenc #april19 protest. #avlnews

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[2/2]...low turnout due to easter weekend and that the protests are too close together. Said people are "saving their powder." #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #ashevillenc #handsoff

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Exactly one protesters at Patton/Broadway. If you are not in City-County Plaza, you don't know it's happening. I asked some folks who were leaving the protest what they thought, and they said ... [1/2] #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #ashevillenc

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Pub cycle full of tourists singing "Don't Stop Believing" glides through the crowd on Spruce St. Just another day in #ashevillenc #april19 #avlnews #fiftyfiftyone

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Competing/complimentary speeches going on nearby at with the Free Palestine crowd. #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #handsoff #fiftyfiftyone

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Next up to the stage: a former Tryon city council woman? #avlnews #handsoff #april5

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The best part of being an indie journo is that I can say the obvious: The disconnect between the vacation-bible-school tone of the programming and the "Make Fascists Afraid Again" tenor of the crowd is very awkward. #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19

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To my earlier question about how the "townhall" aspect would work, organizers have brought out people holding cutouts of Tillis, Budd and Edwards, our reps in congress. #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #handsoff

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Back to work: zero visible law enforcement. Drones overhead but they seem to be from the crowd. This time there are not even volunteers directing traffic. No counter protesters. "Good Trouble" song still going. Crowd not singing along. #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #ashevillenc

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Can someone out there send me media from other cities? What's happening in the world while #ashevillenc is watching Andy Griffith reruns? #april19 #handsoff #fiftyfiftyone

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Have so far name-dropped John Lewis 3x. Y'all. #avlnews #handsoff #ashevillenc #april19

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Currently WomanSong is on stage singing about Good Trouble. #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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This is the speech being delivered to a crowd carrying signs with the founders' revolutionary words? #avlnews #handsoff #ashevillenc #fiftyfiftyone #april19

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Current speaker: "we believe the democrat part is the best (unintelligible mumbling)." Yeah, lady, chuck shumer called. He wants his campaign mailer copy back. #avlnews #april19

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If my tone seems overly critical, consider what happened here at the #blacklivesmatter protests in 2020. Or even the Occupy Wall St days of the early 2010s. It's sad the AVL liberal establishment can't show up when brown people are being disappeared daily. #avlnews #april19

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Speaker: "If you're interested, you can sign up at the table in the back..." #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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Tri-corn hat guy reading quotes from founders: "the ballot, the pulpit, the pen!" #avlnews #ashevillenc #april19

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Speaker reminding crowd that this gathering will be peaceful and family friendly. I guess Jay Carey yelling FUCK DONALD TRUMP was a little more than the organizers bargained for? #avlnews #april19

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12pm. Officially underway. #avlnews #april19

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Interestingly, re crowd demos, I'm seeing more visibly disabled folks than last time. Perhaps in response to RFKjr's latest comments? Crowd size still increasing. Think it will reach "thousands" but nowhere near last time. #avlnews #april19 #handsoff #fiftyfiftyone

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"Activism Fair." #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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Crowd size picking up. Correction on demos: A handful of people of color in the crowd. #avlnews #april19 #ashevillenc #fiftyfiftyone

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Crowd demos: I'm mid 40s and there are very few here younger than me. Have not seen a POC yet. #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone #avlnews

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But . . . Brass Your Heart is on scene! #avlnews #april19 #fiftyfiftyone

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