Good evening, Mayor Jones, Commissioners, and residents of Wake Forest
My name is James Thomas Baker IV, My extended family, Baker, Harris, Clifton, and Timberlake, has called this land home since before it was Wake Forest, before Wake and Franklin were counties, when it was still a colonial holding under the Crown.
We’ve farmed, fought wars, and raised generations here. That history isn’t privilege—it’s responsibility.
I’m a journalist, a veteran, and an expert on political violence—on how fear is manufactured, how networks organize around it, and how democracy unravels when intimidation becomes routine.
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Before coming home, I spent years embedded with U.S. special operations forces overseas studying how fear controls communities. Now, I’m seeing echoes of that here—right in my hometown.
A month ago, a Franklin County resident sent me a flyer shared in local activist networks.
It urged people to come to Pride Fest 2025 and “observe and record” attendees—especially minors and families—and to note license plates.
On October 11, they followed through. People filmed residents and children without consent, then posted it on YouTube as “Children at Pride.”
That isn’t faith or safety.
It’s surveillance and intimidation—meant to create fear and control who feels safe showing up.
Across the country, we see this same pattern: Identify a group, label it dangerous, and justify shaming and punishment. That’s how extremism takes root—not in wars abroad, but in quiet towns that let fear become the civic language.
Authoritarianism doesn’t start in capitals; it begins when neighbors turn on neighbors and fear replaces freedom. FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He meant that fear, once accepted as policy, erodes democracy from within.
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Wake Forest has always had strong families—mine included. That legacy demands we defend, not divide. Because I won’t stand by while residents, commissioners, or business owners are targeted by bullies who mistake cruelty for conviction.
We can choose courage over fear. We can say clearly and without apology: Wake Forest is for everyone.
An injury to one is an injury to us all in this town. And as long as I have a voice, fear will find no home here.
Wake Forest Matters is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom covering Wake Forest, NC. We report on local government, schools, business, and community life — free to read and reader-supported. Fearless. Local. Loud.
