Mark Fisher, an ex-Black Lives Matter leader in Rhode Island, has been a staunch supporter of both the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and former President Donald Trump. According to the Epoch Times, Fisher considers the Proud Boys and other groups comprising the Jan. 6 insurrectionists political prisoners.
“They’re lambs led to slaughter to be sacrificed as an example for all who might want to dissent in the future,” Fisher said. “This is what the government does to those who express independent thought and want to stand up for what they believe.”
Since abandoning his position as Black Lives Matter Rhode Island chapter president, Fisher has established a splinter organization, Black Lives Incorporated. Fisher, who is a former pastor according to the Epoch Times, holds positions that seem to trade in conspiracy theories.
Fisher blames Antifa, a leftist movement of anti-fascists, for inciting violence at protests in much the same way that Trump did
when he was in office. Fisher said, “Antifa had a lot to do with the riots of 2020, and there were a lot of anarchist groups who just wanted to take advantage of the moment and were out for destruction.”Fisher also believes that the government and the media cannot be trusted; even though he did not use the term “deep state” like some far-right conservatives have, his remarks illuminate a disdain for government in general.
“I don’t trust the federal or state government as far as I can throw them, and the media is trying to stop us from uniting,” Fisher l explained. “It’s the same media that caused the division between all of these marginalized groups in the first place to keep us at each other’s throats.”
Fisher, who claims not to trust or endorse any political party, seems to believe that contrary to reports from the mainstream media, Donald Trump’s policies are good for Black people in general.
Fisher said, “If you look at his policies, what he’s done for our community has gone under the radar, and he doesn’t brag about it,” Fisher said. “He doesn’t try to convince anyone he’s not a racist, just like I’m not going to try to convince you that I’m not a racist. What you see is what you get, and when you know me, you’ll know my heart.”
Fisher also pointed to endorsements from rappers such as Waka Flocka Flame as evidence that Blacks’ support for Trump is on the rise. Fisher also says that there is a silent consensus spreading amongst Black people that will show up at the polls, even if they won’t endorse Trump in public.
Fisher told the Epoch Times, “They won’t say it in public in fear of backlash from the community because they have reputations, businesses, and relationships they don’t want to put in jeopardy, but they’ll speak with their vote.”
According to Reuters, exit polls of the 2022 midterms showed that 20% of Black voters under 50 voted Republican, double the percentage of older voters who voted Republican in the 2022 midterms. In addition, a poll Reuters conducted with Ipsos between July 11 and July 17 showed that support for Trump is modestly increasing. In the 2020 election, Trump carried 12% of the Black vote, but in the poll, 18% of Black voters indicated that they would choose Trump over Biden if those were their options.
Ahead of the election, Democrats are trying to make sure that they emphasize what they have delivered for Black voters, as Tracy King, the Democratic National Convention’s director of outreach communications, told Reuters via email: “As we head into the 2024 cycle, the DNC is doubling down on our commitment to engaging Black voters with meaningful and sustained investments to make sure they know how President Biden and Vice President Harris have delivered for them.”
However, that may not be enough to motivate some Black voters to turn out and vote for Biden and the Democratic Party. Forty-seven-year-old Chicagoan Andre Russell told Reuters he feels stuck with Biden unless a better candidate comes along. ‘“I’m kind of stuck with Biden until someone else comes along,” Russell said.” As a society, we definitely have to move past the trope of old white men running everything.”
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