Target Workers Unite organizing and taking action against oppressors

When the name “Charlottesville” is invoked these days people think of fascist torch-lit rallies and right-wing terrorism. We will never forget what happened on August 2017 and recognize it as a flashpoint where the political divisions in the US became more stark than ever before. The people stood up against a new wave of fascism. The murder of anti-fascist Heather Heyer revealed what the alt-right really is about and the public turned against them. While the alt-right has lost much of its momentum and credibility the hardcore believers are still out there scattered across the country trying to rebuild and find another opportunity to get some footing.



Right here in the New River Valley we’ve had our own issues with fascists, one of whom was on the frontlines in Charlottesville. Regional fascist Alex McNabb has gained some notoriety for being a voice of the alt-right on the established fascist podcast network “The Right Stuff”, which features shows such as “Fash The Nation” and “The Daily Shoah” – where McNabb, formerly an EMT in Patrick County, “joked” about torturing Black children with oversized syringes, among many other disgusting “jokes” based on violence inflicted on various minorities. This ultimately cost McNabb his EMT job, but he still floats around our community as we’ve been inundated with fascist propaganda and scare tactics targeting the Virginia Tech campus and the Jewish student center.



As workers and community members we have a responsibility to defend ourselves and each other from such a threat. Fascists who want to cause our fellow workers and community members harm because they may be Jewish, LGTBQ, Black, Latino, or anti-fascist CANNOT be tolerated in our spaces. This is why Christiansburg Target workers made a petition calling for this fascist to be banned from the store as he poses a safety risk to our diverse workforce.

This needs to become the norm among workers across the New River Valley. We DO NOT have to tolerate fascist individuals and organizations that actively seek to build power and enact their genocidal ideas. Getting organized is our best means of defense and protection for ourselves and our fellow workers, especially those most likely to be targeted by fascist violence. Target likes to pride itself on “diversity and inclusivity”, the only way such principles mean anything is if this community threat is ostracized and removed from our social spaces, including our work places. The following is the text of the petition:



Statement Against White Supremacy from Target Team Members at Store #1292 An ethics & safety concern, demanding immediate action! Our team at Target is diverse and we take pride in that. Young and old, black and white, trans, heterosexual and homosexual, these are just a few identities we celebrate among our team members. “An ethics & safety concern, demanding immediate action!” At Target, we value and appreciate our inclusive work environment. It grants team members, and guests alike, a comfortable and safe place to earn and spend money. Most team members at Target love their job and feel it benefits their life for the better. Target, store #1292, is unique from other stores in that it employs a team that genuinely cares and supports one another. Therefore, we unequivocally condemn racial supremacy and WILL NOT tolerate its promotion in our community. For flagrant hate speech, blatant promotion of racial violence, and various public displays of racism (in & outside of Target), we must ban the infamous white supremacist, Alex McNabb, from our store. No member of a Neo-Nazi terrorist organization should be welcome in our community. It is unethical, unsafe, and unfair to allow Alex McNabb to promote his reprehensible rhetoric and ideology in our progressive store. Considering the tragically heinous mass shooting committed, recently on March 15th, 2019 in Christchurch many team members have expressed apprehension and fear for their safety. Target team members of racial and cultural backgrounds that are the target of McNabb’s hatred are especially disturbed by his presence in the store and are dissatisfied with his appearance. Alex McNabb’s presence, in addition to disrupting the work of team members, could deter guests from bringing their families to Target, and seriously depreciate Target’s revenue. Good parents do not want to bring their impressionable children to a business that is frequented by, and accepts the patronage of, a Nazi. It is OUR responsibility to ensure OUR Target community doesn’t provide a safe-haven for racists and proponents of extremism like Alex McNabb. Ban and trespass Alex McNabb from Target store #1292’s premises indefinitely. Alex McNabb is divisive, provocative, and a general menace to the team members, guests, and values that define our Target community as supportive and inclusive. This problem will not go away through inaction. We must acknowledge the threat presented by white supremacy and racism by taking a stand, stopping its malignant ideals from festering and spreading. We demand immediate action.” – Target Workers at Store 1292