Netroots movement confronts a protest, and its future

For those attending Netroots Nation for the first time, the comparisons or contrasts were drawn with their own work prior to coming to Phoenix, and, of course, from seeing how the other attendees reacted to the BlackRoots protest.

“The intersection with BLM [Black Lives Matter] on Saturday morning was by far the most memorable event,” said Bob Lord, a Phoenix resident who writes for the state-focused website Blog for Arizona. Lord thought the conference organizers handled the moment well, but could not say the same for O’Malley and Sanders. “It turned out to be a case study in how not to run for office.”

“That the speakers didn’t take the opportunity to show their support and think on their feet is not surprising, but very telling,” said another conference rookie, Liz Arnold, a green energy activist from Pennsylvania. She thought disruptions like this were positives, both for assessing the candidates and for the conference.

Lord thought it good for the governor and senator, too. “Both candidates confronted with the situation Saturday are better candidates today because of it. It may have been painful for them, but they’re both improved.”

For those involved in the demonstration, that probably remains to be seen. When Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors took the stage and confronted O’Malley, she wanted specifics.

“I want to hear concrete actions. I want to hear an action plan. That's what we want to hear. And we want to hear it from Bernie Sanders too."

And concrete action on the part of conference organizers is likely also expected. “Progressives need to come together and address this issue head on, not wrap it in everybody else’s stuff but say separately that black lives matter and we’re going to push policies and do something about it,” said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, an African American, soon after the Netroots Nation protest.

And many thought that the protests could help Netroots Nation improve.

True, during the BLM demonstration, some in the audience grew visibly annoyed with the loud and lengthy interruption, creating an uncomfortable disconnect for a conference built around advocating disruption. But the dominant takeaway for most, at every experience level, appeared to be positive.

At a conference panel organized to examine lessons learned from last year’s massive climate march in New York City, which convened shortly after the interrupted candidates’ forum, the moderator introduced the session with an acknowledgment of the morning’s protest, saying it would be best to spend some time discussing how “systemic racism [is] related to the climate movement.”

Other panels reportedly took similar stock. For Arnold, the sessions she attended after the demonstration “were more productive and much more meaningful because if it.”

“I feel, in a lot of ways, Netroots Nation is really responsive to demands,” said conference veteran Levin, observing that, over the years, the event has diversified from the topics covered to the kinds of attendees to the demographics of the crowd.

“One thing the conference has done well is expand the number of people of color who attend,” said Wheeler, acknowledging that the grievances voiced by Black Lives Matter demonstrators show there is still much room for improvement. (Wheeler also wondered if more could be done to include the physically disabled and questioned whether organizers considered the conflict with the end of Ramadan when scheduling this year’s conference.)

Bringing a national conference to cities with pitched regional battles was also seen as a change for the better by the Netroots vets. Wheeler and Levin noted how in Detroit and Phoenix, the “professional left,” unions and activists from all over the United States gained a better understanding of issues like water rights and immigration, and how local advocates gained from the interaction and attention as well.

The shift was intentional, according to Hasan. “We want to take the huge community, the talent of the activists and the indie media” and connect it with the local community to put their issues “on stage and leave the world with something when we leave.”

Longtime attendees do feel something has been lost, however. There was only one foreign policy panel in Phoenix, though Wheeler, whose focus tends toward national security issues, did praise it. And Dayen, who has written extensively about the harm caused by the financial sector during the mortgage crisis, felt “Occupy-style economic justice” activism was in short supply.

Still, the first-timers were energized by the panels, state caucuses and networking, and even the ten-for-tenners had praise for the bold-faced names chosen to keynote sessions in he main hall.

“I take it as a good sign that Donna Edwards got a keynote this year,” said Wheeler, noting that past conferences had shied away from giving these speeches to Democrats headed into potentially divisive primary fights (Rep. Edwards and Rep. Chris Van Hollen are both vying for the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s 2016 U.S. Senate race).

“We are more explicitly political,” said Hasan, looking at the way Netroots Nation has evolved. “The line between activists and the professional left is not a bright line.”

Did Hasan worry that this approach and the national attention garnered by the Black Lives Matter protest would discourage prominent politicians from attending future conferences?

“Only two people were protested and those are the two people running to be the most powerful people in the country.”

“When people come to our stage they should know we are a group of progressives,” Hasan said. “Netroots won’t call security or cut the mic.”

Hasan said engaging tough issues is what Netroots Nation should be about.

“This is literally speaking truth to power.”