Black Lives Matter in rural America (Part IV): Militias show up

Screenshot of Twitter post re: confrontation between BLM protestor
and police-supporting counter-protestors in Bethel, Ohio (Part II is below) 

The presence--at at least the anticipated presence--of counter-protestors (right-wingers?  antifa?) has been an aspect of the recent resurgence in Black Lives Matter rallies around the country.  A few clashes have occurred in small towns, liked one reported in the Washington Post a few days ago.  This story by Hannah Knowles is dateline Bethel, Ohio, population 2,711.  Here's the lede:

In what she called her longest-ever Facebook post, Alicia Gee said she was preparing on a cheerful Sunday morning not for church but for a demonstration “long overdue in my little town."

“A demonstration to show my neighbors there are people who care, to show my very monochromatic town that Black Lives Matter,” said Gee, who identified herself as a lifelong resident of the Cincinnati-area village of Bethel, Ohio — population roughly 2,800. It was a testament to the wide reach of the movement against racism and police brutality convulsing the country since George Floyd’s death in police custody, weeks of demonstrations that have swept from cities to suburbs and tiny Midwestern towns that haven’t seen protests in decades.

But the 80 or so expected demonstrators ended up dwarfed Sunday afternoon by some 700 counterprotesters — motorcycle gangs, “back the blue” groups and proponents of the Second Amendment, village officials said. Some carried rifles, a local news station reported, while others brought baseball bats and clubs. Police say they are investigating about 10 “incidents” from the clashes that followed, including a demonstrator being punched in the head.

An earlier story about the Bethel incident by Erin Glynn and Cameron Knight in the Cincinnati Enquirer is here. The headline there is "Bethel police investigating 10 incidents after counter-protesters descended on BLM march."  Among other interesting tidbits, Glynn and Knight report:

The entirety of Bethel's police force, six officers, were at the event monitoring the situation and attempting to keep the groups separated and peaceful. A group of Clermont County Sheriff Deputies who planned to staff the event as well were called away, leaving only one additional deputy to help.

Of course, we've been generally aware of right-wing counter-protestors also showing up in urban areas, perhaps most visibly in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday.  One of those protestors was shot by police at the rally where a statue of a Spanish conquistador was removed.

Here's a report of more far-right rural activity out of Coquille, Oregon, population 3,866,  on June 17, by Nicholas Kristof.  The headline is "When Antifa Hysteria Sweeps America.  The panic is a measure of how deluded public discourse has become."  Coquille is in Coos County, population 63,043, in southern coastal Oregon--250 miles south of Portland, as Kristof points out.  He writes:

But Fox News is in a frenzy about rioters and looters, and President Trump warns about the anti-fascist movement known as antifa. So early this month as a small group of local residents planned a peaceful “Black Lives Matter” protest in Coquille, word raced around that three busloads of antifa activists were headed to Coquille to bust up the town. 

The sheriff and his deputies donned bulletproof vests, prepared their MRAP armored vehicle and took up positions to fight off the invasion. Almost 200 local people, some shouldering rifles and others holding flags, gathered to protect their town (overshadowing the handful of people who had come to wave Black Lives Matter signs).

A sheriff from a nearby county, John Ward, warned citizens in a public Facebook post of rumors that the anti-fascists could rampage into his area as well. 

The sheriff explained: 

I was told they are looking for a fight. I am sure we have a lot of local boys, too, with guns that will protect our citizens.

Kristof notes that "no rampaging anarchists ever showed up" in Coquille, but the right-wing militia was nevertheless on guard--just in case.

Earlier posts in this series note what happened in northern Idaho and far northern California, mostly based on rumors of anticipated antifa outsiders.

Meanwhile, my hometown newspaper, The Newton County Times, featured this front-page statement from the county sheriff in the June 10, 2020 edition under the headline "Potential protests addressed":

Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said his office has received multiple, but unsubstantiated, reports of planned demonstrations in the county and wants to address the issue.  In response, he offered this lengthy statement: 

One of my duties as Sheriff, and subsequently one of the duties of my deputies, is to protect and support the Constitutional rights of citizens.  The right to peaceful assembly was considered so important by the framers of the constitution that they are guaranteed by the First Amendment; those rights are among the first things our founding father ensured.  However, that right does not extent to anything beyond 'peaceful.'  Another of our duties is to protect people and property.  My deputies and I will work to ensure the right for citizens to assemble and have their voices heard, but any violence, criminal activity or property damage will not be tolerated.  We will have additional personnel working during the times of potential problems and will have additional resources to call in if needed.

I want the citizens of Newton County to know their safety and property are our first priority, but, at the same time, we also have a duty to consider the rights of anyone who wants to demonstrate.  We don't anticipate any problems at all, but we will be prepared to respond swiftly in case of violence, vandalism, or other crimes.  Should demonstrators assemble, please don't take any issues into your own hands unless you, other people or your property are in imminent danger.  While everyone has the right to express their viewpoints on any side of an issue, we just ask that anyone with opposing views express that in a peaceful way and not interact with people from another side in any antagonizing way or in a way that will incite a disorderly or violent response.  No matter what my opinions or those of my deputies may be on any issue, we have to ensure the right for all citizens to peacefully have their voice heard.  If anyone is planning to demonstrate in the county, we ask that they reach out to us and open a dialog so we can better prepare to ensure a peaceful gathering.

To anyone planning to come to Newton County with the intent to cause problems or commit crime, please know that not will I and deputies not tolerate it, the citizens of the county won't either.  Newton County has a long and proud history of good, hard working people who look out for their families, neighbors and communities and for your own safety, I would recommend looking elsewhere if you are intent on stirring up problems.  

Interesting.  No mention of right or left, BLM protestors, antifa or citizens militias, though the latter were arguably alluded to in the last paragraph.  Mostly professional and balanced, a bit paranoid and threatening at the end--in a way that undermined the earlier admonition to residents to respond only to imminent threats.