In early 2023 Enid, Oklahoma resident, Connie Vickers was looking at photos of neo-Nazis and other assorted white nationalists and fascists marching around the campus of the University of Virginia. The 2017 rally was held the night before what was billed as, "The Unite the Right," get together in Charlottesville the next day. As Vickers gazed at the photos of those participating in the torch lit procession she came across a familiar face.
Among those holding Tiki torches and chanting, "Jews will not replace us," was Enid resident, Judd Blevins. The reason Ms. Vickers recognized Blevins was quite simple. Blevins wasn't just any Enid guy, he was a candidate for the Ward 1 city council seat. Indeed, he was aiming to be the new face of the republican party in Enid, the largest city in the state's northwest.
The year plus long saga of what has followed in Enid is detailed in a March 13th NBC News story posted online by Brandy Zadrozny. She describes council meetings filled with both opponents and supporters of Blevins. The involvement of out of state right wing groups in municipal politics. Accusations of organized, "antifa commandos," attempting to unseat the duly elected City Commissioner. And, of course, high crimes and misdemeanors.
Zadrozny doesn't explain why Ms. Vickers, a democrat, was looking at photos of Nazis marching in Charlottesville. However, she reports that soon after finding the image of Blevins, Vickers contacted her friend, another democrat, Nancy Presnall. (Yes, apparently there are at least two democrats in Enid.) After a January 2023 candidate's forum was over, the two women confronted Blevins with an enlarged version of the photo and demanded that he explain his connections to white nationalist groups. According to Presnall, the candidate fled the scene as they trailed behind shouting, "Answer the question, Judd." Presnall added, "He ran away from two little old ladies."
He may have then but Judd Blevins isn't running away from anyone now. A month after the meeting with the two, "little old ladies," Blevens won the council seat. There were a little over 800 ballots cast in Ward 1 (out of 5,000 registered voters). His margin of victory was 36 of them. Now, with a recall election on the horizon, he is facing the challenge head on. Or, at least as head on as any ultra right wing wanker ever does.
That's right, Judd Blevins, Marine Corps vet and former state coordinator for the white nationalist group, Identity Evropa is claiming he is the victim of a nefarious leftist conspiracy.
Hwy, why not? It's what all these flamers do--from the top of the ballot, all the way down to the very bottom of it in every nook and cranny of America.
The people who worked to organize the recall is a group known as, "The Enid Social Justice Committee." According to Blevins they are so ruthless they tried to murder him. by cutting the brake lines on his truck. At a city council meeting he said the alleged attempt was made by, "far left wing fringe groups." He then complained about the lack of media coverage of the event. "I guess attempted murder of an elected official isn't newsworthy."
Actually, the reason it wasn't newsworthy was because after investigating the so-called attempted murder Enid police found the only person anywhere near Blevins' truck the day he said it happened was Judd Blevins himself.
Blevins has also claimed, "They (committee members) would like to see me apologize and denounce everything that I'm accused of, but I don't have anything to apologize for." In addition he has said, the attacks on him have been led by a leftist, "George Soros funded," media outlet. Presumably that media outlet is Enid's local paper, The Enid News & Eagle. In 2016 it had the, depending on your opinion, either the guts, or foolishness, to endorse Hillary Clinton for President. In blood red Enid, such an act was considered heresy in the first degree.
Closer to the issue at hand, the News &Eagle also ran an expose detailing Judd Blevins' connection to Identity Evropa and reprinting some of his--let's say, more explicit--social media posts and podcast quotes regarding race in America. At the time Blevins described the front-page story as, "a hit piece." The number of residents, besides Blevins, who read the article is unknown. Thanks to the Clinton endorsement and the internet, the paper has been hemorrhaging subscribers for years.
The chaos comes to a head on April 2nd, the day of the recall election. Blevins' opponent is 61-year-old grandmother and former school teacher, Cheryl Patterson. She is a longtime republican, which she has to be. That is the reality in not just Enid, but all of northwest Oklahoma. A lot of people up that way might not like Nazis, but no one, absolutely no one, will vote for a democrat.
Well, except those two, "little old ladies."
sic vita est
3-19-24
Why am I not surprised?
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