Misinformation tying Democrats to Castro and Latin American leftwing governments found its way to the Latinx population in south Florida.[4] This certainly seems to have been a factor in the drifting of these populations toward Trump this election. “Joe, Joe, they think he is a socialist,” said one man in “Little Havana,” Miami, Florida.[5] Trump’s anti-immigration policies, most notoriously allowing ICE to place Spanish-speaking children in cages, on the Mexican border, seemed not to phase some of these voters. Perhaps these results show that, in some cases, those who grew up outside prevalent American systemic racism will not understand certain aspects specific to it. Conversely, many Latin American societies have seen the worst of politics, with “socialism” signaling nothing but capricious authoritarianism. Though nothing like that ever happened here, it’s an easy disinformation target to associate “socialism” in the US with the unique histories of other parts of the globe where these regimes really did exist. This president’s corruption, so glaring to some people, can, for others, hide in the dark and the noise behind words, like “socialism” that in reality signify nothing.

Some might feel the same way about “racism.” If no one threatens violence or makes a bigoted comment, perhaps, or if they see Black politicians and musicians and athletes and actors, then “racism” no longer plays the role that it once did in our society, they might argue. Charges of “racism” from the left might be like charges of “socialism” from the right: words meant to scorn, shame, exclude, mobilize—or just chum for clicks—but without real content. Yet, when you observe what is going on in Detroit today and into tonight, it’s hard not to see “racism” as a very real factor.

Wayne County contains predominantly Black Detroit and, according to the US Census, just under 50% of its occupants identify as white, non-Hispanic.[6] Over one-fifth of the population lives in poverty. The county has suffered from this pandemic disproportionately badly compared to neighboring areas.[7] It is solidly Democratic and voted for Clinton in the 2016 election by almost 300,000 votes.

Just after 9:00 this morning, news outlets noted that Biden’s lead over Trump in Wayne County had pushed him over the top in Michigan more broadly. That lead grew through the morning. Once the president tweeted his displeasure, crowds of white people responded by gathering just outside the space where election workers count absentee ballots at the TCF Center.[8] They wanted admission into the building to “challenge” ballots in the mostly Black city. Dozens more assembled outside the TCF Center chanting, interchangeably, “stop the count” and “count every vote.” Inside, some pounded on the windows surrounding the ballot counting space, shouting “let us in.” Police had to push them back, and workers papered over the windows to keep those outside from posting pictures of those on the inside on social media. Inside the counting space, around 400 registered ballot challengers meandered around the tables all morning, 134 Republicans, 134 Democrats, and 134 not affiliated with either party. But sometime mid-morning, Trump’s campaign filed legal challenges to stop vote counting. A few GOP challengers on the inside of the ballot counting space, some of whom were attorneys, attempted to intimidate poll workers, claiming that the mere filing of the lawsuit should be enough to stop the count. Police eventually removed them because they either took off their masks, crowded the poll counters, attempted to take pictures of ballots and workers, or became verbally aggressive.[9] Republican ballot challengers remained inside the facility, challenging ballots well into the afternoon—227 of them.

By evening, Biden’s lead grew, as predicted. Right-wing media from outside of Michigan produced “evidence” that thousands of illegitimate votes were making their way into the TCF counting room in the back of suspicious vans. That “evidence” turned out to be the local ABC videographer unpacking to film the vote counting and, ironically, the right-winged protesters alleging fraud. All of this agitation to keep the votes of Black folks in Detroit from voting. Nothing approaching this level of intervention occurred in largely white areas of Michigan. It was from these rural areas that men came bearing rifles in April, bursting into the Michigan capital building, threatening even to kidnap the governor.

Even in “liberal” areas of the US, the structures of racism held firm. California voters rejected Proposition 16, a repeal of the state’s ban on affirmative action. Social justice activists are left confused. The national reckoning on racial inequality following the death of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Rashard Brooks, and so many others did not make enough of a difference to voters.[10] Is it because protestors don’t vote? Is it because this summer was replete with white virtue signaling, with no follow-through to actually engage the issues?

With America’s inaction addressing larger structural issues behind racial disparities, one wonders how we will be able to address other broad problems that confront the globe, like the issues surrounding global warming . America officially abandoned the Paris Climate Accords today with just a whisper of protest. It seems that the goal of addressing the warming world is not something that most Americans care about.[11] That can be seen from our response to this phase of coronavirus—with cases quietly trending upward again, perhaps in the wake of Halloween and college football gatherings. Republicans in some rural areas refuse to take the disease seriously even when their political candidates are dying from it.[12] Even when our lives are on the line, some of us will not even put in the ounce of prevention to prevent the pound of cure. Meanwhile, we will storm vote counting locations to make sure “others” cannot take an election from “our side.”

Notes

[1] Timothy R. Bussey, “‘Rainbow Wave’ of LGBTQ Candidates Run and Win in 2020 Election,” The Conversation, November 4, 2020, http://theconversation.com/rainbow-wave-of-lgbtq-candidates-run-and-win-in-2020-election-149066.

[2] Kevin Collier and Ken Dilanian, “Military Says It Took Cyber Action against Russia, Iran Pre Election,” NBC News, November 4, 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/polls-close-election-day-no-apparent-cyber-interference-n1246277; Eric Geller, “Initial Signs Point to Surprisingly Hack-Free Election, but Risks Remain,” MSN, November 4, 2020, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/initial-signs-point-to-surprisingly-hack-free-election-but-risks-remain/ar-BB1aHxvd.

[3] Nitish Pahwa, “Hindu Nationalist Trump Memes Are Everywhere on WhatsApp,” Slate Magazine, October 21, 2020, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/10/trump-whatsapp-hindu-nationalism-modi.html.

[4] Sabrina Rodriguez and Marc Caputo, “‘This Is F—Ing Crazy’: Florida Latinos Swamped by Wild Conspiracy Theories,” Politico, September 14, 2020, https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/14/florida-latinos-disinformation-413923.

[5] Tory Dunnan, “Cuban Americans in South Florida Help President Trump Win State,” WPTV, November 4, 2020, https://www.wptv.com/decodedc/politics/cuban-americans-in-south-florida-help-president-trump-win-the-state.

[6] “U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Wayne County, Michigan,” U.S. Census Bureau, July 1, 2019, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/waynecountymichigan/PST045219.

[7] Kristen Jordan Shamus and Kristi Tanner, “Wayne County, Detroit Account for 47% of State’s Coronavirus Cases,” Detroit Free Press, April 3, 2020, https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2020/04/03/coronavirus-covid-19-cases-wayne-county-detroit-michigan/5116620002/.

[8] Todd Spangler, “Biden Takes Lead in Michigan as Vote Count Continues in Largest Counties,” Holland Sentinel, November 4, 2020, https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20201104/biden-takes-lead-in-michigan-as-vote-count-continues-in–largest-counties.

[9] Kristen Jordan Shamus and Tresa Baldas, “Chaos Erupts at TCF Center as Republican Vote Challengers Cry Foul in Detroit,” Detroit Free Press, November 4, 2020, https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/04/tcf-center-challengers-detroit-michigan/6164715002/.

[10] Alexander Nieves, “California Voters Reject Affirmative Action Measure despite Summer of Activism,” Politico, November 4, 2020, https://politi.co/3erNx4b.

[11] Matt McGrath, “Climate Change: US Formally Withdraws from Paris Agreement,” BBC News, November 4, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54797743.

[12] Harmeet Kaur, “David Andahl: North Dakota Legislature Candidate Died from Covid, Appears to Win,” CNN, November 4, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/04/politics/north-dakota-candidate-died-covid-wins-election-trnd/index.html.