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Hate incidents do not reflect the views of the majority of the community

Umito November 24, 2024

Howell — Dozens of people gathered in Howell Saturday afternoon to condemn what they consider “normalized” hate incidents in Livingston County.

Protesters outside Howell City Hall on Grand River Avenue held signs reading: “Hate will not make us great,” “Hitler was a bad role model” and “Honk if you’re not a Nazi “.

Passing motorists honked their horns in support.

Earlier this month, a group of masked protesters waved Nazi flags appeared before an American Legion post in nearby Howell Township during a community theater performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” A former station commander said about 10 people were there for about 30 minutes.

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl of German descent who hid with her family in the Netherlands for about two years during the Nazi occupation of the country and wrote about her experiences in her personal diary. But the Nazis eventually discovered them and another family they were hiding with, and Frank died in 1945 at the age of 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

“Livingston County has really been targeted by a small group of people who want to make an outsized impression,” Howell Mayor Bob Ellis said in a brief speech to the crowd. “It just has a serious negative effect on our entire community, and it doesn’t reflect the views of the vast majority of people who live here.”

The Anti-Defamation League reported an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Michigan between 2022 and 2023. In 2023, the organization reported 267 total incidents, including 230 cases of harassment, 35 of vandalism and two assaults, following 111 incidents a year earlier, including 93 cases of harassment, 17 of vandalism and one assault.

In July, participants at another protest in Howell reportedly chanted “Hello Hitler“.

Howell was also home to a former grand dragon of the Michigan Ku Klux Klan.

Julie Ohashi, founder of Stand Against Extremism Livingston County, which organized the rally, said she wants to see more Livingston County elected officials speak out to condemn the incident during the performance of “Anne’s Diary Frank.”

“Our goal is to draw attention to the fact that this is not normal and that we need to actively do something to improve the situation,” she said.

Julie Gutierrez, who said she was not from Livingston County but identified herself as a nearby resident, said she felt compelled to come out because she felt that even small acts like participating in the demonstration would help make the community safer.

“We’ve become a very angry place,” she said. “If you believe in something, protest and show your face. Even a small thing like this will make a difference and make this place safer for us.”

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