American Outliers, Part I

(C. Amanda Moss)

Let me preface this by saying: I have always been politically involved.

It began as a child, with my parents imploring me to read The Federalist Papers, The Articles of Confederation, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, works by Voltaire, Kant, and Locke. The Great Awakening was an ever present aspect of my childhood, and with it came a political involvement at my parent’s behest. I never missed an election, inauguration, or important presidential address as a child. As a teenager, I paged in the Alabama Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives. However, as a young adult in the 2016 election, I stayed quiet.

It’s no secret that I am a conservative, but for a long time, I tried to remain moderate. My “moderate” stance remained until May 1, 2017, in which I was confronted for the first time by a left-wing affiliated group known as Antifa. It started simply enough; I was there taking pictures after I'd spoken to people l earlier that day. I'd brought them food (that Antifa stole, by the way, just walked right off with the spaghetti), and I wanted to see what it was all about. I wanted to know why everyone was protesting. I wanted to know what it meant to them specifically. I've always voted. Since turning eighteen, I've never missed an election. I've written my representatives and campaigned for those whom I supported. Whether it was quietly, or openly. However, I never got involved with grassroots efforts or went to rallies. I never believed protesting, or being involved with organizations, would make much of a difference. May 1st 2017 changed my view on everything. The sun was setting on May Day. Things had been quiet—eerily so once the sun began to set—and I assumed that the protesters that were already there were Antifa. They were holding up signs that said, “You Lost!” and “The South will NOT rise again”, in reference to the Jefferson Davis monument slated to be removed. I’d asked a few protesters if they even knew who Jefferson Davis was—the resounding answer was “no”. Around 7:30 that evening, Antifa protestors showed up in force, in a deuce-and-a-half owned allegedly by the Tulane University ROTC department, with the Deputy Mayor riding shotgun. They showed up with noise makers, Antifa flags, and numbers. They began screeching into megaphones, loudly cursing and calling us fascists and Nazis. Soon, the situation devolved; they were throwing bottles, macing people, and cut a woman’s leg open with a box cutter. I left that night, watching the New Orleans Police Department stand down, wondering how we as a collective had sunk so far into anarchy that lawlessness was the new “progressive”.

That’s why I’m creating this project.

I get it; the idea of “conservatism” isn’t popular. After all, aren’t conservatives regressive? Don’t they hate the rights of others? Aren’t they bigoted?

No. And I’ll tell you why.

These days, you can be classified a conservative for saying that you’re a proponent of free speech. You can be classified a conservative for believing everyone should be treated fairly. You can be classified a conservative because you believe it is fundamentally wrong to incite violence at a peaceful protest.

That’s why I have started this project.

These interviews and portraits are the stories of Americans who want to have their stories told. These are the silent majority.

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The first interview is someone whom I consider to be a friend. He was there on May Day, his face plastered on every newspaper in New Orleans, and a few online. His name is Kanjaksha Katta. He is an Army veteran originally hailing from New York, who made New Orleans his home.

Me: What made you get involved in the movement? What made you want to go out and get involved in the first place?

KK: Because it was happening in my backyard. I was supposed to go f***ing fishing. I saw Black Rebel being jumped and I decided, ‘it’s about that time’.

AM: You’re not from New Orleans originally, correct?

KK: Nah. Commie nation called New York.

Me: After May Day, can you tell me what happened?

KK: May Day we got attacked by a bunch of commies. It was about ten or twenty of us on the monument—about ten of us on a monument—and they attacked us with bottles, knives, whatever else they had. After that, I realized the time to stand up and fight is now. It’s not about flying flags, it’s about now we take the fight to them.

Me: Antifa has done this stuff at Berkeley and Denver and other places—

KK: Only difference in the past is that they’ve done most of it in places where they can’t have guns.

Me: Yeah, exactly. How long had you been out there before Antifa showed up?

KK: Probably a week. We got there the 24th I think.

Me: So, after May Day, how were you feeling?

KK: “Let’s do this! We need to take America back, we need to have America as our America, we don’t need to pander to these f***ing commies.”

Me: We know the monuments were taken down. We know the situation with the mayor, obviously, so what’s your goal now? What’s your fight now?

KK: The destruction of Antifa, and other groups like that. You name it—anyone that has anything to do with race—that’s what’s destroying this country. We need to deal with it.

Me: What do you think about groups like Antifa trying to silence free speech? Trying to silent the First Amendment right to free speech?

KK: They’re not gonna silence me.

Me: Where do you see yourself going? Where do you see yourself taking your mission?

KK: I think we need to finish the ongoing fight in NOLA, and then go elsewhere.

Me: Do you think it’ll ever be done? Do you think it’ll ever be finished? This city has a history of corruption with corrupt politicians and police officers.

KK: I think yes, but the only way it’ll happen is if people start to realize what’s actually going on. It isn’t just about the Confederacy, or the Confederate flag; it’s about America and the American flag, because those groups want that gone too.

Me: Antifa and other groups will go wherever the fight is. They’ve got twenty-three cities listed, are you gonna follow them?

KK: We’ll see what happens. I want to continue the fight here in New Orleans before we go do anything else; we need to get people involved in other places. Too many people are just talking about the problem—they’re all about their live feeds and their publicity—I don’t want that. I just want to fight for our freedom. That’s what needs to be important.

Me: So, to anyone new to the game or just getting involved politically and they’re cautious about it, what would you tell them?

KK: Politicians aren’t gonna do anything. It’s our job as Americans to stand up and protect our rights. Otherwise, it’s never gonna change.

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KK and the group in New Orleans are currently still protecting other monuments in the area from vandalism, especially after the Dreaux monument was defaced a few weeks ago. KK and the rest of the group’s mission is this: defend all American freedoms for everyone. In KK’s words, “We may not agree with what you’re saying, but we’ll defend your right to say it.”

He’s planning to travel the country aiding people however he can, wherever the need may arise.

Stay tuned for continuing stories in the American Outliers series. If you want to be featured, message me directly.

Thank you all!