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Drag story hours and other public events in the LGBTQIA+ community have recently been the subject of protests and intimidation. In this instance, Concord police say members of the NSC 131 turned out to intimidate those attending and performing at the drag Story Hour. On this episode of The State We’re In, Melanie Plenda talks with Emmett Soldati, founder of the Teetotaller Cafe, Linds Jakows, founder of 603 Equality, and Bill Maddocks, a Carsey fellow with NH Listens and a volunteer with Granite State Progress’ No Hate NH.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Melanie Plenda:
Emmett, can you walk us through what happened on Sunday?
Emmett Soldati:
Absolutely. So, my cafe Teetotaller, one of our locations, is in downtown Concord. And we have been doing lots of different programming. That includes drag performers and other types of programming since we opened, and we've had a series, specifically a Drag Queen Story Hour, which is where a performer in drag reads to families. And one of our events was scheduled on Father's Day, this last Sunday. And we work with a performer named Juicy Garland, who has done a lot of these events for us wonderfully. And at this particular event in Concord, a group of presumably young men showed up outside, all dressed in black; hats, glasses, masks, gloves, everything was sort of concealing their identity.
This was before the event took place. And they began, we sort of have a sort of a fishbowl cafe, so it's all glass. And they were banging on it and very directly sort of coming towards the performer, Juicy Garland, who is just getting set up for the event. And folks have seen the video, you know, online that was actually caught on camera by Juicy Garland. So it's very clear that they were sort of harassing and intimidating her.
Fortunately, we had our manager, Liam who is, you know, superb at handling these kinds of disturbances. And this is not the first time it's happened, was able to move things around, we have a second story in our venue. So we moved, you know, the event upstairs, which allowed Juicy to continue the program, largely undisturbed, and really smooth ultimately, for the kids that were there to get an hour of reading in. And eventually, the members of this Neo Nazi group, sort of just dispersed by the end of the hour. And the families were able to also kind of just enjoy their time and leave. But at the outset, it was sort of very clearly their attempt to harass, intimidate, and terrorize our staff, our performer and the families that were attending.
Melanie Plenda:
And just to follow up on that a little bit, what was the reaction of the families because what you're describing and even what you can see in the video it looked frightening to be honest, So how did the families react? How did Juicy react? Your staff? What was their reaction? And what was the feeling there?
Emmett Soldati:
We're very fortunate to have found a performer like Juicy Garland to work with us, because she is very unflappable. And she has also understood that there are these sort of increasing attempts of intimidation, and knows that the work that she does, and supporting literacy and kids is a noble cause. And so she sort of was very much able to get the kids attention and focus on the program at hand. We fortunately are a somewhat large cafe with multiple entrances. And so our staff, again, this is not the first time that they've had to deal with intimidation. They've sort of been able to do the best they could to continue to deliver what is usually on most days a wonderful environment to be in, to gather in, and so forth. Of course, we can't say what families chose not to come that day because they saw this disturbance and they saw this intimidation taking place. But we do know that many families still were able to enjoy the hour and enjoy the event and enjoy Teetotaller and recognize that sort of this harassment is not warranted.
Melanie Plenda:
And Bill, what can you tell us about this group NSC 131?
Bill Maddocks:
Thanks, Melanie. National Socialist Club 131 in the number 131 stands for the first letters of anti communist action was founded in 2019 in Massachusetts, and is a violent terrorist gang that primarily functions to plan, train and obtain weapons for the explicit purpose of engaging in acts of violence and harassment against religious racial and ethnic minorities, the LGBTQIA+ community and others that they deem as enemies. The group is led by a guy named Christopher Hood, who's from Newburyport and includes nations that are part of a broader global white supremacist terror network that includes the Patriot Front, White Lives Matter, … the membership of NSC 131 was concentrated in Massachusetts, and in New Hampshire, and Maine, and really, not beyond that area. And the members of the group are people who participated in the 2017 unite the right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a giant, very, very violent Nazi rally around that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. And they also participated in the January 6 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. So while they're involved in dozens of incendiary, violent accident incidents over the past few years, often targeting LGBTQ+ events and businesses such as we witnessed in Teetotaller last weekend. We are fortunate that there has not been violence yet. But that's their ultimate goal. And I think that people should be aware that this is a group that trains. We don't know if they're armed or not. They don't want to be known. That's why they wear face masks, and can be considered a very dangerous group no matter where they show up.
Melanie Plenda:
And Emmet, how has the community responded to incidents like this? And how is your staff doing, in light of this?
Emmett Soldati:
Thank you for asking, obviously, our number one focus and priority is the safety and well being of our staff, of our performers, of our community. Certainly, we didn't plan to have in the job description this kind of work. But our staff does pick up the mantle of really making sure we have a peaceful approach to this, that these events are successful, not because someone comes out and intimidates us, but because the programs themselves run smoothly. And the community has been incredibly supportive. I mean, the community is the reason we do this programming. You know, when I first opened Teetotaller, I didn't set it up to just be a venue for Drag Story Hour.
This really came because the community saw a need and an opportunity to to gather and to bring folks together around something that's fun and educational. And every time we do it, the community tells us again, this is needed. This is helpful. This shows my kids that they belong in New Hampshire, this just shows me that I can belong in New Hampshire. And that response is always tenfold or a hundredfold stronger than you know. As Linds mentioned, this is a small minority of loud people trying to gain attention. But the community has always been more resilient for the last decade, and they will for decades to come.
Melanie Plenda:
And Linds and Bill, what do you suggest people do about incidents like this? What's the answer to countering this blatant hate and false rhetoric? And let's start with Bill?
Bill Maddocks:
Yeah, well, I think it's important for people who encounter these groups, whether it's at a highway overpass or marching down a city street or harassing a community event. Like the drag queen story hour to try to discreetly document what's going on. This information may be very useful to law enforcement. But it's also important to avoid shutting down events or directly engaging with these people. Their entire purpose is to instill fear, to shut down events, if possible and provoke a confrontation. That's what they want. But we need to starve these thugs of opportunity to succeed in these objectives, I think, uniting in solidarity with the terms of these groups by chopping at LGBTQ businesses, showing up for community events, staying peaceful and remembering to breathe, will go a long way towards appeasing the presence and twisting message of these miscreants
Melanie Plenda:
Linds?
Linds Jakows:
Yeah, so first, every single person has a responsibility to let others know that local Neo Nazis are actively terrorizing our communities and to loudly condemn that activity. So we were pleased to see last night Concord Mayor Jim Bouley, issued a statement condemning that activity. That's especially true for anyone in elected or appointed office who should be doing everything in their power. We would also like to see elected officials, especially those in Concord, take that a step further, and call on the Concord PD to thoroughly investigate members of NSC 131. And Concord PD should also develop a strong plan to be prepared to more immediately respond next time and protect LGBTQ people and people of color from intimidation, violence and threats. And like Bill said, if you encounter Neo Nazi terror when you're out and about the best thing to do is to take care. Do not escalate tensions further, even if you feel safe, personally, addressing them, confronting them directly.
We should all be mindful that that often riles them up further, and they have a violent impact on someone else that they take that out on. There are thankfully local groups that offer trainings on de-escalation that can be helpful for organizers of these kinds of events or people who are interested in playing a variety of peacekeeping roles that are needed to help events run smoothly. And then finally, some elected officials are condemning the Neo Nazis but still spreading fear and misinformation that harms LGBTQ people and people of color. And that actively contributes to an environment where Neo Nazis feel emboldened. So we need to hold those elected officials accountable.
The State We’re in a weekly digital public affairs show is produced by NH PBS and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. It is shared with partners in the Granite State News Collaborative, of which both organizations are members.
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