
This forced everyone to swing into action. He threatened to storm the SFWA suite, so SFWA hired a security guard. Access to the suite was drum-tight. The con committee geared up a buddy system, complete with signage and color-coded tee shirts, so that anyone who felt threatened could call upon escorts hither and yon. The San Jose police forces turned out.
These days you have to do this. To not respond — to just ignore the entire thing — is no longer a possibility. But with luck it all fizzles out, and this time thank Heaven it did. The troublemaker was denied access; the riot out front involved mainly half a dozen people yelling at each other, and the police were bored. Only a handful of troublemakers showed up (they posted an invitation on Facebook that garnered only 17 acceptances) and the main instigator didn’t even bother to attend. We con goers never had to call upon escorts and thanked the local cops as we passed back and forth to lunch. I have been to tons more energetic protests! Here’s a photo in the San Jose local news’ report of the protest.
Furthermore, the community came together in a dazzling way. He claimed Hispanics were being discriminated against; the programming people doubled down on ethnic programming. The major players in the genre funded grants so that Hispanic writers who couldn’t afford it could attend. This encouraged other groups to also pass the hat, so that similar scholarships were set up for LGBT writers and fans. Translators were on hand for speakers not fluent in English. It was almost Utopian. And I will just draw your attention to the winners of the Hugo Award this year. Science fiction is a genre obsessed with the future (that’s why the award is shaped like a rocket ship). We proved we are all Futurians this year.

Nor did I see any of the rumored dissing of older writers. I am not young, but various SMOF organizers urged me to attend Norwescon, the Dickens Fair, Boskone, the New Zealand Worldcon in 2020. (This last will only happen if I’m a Hugo finalist, so you know what to do when my time travel trilogy EDGE TO CENTER comes out in 2019….) From the professional point of view this is the purpose of Worldcon — to make new connections and find new opportunities. I seem to have passed over a career event horizon, and am now old enough to exchange quips with Robert Silverberg or urged to visit San Diego by David Brin, or talk about Kids These Days with William F. Wu. I have no idea how this happened, but it’s fun!
I still believe that the Prime Instigator™ should be presented with a bill for the security services and extra police presence his temper tantrum occasioned. He won’t be, but he should.
And those poor cops in riot gear standing out in the sun!
This was an especially good con for me as well. I had a little programming and one fan bought new books under various pen names at the booth I was minding in the dealers room and brought 22 books to my autograph session. I found myself petting an early edition of my very first book. Haven’t seen one of those in a LONG time.
The connections I renewed and made with my tribe were especially heart warming. I may be a Cranky Old Crone(tm) but I’m still part of a vibrant community that does look to the future and change. Hopefully for the better.
Loved reading about this Con. I stopped attending years ago, but when hearing about them, get a nice nostalgic high.
I don’t go to every Worldcon, especially when I have nothing in particular published. But this year and next I’m going to every con I can manage. If you have a flag you have to run it up the flagpole.
I agree that the “demonstration” was utterly pathetic.
Sorry I missed getting together for lunch. Con-fog-brain had set in and I waited at the wrong place. A fan took me out to a lovely lunch, anyway.
I’ll post my own report after Labor Day.
Oh you poor thing, we did look for you! There will be other chances, I know.