Rapid Response Memo

On December 3, two power transmission substations in the Moore County towns of Carthage and West End were damaged by gunfire, knocking out power to more than 45,000 residents. This attack comes less than a month after vandals damaged a substation in Jones County, knocking out power for over 12,000 residents for several hours (there is currently no indication that the two attacks are connected). A state of emergency was declared on December 4, with a curfew instituted throughout the county — the curfew expired at 5 AM on December 8.

BDI is tracking elevated mobilization around the touring show “Drag Christmas” in Knoxville on December 22 from 7-10 pm at the Tennessee Theater. While we began tracking this last week when a pastor posted a video about the event, in the last day, we have seen groups like Patriot Front, Proud Boys, local "active clubs," Aryan Freedom Network, and others, promoting mobilization to the site tomorrow night. Our analysis is this mirrors the activation of multiple networks, similar to what occurred recently in Columbus, Ohio.

Based on prior incidents around the specific location and increased activity by actors of concern in the area, BDI is noting increased attention around two drag events in Ohio this weekend. Thefirst event is a drag brunch at Element 41 in Chardon, Ohio, on April 1. The Community Church of Chesterland (CCC), an open and affirming congregation associated with the United Church of Christ, is the event's sponsor. CCC is also hosting a drag story hour event on April 1 at their facility in Chesterland, Ohio.

On February 27, a local drag performer named Mrs. Ivana planned a 2-hour “Family Fun Show”, an all-ages drag event to take place on Sunday, April 23 at a Forsyth County building. On April 12, Mrs. Ivana celebrated over 150 tickets sold for the event. Despite the event material framed as “100% appropriate for children” and alcohol-free, the event drew intense community backlash from right-wing ‘parental rights’ organizers who claimed the event was targeting children for “indoctrination”. After prolonged backlash and claims of threats against organizers and would-be attendees, the organizers canceled the event and refunded ticket holders.

Using reporting from Votebeat and BDI’s monitoring, over 50 candidates for county commissioner or equivalent roles were found to have espoused election fraud narratives, doubts regarding election integrity, or to have received significant support from electioni denier organizations.

Far-right actors in Ohio, Blood Tribe Ohio, Project 171, and Proud Boys, announced plans to mobilize against all-ages drag shows in Bellefontaine on June 1-4, Hillsboro on June 3, and Wadsworth on August 5.

On Saturday, June 3, Dallas Pride will host a paid pride event in Fair Park in South Dallas. The event, which runs from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, includes a family area with costumed characters, face painting, and vendor booths. Security professionals will be present. BDI has observed several online calls for mobilization by far-right actors, including Protect Texas Kids. These types of events have been known to draw violent actors and the current media environment around reactions to LGBTQ+ visibility has heightened risk to LGBTQ+ communities from far-right actors.

On July 19, homophobic and transphobic organization Protect Texas Kids (PTK) announced on their Telegram that they will target a Planned Parenthood event on July 28, a “puberty and periods party” in Dallas, though they did not provide the location publicly in their announcement. However, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas is holding an event covering a sexual health puberty workshop for 4th and 5th graders and their guardians on Friday, July 28 in Central Dallas. It is highly likely that PTK is targeting the Central Dallas event. The exact location is hidden publicly, and is highly likely to have PTK infiltrators pose as attendees to gain location information.

Far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ actors in Wisconsin, including Blood Tribe Ohio (BTOH) and Warriors for Christ, have issued calls to mobilize against the July 29 Pride in the Park event and drag shows at Riverside Park in Watertown, Wisconsin.

Following a public indictment by a grand jury in Fulton County the week of August 14, Former President Donald J. Trump agreed to turn himself in for arraignment on August 24 at the Fulton County Jail on Rice Street in Atlanta. Just before 10 PM on August 21, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social decrying District Attorney Fani Willis, joking about flying to Russia to escape arrest, and calling Atlanta a “violent crime war zone”, before saying he would surrender for arraignment. The following evening, supporters of the former U.S. president began calling for a demonstration outside of the jail at 10 AM on Thursday, August 24.