About sixty people gathered at the State Farm Arena on Friday afternoon to participate in a #StopTheSteal demonstration, a social media branded activism effort to protest the 2020 Presidential Election results.
“I’m 42 and I’m pout here for the first time because democracy, free elections — they’re at stake,” one man told me. “It’s alarming.”
Coming in from a town about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, he told me that he was pushed to participate because he worries about the future for his 13-year-old son.
“What else is left for him?” he asked, wondering what will come of the country if a free and fair election is no longer possible. “Socialism paints a pretty picture on paper, but that’s all it is. It’s proven time and time again to not work.”
The mood on Friday was patriotic and firm. Attendees told me that they believed they were standing up for our democracy, for all Americans, by contesting what they saw as a corrupt election.
“These democrats are tired, they’re running out of steam,” one woman said. “But we aren’t.”
Tensions ran high on Friday as election results were being tabulated, with races tightening in Georgia and other battleground states across the country.
“What bothers me about all this,” one man told me, “is all the ‘fuck yous’ we get from people driving by. And our side, we’re not the best at it either…people will respond, will yell right back and put their middle finger up, ‘fuck you, blah blah blah.’”
“I just throw up peace signs,” he continued. “We’re all Americans.”
[Editors Note]: It is here that I want to remind you of the premise of this project — we are more alike than different and most people are good. We the Voters is a non-partisan project; coverage of any group or event by We the Voters does not equal endorsement. As with all of my coverage in the past year, I hope it helps you gain a more full picture of the many pieces in the American puzzle.
