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submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by happybadger@hexbear.net to c/the_dunk_tank@hexbear.net

On Monday morning, the organizers of the Take Our Border Back convoy kicked off their road trip to the Texas–Mexico border in Virginia Beach. Though they claimed that up to 40,000 trucks would be joining, only 20 vehicles made up the convoy as it rolled into Jacksonville, Florida, 14 hours later. The promised support had not materialized—not a single truck showed up, tires were reportedly slashed, participants got lost, and paranoia struck the group. In short, the convoy was a complete mess.

The convoy was organized last week as a show of support for Texas governor Greg Abbott and his decision to defy the federal government and President Joe Biden about the installation of razor wire along the Texas–Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. While at least one organizer initially said they planned to hunt down migrants along the border in collaboration with sympathetic members of law enforcement, the group appeared to walk back that assertion on Monday, issuing a statement that the convoy would not be heading to the border at all but instead going to Quemado, a tiny town in Catron County, Texas. The group’s website, however, still lists the route of the convoy as “Virginia Beach, VA, to Eagle Pass,” and members of the planning group on Telegram still say they are going to the Texas border.

The organizers also repeatedly stated that the event was peaceful, though online chats in a related Telegram group show members discussing “exterminating” migrants. A known white nationalist who was kicked out of the People’s Convoy in 2022, Ryan Sanchez, is among those most active in the group. Sanchez was previously a Marine Corp reservist who says he was kicked out after he was reported to have been demonstrating alongside the Rise Above Movement, an alt-right street-fighting group that took part in the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, which led to the death of one counterprotester.

“I think the Eagle Pass rally is going to be the ’main event,’” Sanchez wrote in the convoy Telegram channel. “We need to think strategically and concentrate our limited resources where they will have the greatest effect.”

But on the first day of the convoy, some attendees woke up to find their tires slashed, according to one of the main livestreamers who posted pictures on X of the cars outside a motel. The meeting point also had to be hastily rearranged on Monday morning when the owners of the original location told the organizers they couldn’t gather there.

When the convoy did finally come together in a hotel parking lot in Norfolk, Virginia, there were a few dozen people and around 20 vehicles, based on video footage reviewed by WIRED and comments made by the livestreamers responding to questions from supporters.

The day began with a speech from Craig Hudgins, one of the organizers, who stressed that the event was a "peaceful, peaceable demonstration.” Hudgins also claimed—without evidence—that he had heard that up to “40,000 truckers from all over the country and Canada” would be joining the convoy—although not a single one of those trucks managed to join the group during the first day. The convoy members also heard from Ivan Raiklin, who was involved in the efforts to block Joe Biden’s election win and is an ally of disgraced national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Finally, after a prayer from a pastor linked to the Church Militant, a far-right religious website, the convoy rolled out an hour later than scheduled and headed down I-95. It was spearheaded by a bus covered in MAGA slogans.

Almost immediately, one of the vehicles in the convoy got lost, according to messages posted in the Zello walkie-talkie app that the group is using to communicate while on the road. Later, when the convoy linked up to discuss evening plans, the meeting quickly descended into an argument about where they were going to be staying. Even trying to meet up at a gas station was difficult: Due to the size of a Buc-ee’s in South Carolina, convoy members couldn’t locate each other.

A few hours into the trip, the lead bus pulled over onto the highway shoulder and kicked out one of the people onboard, who had traveled on his own from Washington, DC. It was unclear exactly why he was ejected, but the man, who is part of a group that protests daily in support of people jailed for rioting at the Capitol on January 6, was left stranded in Florence, South Carolina, without his wallet, according to details discussed on a livestream of someone in contact with the man.

Throughout the day, the half-dozen people livestreaming the convoy spent much of their time responding to questions from some of the thousands of people watching.

Most of the questions were about the conspiracy that the convoy is a “setup” by the federal government to “entrap patriots.” That sense of paranoia has been present in the group from the very beginning, according to leaks of the group’s chats on Discord: “This will end up loaded with trolls and feds in no time,” one member wrote a week ago.

Paranoia was also prevalent on the Telegram channels used to coordinate the convoy in different parts of the country. “I hope it’s not another J6 trap. People need to pray for discernment about this. But after 3 years of this people are sick of it,” one member wrote, referring to the widely debunked conspiracy that the Capitol insurrection was a left-wing plan to trap Trump supporters.

On Monday, after the cars had started on the road, organizers issued a press release, claiming “groups are forming to infiltrate the convoy.” The statement also claims that “nowhere on the website does it say anything about the convoy going to the border,” which is inaccurate, as the route for the main convoy clearly states the final destination is Eagle Pass.

Additionally, one of the organizers of the convoy, Pete Chambers, told Alex Jones last week that his plan included traveling to the border to hunt migrants and work with local law enforcement to capture them. Among those traveling with the convoy, multiple people on Monday mentioned going to Eagle Pass. “We’re all going to the border,” one member declared on the livestream on Monday night.

Though the convoy’s start was full of mishaps, others planning to join the convoy still appear to be taking their plans seriously. Online, a number of people are openly talking about going to the border: “Those going to Eagle Pass on Saturday, message me,” one member of the Texas-focused Take Our Border Back Telegram channel wrote. “I'm organizing level 2 security detail composed of veterans and prior law enforcement guys. We're not going to engage any threats or go in guns blazing. We'll just keep a watchful eye and report any suspicious behavior.”

As the convoy has gained some media attention, the Telegram channels have been scrubbed of a lot of the more virulent, racist, and violent language used by members. However, leaks of the Telegram chat detail clearly how members spoke openly about “exterminating” migrants.

Since Abbott issued his letter in defiance of the Biden administration, he has seen support flow in from dozens of GOP governors and former president Donald Trump, who has urged other states to send troops to Texas. The convoy has been portrayed in right-wing media in recent days as part of a wider right-wing effort to support Abbott and resist Biden’s immigration policies, and as a result, its organizers have been able to raise over $140,000 on a Christian-focused crowdfunding website.

On Tuesday morning, the convoy departed Jacksonville for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a few more vehicles joining the group—but still no trucks.

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[-] Nationalgoatism@hexbear.net 55 points 6 months ago

Even trying to meet up at a gas station was difficult: Due to the size of a Buc-ee’s in South Carolina, convoy members couldn’t locate each other.

How is this country not a parody

[-] oktherebuddy@hexbear.net 11 points 6 months ago

I hate cars but Buc-ee's is pretty amazing

[-] tactical_trans_karen@hexbear.net 46 points 6 months ago

Lmao, I'm genuinely getting less and less concerned about this civil war that's supposed to be coming.

[-] D61@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago

Everybody runs out of gas at various points and just starts a new life where ever their car stopped working.

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[-] SkingradGuard@hexbear.net 45 points 6 months ago

What's up with all of these petit bourgeois fascists doing these "convoys"? It's so strange.

[-] DengistDonnieDarko@hexbear.net 43 points 6 months ago

Marching involves walking, convoys involve air-conditioned F150s

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[-] GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net 42 points 6 months ago

Car brain and its consequences.

[-] BurgerPunk@hexbear.net 24 points 6 months ago

Not sure. Was the first one the Canadian trucker one and now they just all want to do that?

[-] SkingradGuard@hexbear.net 21 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

It also isn't exclusive to NA, though I'm not sure what started it. It's probably those pro-Trump convoys that happened several years back before the anti-vax COVID convoys. Hogs have been doing "convoys" all over the world for a while now. I remember there was a big one in Brasil when Lula was recently re-elected.

[-] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago

Hogs have been doing "convoys" all over the world

all over the "international community"

[-] zed_proclaimer@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

syria and russia do big truck convoys too lmao

[-] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 41 points 6 months ago

A few hours into the trip, the lead bus pulled over onto the highway shoulder and kicked out one of the people onboard, who had traveled on his own from Washington, DC. It was unclear exactly why he was ejected, but the man, who is part of a group that protests daily in support of people jailed for rioting at the Capitol on January 6, was left stranded in Florence, South Carolina, without his wallet, according to details discussed on a livestream of someone in contact with the man.

Critical support for the Convoy intentionally leaving one of their own racist fascists stranded in a different state without any resources.

[-] D61@hexbear.net 12 points 6 months ago

Leave ~~No~~ One Man Behind!

[-] Juice@hexbear.net 8 points 6 months ago

Where We Go One, We Go All (except for that one guy who was actin like a librul)

[-] D61@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago

"Where We Go One, Except for Paul"

frothingfash

[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 38 points 6 months ago

I'm joining the war on the border on the side of the war.

[-] Feinsteins_Ghost@hexbear.net 35 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

These dumb shits are coming into my neck of the woods. I live not too far from their proposed destination.

Theyre quite likely to not be welcome here. It is very much not a ‘red’ part of texas. The area is populated mostly by immigrated hispanics with close ties to family juuuuust over the border, and those who live in mexico and travel to texas for work.

It almost as though they didnt actually think about where theyre going. Border areas tend to be not republican, at least in my experience (ive lived along the tex/mex border my whole life, on both sides of the border, so i cant speak for everyone obviously) you dont see a lot of trump yard signs in Eagle Pass, Zapata, Del Rio, etc.

[-] Rom@hexbear.net 32 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

What is it with chuds and their outrageous expectations? Dude really thought he'd get 40,000 trucks to show up and somehow heroically lead them all the way to Texas, but instead gets 20 trucks who immediately get lost and argue over where to stay for the night. It's like January 6th where they broke into the capitol, then had no plans or demands whatsoever so they just stole things and smeared shit on the walls. The images they have of themselves are the funniest fucking thing about all of this.

[-] Adkml@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago

How the fuck did they even come up with 40,000 that's gotta be a significant percentage of all thebtrucks in the country.

Was there one particularly astroturfed tweet that said like "were starting a convoy to Texas who's coming with us" that got 40,000 likes and theybassumed that meant every one would show up in a big rig?

Am I just wasting time giv8ng them too much credit thinking there was anything more than arbitrarily picking a giant number?

[-] LanyrdSkynrd@hexbear.net 6 points 6 months ago

This isn't a convoy of semi's, it's just a bus and a bunch of losers in F250's. 40k is still way overestimating the number of people willing to do this lame shit, though.

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[-] D61@hexbear.net 8 points 6 months ago

But that's how the moves/stores/video games are always written. The "baddie" was defeated now everything magically gets better.

[-] robinn_IV@hexbear.net 32 points 6 months ago

Mr. President Biden I pledge all 500 of my counterfeit ballots to you if you carpet bomb Texas.

[-] Ho_Chi_Chungus@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

i am once again asking for a better way to submit tagline suggestions

[-] Des@hexbear.net 30 points 6 months ago

my partner is a trucker and would have no doubt participated in the tire slashing of these assholes if they weren't in a much different part of the country

[-] D61@hexbear.net 29 points 6 months ago

Texas? FUCKING TEXAS? We can't stop here, its bat country! hst-pissed

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago
[-] D61@hexbear.net 12 points 6 months ago

Holy fuck OH SHIT! hst-gun

[-] rootsbreadandmakka@hexbear.net 24 points 6 months ago

Even sadder than the People's Convoy

[-] kristina@hexbear.net 22 points 6 months ago

They're using telegram? Advanced boomers

[-] RyanGosling@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago

Conservatives think using a free app installed from a closed source App Store on their iPhones is secure because it says “encrypted” in the title

[-] CTHlurker@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago

I wonder how much of their use of Telegram is just because Zuckerberg is jewish, and they sort of know Twitter as the place that banned Trump for "being a patriot".

[-] pinguinu@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 6 months ago

Using Signal would be cutting-edge boomers. Wouldn't happen

[-] TechnoUnionTypeBeat@hexbear.net 22 points 6 months ago

Even trying to meet up at a gas station was difficult: Due to the size of a Buc-ee’s in South Carolina, convoy members couldn’t locate each other.

Absolutely beyond parody

If I wrote this into a book my editor would laugh in my face, it's too perfectly Anerican

[-] happybadger@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago

https://indigocirclesc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/view-scaled.jpg

This is likely the gas station in question. That's smaller than most grocery parking lots near me. I don't get how you can lose people when there are like three rows of cars at most in any section.

[-] Are_Euclidding_Me@hexbear.net 11 points 6 months ago

Having been to one of these monstrosities, I think that picture really undersells how big it is. You're right, looking at it from the air like this makes it look not that much bigger than a standard Walmart parking lot, but when you're actually there at ground level, it certainly feels a whole lot bigger than a Walmart parking lot. Now, I have no data one way or the other, I haven't looked at how much square footage we're talking here, so maybe this place really is no larger than your average parking lot. That's definitely possible. Nevertheless, I can absolutely see how a convoy might have issues finding each other at one of these monster gas stations. Especially since the convoy in question is pretty small.

[-] happybadger@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago

I've only seen a billboard for one which advertises a location in a different state several hundred miles away. That level of devotion to a gas station strikes me as the most American religion since the prosperity gospel. Look at Randy havin' a hoot n' a holler with his false idol: https://www.thestate.com/latest-news/fiu9bk/picture261488322/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1140/Buc-ees-44.jpg

[-] Are_Euclidding_Me@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

I can definitely confirm it felt like a fucked up temple to cars! It was one of the most awful places I've ever visited and it horrified me in some deep way I haven't been able to forget about.

[-] AnarchoAnarchist@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Conversely, they are the only guaranteed clean restrooms you're going to find on a road trip in Texas.

Yes they are a temple to Mammon, but I'll happily sacrifice a few dollars to the golden calf if it means I don't have to wade through an inch deep puddle of piss in the bathroom.

[-] tripartitegraph@hexbear.net 8 points 6 months ago

Trying to get to the bathroom in one is genuinely as difficult as wading through people at a concert. They are perpetually FULL of people

[-] redsteel@lemmygrad.ml 19 points 6 months ago

Sanchez was previously a Marine Corp reservist who says he was kicked out after he was reported to have been demonstrating alongside the Rise Above Movement, an alt-right street-fighting group that took part in the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville

Deserved far worse than the dishonorable or general discharge he presumably got. Firing squad would've been appropriate but this gusano's ideals are too aligned with Am*rican culture for that to ever happen.

“This will end up loaded with trolls and feds in no time,” one member wrote a week ago.

These amateurs need to learn this is the Information Age and the Feds are always watching, especially after their January 6th shitshow. It's redundant to even bring it up. The trolls however are these motherfuckers, every single fucking one of them. It's literally a requirement of their garbage right-wing ideology. Any "trolling" by leftists or counter-protestors in their insecure group chat is just human nature trying to restore balance.

The promised support had not materialized—not a single truck showed up, tires were reportedly slashed, participants got lost, and paranoia struck the group. In short, the convoy was a complete mess.

Lol. This warms my frigid heart. Reminds me of the Westboro Baptist Church bigots on their little hate parade missions getting repelled by locals too. I have larger movements into my toilet in a single sitting than anything these fuckers ever manage to accomplish in the real world.

[-] D61@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago

Wasn't there a trucker convoy to/in Canada that suffered the same fate?

michael-laugh

[-] Adkml@hexbear.net 8 points 6 months ago

That one was actually "succesful" in that they did manage to majorly annoy people by basically shuttung down traffic in a city while they beeped their horns and I think maybe people had to detour around a bridge.

But then after 2 weeks they hadn't accomplished everything, every single person they saw told them to fuck off and get out, and they realized they spent a shit load of money and didn't actually have any material demands.

Pretty sure this one fizzled because nobody wanted to pay to drive a truck halfway across the country to either uselessly demonstrate or get arrested as soon as they broke a law.

[-] wopazoo@hexbear.net 6 points 6 months ago

But then after 2 weeks they hadn't accomplished everything

that's not true, the canada freedom convoy basically ended all anti-covid public health measures in canada

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[-] RyanGosling@hexbear.net 19 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

issuing a statement that the convoy would not be heading to the border at all but instead going to Quemado, a tiny town in Catron County, Texas.

But on the first day of the convoy, some attendees woke up to find their tires slashed, according to one of the main livestreamers who posted pictures on X of the cars outside a motel.

So they tried that in a small town and succeeded. What do conservatives have to say about this?

On Monday, after the cars had started on the road, organizers issued a press release, claiming “groups are forming to infiltrate the convoy.”

I’m curious how much of this is COINTELPRO and how much of it is just conservatives being genuinely stupid and sabotaging their own movement unintentionally

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago

Chuds solidarity GMs

Not being able to get people to show up to scheduled gatherings

[-] SacredExcrement@hexbear.net 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I know this is all funny, but honestly all I can think of is how wildly to the right the overton window on this has shifted on this and many other issues in just the last couple decades.

Biden's AG argued for indefinite detention to the SC and got it, he waived a ton of environmental protection laws to keep building the wall, he's giving more funding to ICE over the deranged amounts Trump gave...and half the country decided that reality doesn't matter.

It never matters to hogs that they get everything that they want, because the presentation is wrong. Fundamentally unserious people.

[-] PosadistInevitablity@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago

What is the obsession with convoys on the right wing?

Is it car brain in action?

[-] happybadger@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago

It seems fun. A road trip with your friends and you get to pretend you're about to go to war. You don't have to walk or carry anything heavy. Antifas can't hurt you in your safety box.

[-] pumpchilienthusiast@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago
[-] ComRed2@hexbear.net 6 points 6 months ago

Lmao what a bunch of fucking nerds.

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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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