White pages michigan kalamazoo4/28/2023 Protestors, upon discovering they could not enter the rally area with their bags, signs or other items, decided instead to stay outside the fenced in area. White has written he was injured when an officer’s horse stepped on his ankle during this confrontation, however it could not be independently verified.Īs tension grew, more officers moved in, moving NSM members and White back to the entrance to the rally, creating a double line of police. Officers on horse back moved in quickly to separate the two groups and while the NSM saluted and chanted “Sieg Heil!” counter protestors chanted “Hey, hey, the KKK has got to go!” As this happened, the group from NSM came out of the rally area, and confronted protestors. The group promptly surrounded White and Carlson, screaming in their faces, while White and Carlson screamed back “Sieg Heil!” and gave the Nazi salute. They carried signs reading “Hate Speech=Terrorism,” “Racists not welcome,” and “Hate Speech is not Free Speech.” Many wore handkerchiefs over their faces, a common preparation activists take when they fear they will be tear gassed. As they marched, they chanted, drummed on plastic five-gallon buckets and made noise with noise makers and whistles. The group walked down Crosstown Parkway to the entrance area to the rally, and entered to wait for Turner.Īs Turner and his entourage were being escorted to the rally location on city buses, a crowd of about 250 people marched from Bronson Park to the KDPS building. With them was an elderly man, dressed in a simple plaid shirt and pants. While White and Carlson were standing quietly near the media pool, a contingent of eight members of the National Socialist Movement (Nazis) arrived in NSM T-shirts and T-shirts emblazoned with swastikas. White was there to protest Turner and his entourage, and has called Turner a traitor to his movement on his Web site. They were dressed in black shirts, khaki pants and wearing red swastika armbands. A Michigan State Police helicopter flew over the city, monitoring crowds and directing police to larger than usual gatherings in order to prevent problems before they happened.Īs police were preparing for the event and media were checking in, Bill White and Dan Carlson from the National Socialist Workers Party, a radical off-shoot of the National Socialist Movement (Nazis) stood quietly under a tree across the street from the rally location, distributing literature. Officers stood at the ready, riot helmets either on their heads or on the ground beside them, and gas masks sheathed in carrying cases on their legs. Everyone entering the area was subject to search, including walk-through metal detectors and hand-held metal detectors. The parking lot of the municipal building had been fenced in with multiple layers of fencing, creating a secure speaking location for Turner, with areas for Turner’s supporters and areas for opponents. Both women were arrested after stepping up on a public band shell in the park.īefore Turner and his entourage of about 40 people arrived from a remote location and under heavy police escort, officers encircled the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and Courts Building on Crosstown Parkway. Both were charged under a city ordinance for allegedly interfering with police officers. The two arrests in Bronson Park were misdemeanor arrests of two young women. The accused man later told the Kalamazoo Gazette he kicked the animal because the officer mounted atop it had his hair. A second man was arrested for a misdemeanor – assaulting a police service animal charge – for allegedly kicking a sheriff’s horse. One man was arrested for allegedly carrying a double-edged knife and resisting arrest, both felonies. Two of the arrests were made in the rally area, while two others were made in Bronson Park following the rally. Police reported only four arrests associated with the event. Media outlets have denied they made any such agreements with police. It helped to keep the event under control,” Taylor said. “I’d like to commend the media for agreeing not to have major pre-event coverage. Taylor credits the success of the event to the cooperation of the media leading up to it. Joe Taylor, public information officer for the KDPS, said. Officers from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), Kalamazoo Township Police Department, Kalamazoo Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police were on hand to quell any problems should they arise, Sgt. KALAMAZOO – With a police force of over 400 officers patrolling the city, Kalamazoo survived a rally organized by white supremacist radio show host Hal Turner with no property damage, no mass civil disobedience and only four arrests.
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