Roswell Encina Recounts July 4 Patriot Front Metro Encounter in D.C. as Photos Show Masked Men Surrounding Him
Updated
Updated · NBC Washington · Jul 6
Roswell Encina Recounts July 4 Patriot Front Metro Encounter in D.C. as Photos Show Masked Men Surrounding Him
3 articles · Updated · NBC Washington · Jul 6
Summary
Getty Images from July 4 show D.C. resident Roswell Encina surrounded on Metro by masked Patriot Front members, an encounter he said left him tense and focused on avoiding eye contact and staying safe.
Patriot Front marched around Washington before boarding trains in close proximity to people of color riding alone; the Anti-Defamation League identifies the group as white supremacist.
Luke Baumgartner of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism said the group’s aim was publicity for a message that America is “for whites only.”
Five years earlier, Encina said, kids on Metro threw coffee on him and another Asian American passenger while leaving non-Asian riders alone, making the latest incident a reminder of enduring divisions.
Encina said he still believes most people are inherently good and that staying hopeful is essential despite the intimidation.