KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — After a day of violence between the Proud Boys and counter protesters in downtown Kalamazoo, city officials are now addressing the actions taken by officers.
Rumors that the Proud Boys, a white nationalist group, could be holding a rally in Kalamazoo turned into a reality Saturday afternoon as the group marched to Arcadia Creek Festival Place and a brawl broke out with counter protesters.
On Sunday afternoon, Kalamazoo city officials held a press briefing to discuss the incident and answer questions.
Mayor David Anderson opened the conference by saying that the city does not support any of the “hate mongering of Proud Boys that came to Kalamazoo.” He added that they support Black Lives Matter and will continue to make sure Kalamazoo is a place where everybody experiences it as a fair place to live.
KDPS Chief Karianne Thomas walked through the timeline of the event. The department was made aware of the post on Twitter in July that read that the Proud Boys and Bikers for Trump were planning a rally in Kalamazoo on Saturday, August 15th. They tried to reach out to the group but nobody would provide more details.
She explained that they were in talks with the scheduled counter-protest organizer who did have a permit to lead a prayer vigil at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
111 officers from five jurisdictions were on standby and monitoring the situation but for the most part they were not visible to the public. She explained that officers were in unmarked vans, viewing from higher floors in nearby buildings, on the ground in different locations, and on standby if agitators created a situation that turned violent or destructive. She said she wanted to make sure that officers didn’t interfere with the peaceful protest or become the target.
Chief Thomas says both the Proud Boys and counter protesters were armed with rifles and handguns, and some were wearing ballistic vests.
After fights broke out near East Water Street and North Edwards Street public safety officers responded. Pepper spray was deployed by both officers and members of the Proud Boys.
The Proud Boys dispersed, regrouped at Bronson Park, and eventually moved back to the Radisson parking ramp. Some counter protests attempted to block off the parking ramp as officers told everyone that they had to leave.
Nine adult arrests were made and one juvenile was arrested but released to their parent.
Mayor Anderson later announced that he had requested that minor ordinance violations against five counter-demonstrators be dropped. City Attorney Clyde Robinson has since dismissed the misdemeanors. Four other more serious charges involving assault have been turned over to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor.
Chief Thomas also apologized for the arrest of the MLive reporter. She said he was wearing visible credentials and should not have been arrested.
.@KalPublicSafety Chief Karianne Thomas apologizes for my arrest Saturday: “KDPS arrested an @MLive reporter who they believed to be interfering or obstructing with their operations… This person was wearing visible credentials and should not have been arrested.” pic.twitter.com/z9DOkf6txi
— Samuel J. Robinson (@samueljrob) August 17, 2020
She added that more arrests may be made and anyone who was injured during the incident or has more video evidence should contact public safety.
KDPS will continue reviewing the situation as well as their department’s actions to learn how to better respond and evaluate the situation.
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