Cheryl Selby, the Democrat mayor of Olympia, Washington, was originally all for the Black Lives Matters protests. Selby even met with protesters and symbolically took a knee in support of the movement, and claimed that even she is “not without sin in this matter.”
“We are a predominantly white community next to communities that are far more diverse,” Selby said. “That tells us that we are not, we have not been as welcoming and nurturing to communities of color as we’d like to think. The light switched on in America by Mr. Floyd’s murder shines glaringly on Olympia, as well.”
“Let me be clear: The City of Olympia supports the peaceful protests that highlight the racial injustices black people continue to endure at the hands of police in the United States,” Selby added.
But then her home was vandalized last week by rioters.
Selby and her family were not there at the time, but she experienced a moment of realization after the attack on her property. “I’m really trying to process this,” she told The Olympian. “It’s like domestic terrorism. It’s unfair. It hurts when you’re giving so much to your community,” she added.
Two groups made their way through downtown Olympia, some tagging and vandalizing businesses while they worked there way toward the home Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby. https://t.co/cFHFYu2wzO
— The Olympian (@theolympian) June 13, 2020
Selby learned the hard way that the rioters aren’t going to distinguish between supporters of the movement and non-supporters. They are out there to deface and destroy. Platitudes and “woke-ness” won’t appease them.
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Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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