Press release<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BATAVIA, New York\u2014The Genesee County Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America
(DSA) is organizing an antifascist teach-in on Saturday, August 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Austin
Park [https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Xaos1d8X1nQLLtRD7] to stand against the local stop of the
\u201cReAwaken America Tour\u201d (RAT).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tour is \u201can opportunity for fascists to spread hate and recruit,\u201d said Gina Schelemanow, a
member of the ROC DSA Genesee County Branch Organizing Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is important to understand why they are doing this and actively stand against it.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The August 12 and 13 stop was originally planned for the Main Street Armory in Rochester. A
grassroots effort led by Rochester DSA (ROC DSA) [https:\/\/rocdsa.org\/] and the Rochester
Mutual Aid Network (RMAN) [https:\/\/rocmutualaid.com\/] successfully pressured the owner of the
venue to cancel the stop. The stop was then moved to the Cornerstone Church in Batavia.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the teach-in, speakers will argue \u201cdemagogues like the RAT speakers take people\u2019s
justified anxiety and anger about the state of the country and the world and blame the weak for
the decisions of powerful elites,\u201d said Logan Wyatt Cole, a member of the ROC DSA Genesee
County Branch Organizing Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese people are desperate to stop working people from banding together to make the government work for us. They spread hate to turn us violently against each other\u2014while they laugh all the way to the bank,\u201d Cole added.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schelemanow put the teach-in in context: \u201cThis is also a moment to come together as a larger
Western New York Community that has resisted the RAT for months and reflect on victories, as
well as how to fight fascism locally in the future.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The teach-in organizers have worked closely with organizers from the ROC DSA and RMAN.
Several other organizations have urged supporters to attend the teach-in, including, locally,
GLOW Women Rise.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gina Schelemanow of Genesee County DSA urged opponents of fascism, opponents of
Christian nationalism, and opponents of white supremacy to attend the teach-in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile we will be three miles away from the hatefest, people who attend far-right events do have a history of aggressive behavior.\u201d Schelemanow therefore suggested that parents exercise caution when
deciding whether to bring children along.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Press release BATAVIA, New York\u2014The Genesee County Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America(DSA) is organizing an antifascist teach-in on Saturday, August 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., at AustinPark [https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Xaos1d8X1nQLLtRD7] to stand against the local stop of the\u201cReAwaken America Tour\u201d (RAT). The tour is \u201can opportunity for fascists to \u2026<\/p>\n