August 24th arrived. We found a spot in Enslen Park, and set up a table and chairs as a check-in point. We sorted the badges out, waiting for our medical and marshal volunteers to arrive. People also brought much needed cases of water, signs, and instruments. The medic and marshal teams paired off for safety, and we distributed two-way radios to each pair. We didn’t know what to expect, so we were ready to treat wounds if need be, but focused our attention on spotting signs of sunstroke and exhaustion. Once our core teams arrived, we settled in, waiting to hear where NSPC would hold their march.

Speakers had driven in from all over, including State Assemblymember Susan Eggman, Modesto City Councilmember Mani Grewal, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Gladys Williams and Wendy Byrd of the NAACP, Sebastian Jones (President of the MLK Committee), Stockton Poet Laureate Tama Brisbane, Senator Scott Wiener, Tracy City Councilmember Dan Arriola, and local members of our marginalized indigenous, trans, and lgbtq community [protecting their anonymity unless they choose to be named].

The police kept their presence at the periphery, having horse mounted officers lined up at one edge of the park. Tensions ran high between some of our group and the police presence, so they separated off to voice their feelings and confront the police peacefully through signs and chants. In the meantime, as the last of the speakers wrapped up, we were led by Gladys Williams in an emotionally empowering rendition of “We Shall Overcome”.

A couple of Proud Boys showed up to Enslen Park as well, to eavesdrop and hand out fliers. Since it is a public park, there was little we could do, but they were easy to spot, many of them wearing red hat and scarves. Some of them wore tactical gear as they stood at the edge of the park filming us, hoping to find some juicy footage to feed their propaganda machine, hoping we would be revealed to be violent and dastardly. They must have been very disappointed to find us singing and laughing together.

Word finally came in that the National Straight Pride Coalition was livestreaming an event, with Don Grundmann speaking from a podium. Our team went to work, and someone was able to identify the background as being the Durrer Barn, a venue just outside of town that is rented for all sorts of events. One of our people reached out to the Durrers (the owners) directly, informing them of the nature of the event they were hosting. The Durrers were shocked, and promised to take care of it personally. Within a few minutes, we learned that the NSPC had been kicked out of the venue, and were deciding on where to relocate for their “march”.

It is worth noting that the initial permit for their “march” listed a projected 500 in attendance. After losing their insurance and changing venues, they had a mere 50 at the Durrer Barn, while we had in excess of 300 attendees for our counter-protest.

We started to mobilize, because we were prepared to face them directly. They announced their intention to march on Planned Parenthood. A few chose to stay behind at Enslen Park to watch over our table/belongings, while the bulk of us (approximately 250) walked over to PP to face them… all 12 of them. Yes, their “500” had now dwindled to “12”, being Don Grundmann, Jesse Lee Peterson, and a contingent of Proud Boys – the Alt-Right group acting as security for the march. We had them so grossly outnumbered that it was ridiculous.

They were standing on the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood, holding signs such as “Trump 2020” and “Build the Wall”, not even trying to hide behind their original claim of being about “Straight Pride”. Grundmann was standing front and center, behind a large hate-spewing banner, and speaking to reporters on the scene. The police had lined up just off the curb, maintaining a perimeter between the protest on the sidewalk and road traffic.

We surrounded them quickly. We chanted and sang, drowning out their message of hate. Sebastian Jones and I went to the front and debated with Grundmann personally. He challenged me to a public debate, to which I replied ‘Let’s do it NOW. I’ve done a line-by-line deconstruction of your website, I know it better than YOU DO!” He didn’t seem prepared to take us on immediately, opting to talk to reporters instead. Jessica beat a drum and led the crowd in chants, and eventually Mylinda arrived on the scene, carrying a sign espousing religious pity upon us.

For the most part, things went smoothly and safely. Tempers flared a few times, and we had to intercede to deescalate tensions before anything went ugly. The last thing we wanted was for anyone to get hurt, from either side of the issue, because violence would just undermine our message of tolerance. The only incident involved a bicyclist that apparently came to blows with one of our protesters, but the incident went without any arrests. After a couple of hours of this, Don and his cadre had had enough. He and Mylinda departed to a car parked on a side street, and the remaining Proud Boys dispersed, beaten and humiliated, not getting the support or results they had hoped for.

We made our way back to Enslen Park to celebrate in our victory as a community. We showed the world what Modesto is made of, and had formed a family with each other. We built bridges that day between marginalized communities, and gained new perspectives through the sharing of ideas. We discovered just how much love has been here the whole time, and we have been made stronger by our shared passion for justice, equality, and kindness.