Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Howell Mayor Bob Ellis joined an anti-hate protest downtown Saturday afternoon, reiterating plans to hire a public relations firm to combat the city’s negative reputation dating back decades to when former KKK grand dragon Robert Miles moved into the area.

Dozens of members of the group Stand Against Extremism (SAGE) organized Saturday’s rally in response to the small group of people waving swastika flags outside a recent presentation of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

“We don’t want to be known as a racist or intolerant community,” Ellis told WLNS Lansing. “We really want to be known as a welcoming and inclusive community and each time these people come out it sets us back ten years.”

Ellis earlier this month said the city is going to hire a Public Relations firm to counter hate-filled messages that have riddled their community. Proposal will be invited soon, he said, "to see what different companies might do to help us."

“This is the fourth time, this year that I’ve personally have been protesting actual Nazis in this town in this calendar year. Which is bananas,” said SAGE Meg Koenemann.

The same group held a counter-rally after a similar incident in August.

“Community and unity. We’ve got to stop the division. We all believe in the same thing: we want peace and prosperity. So let’s learn to get along,” said member Karen Gage.

“Everybody’s tired of the hate. So, this is a chance to bring everybody together for community and unity, and that’s our goal.”

Photos courtesy of WLNS.