'Better Together' and 'Red Pill' festivals coming to Mineral County
A planned appearance by one group of people in Mineral County has spawned a festival by another on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Saturday, July 24, St. Regis Community Park will host the Red Pill Festival. It will last all day and feature conservative speakers, many who are currently representing or have represented state governments in Montana, Idaho and Washington.
In response, a recently formed local group, Treasure State Values, is hosting an event this Saturday, July 17, at St. Regis Community Park.
According to a news release from Diane Magone of Treasure State Values and Montana Human Rights Network’s Travis McAdam, “Better Together: A Community Celebration” will have live music, speakers, crafts for kids as well as food and beverages.
The event will occur from 4-7 p.m.
The release explained the planning for “Better Together” began with an announcement that the Red Pill Festival, which is sponsored by a national organization that has brought it to several towns in the Mountain West since 2017, had a planned stop in St. Regis this summer.
“We were stunned when we heard the news,” said Diane Magone of Treasure State Values. “We knew there had been a steady rise in anti-government and militia activity throughout Montana, but we didn’t want another way for local people to get so wrapped up in it. Several of us got together and decided that we couldn't let this extremist roadshow define our community. We chose to resist these threats to our community and democracy.”
According to the release, Treasure State Values reached out to McAdam at the Montana Human Rights Network for information. The Network has been helping communities push back against all forms of violent extremism for more than 30 years. McAdam provided some background on militias, white nationalists, so-called “patriot” and “liberty” groups, and the overlap that often happens among them.
“Treasure State Values’ decision to hold their own event is the perfect response,” McAdam said in the release. “Sometimes we’ll see people wanting to protest at Far-Right events, but it often backfires because extremists love the attention. They also love playing the victim. Organizing an event that reminds people why they care about their community, and that solutions to real problems require working together, is the best antidote.”
The Red Pill Festival, according to a story in the New York Daily News, was founded by 89-year-old G. Edward Griffin. He is a long-time author, member of the John Birch Society and has been described by some as a conspiracy theorist.
The festivals have been held in various locations across the country for the last few years, including an event in Spokane, Washington, in 2018, in Bozeman in 2017, and one in Rapid City, South Dakota, in June.
At the St. Regis event, Montana state Rep. Derek Skees, who represents District 11, will be the master of ceremonies.
Other speakers and performers include state Sen. Bob Brown, who represents District 7, Caleb Collier, a regional field director for the John Birch Society, Spokane’s New Covenant Baptist Church Pastor Afshin Yaghtin, recording artist Jordan Page, and former Washington state representative Matt Shea, who is currently the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Spokane.
For more information, go to theredpillfestival.com.