Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A march organized by a group of white supremacists over the weekend in downtown Howell was short-lived and the City stressed it stands united in condemning the behavior and racist ideology.

The Howell City Council met Monday night and there were no public comments made on the matter.

Mayor Bob Ellis told WHMI they are very proud of their community and those who stood up to these people to let them know they do not reflect the values of the community. He said they felt it was important to get a statement out in conjunction with the Livingston Diversity Council and Howell Area Chamber of Commerce - stressing that they “condemn this racist ideology” and are proud of their welcoming and inclusive community.

It appears as though those involved were not local residents. Ellis said "not as far as they can determine", noting police officers talked to several and none were from the community.

The rally took place as former President Donald Trump was preparing to rally in Grand Rapids.

The following is the formal statement released by the City on Saturday:

“This afternoon, a group of about a dozen demonstrators chanting "Heil Hitler" with their faces covered and carrying white supremacist signs gathered on the Livingston County Courthouse lawn. They proceeded to march down Grand River Ave to continue their demonstration on the lawn of the Howell Carnegie District Library. A library board member confronted them and told them that they did not have permission to be there and needed to leave. They then dispersed and proceeded to their cars, all the while being monitored by City of Howell police. Howell Police were able to make contact with several of the demonstrators confirming that all those contacted came from outside of our community, as far away as Saginaw and Macomb Counties. Although we recognize their right to free speech, these demonstrators do not reflect the values of the Howell community. The incident was terminated within a half-hour of when it began. The City of Howell, the Livingston Diversity Council and the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce stand united in condemning this group's racist ideology. We are very proud to be a welcoming and inclusive community, and this is likely why we were targeted by this outside group. We would also like to acknowledge all our residents who quickly reacted to this event and made it clear that we do not share their views.”