Protestors Turn Out For Biden's Howell Visit
October 6, 2021
By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
WARNING: THIS STORY AND THE ASSOCIATED VIDEOS CONTAIN GRAPHIC AND VULGAR LANGUAGE.
Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters lined all four corners of an intersection in Howell in anticipation of President Biden's visit to the area Tuesday afternoon.
Amid signs that said, "China Joe Must Go!" and "Biden is a Traitor" was at least one Confederate flag and dozens of "Fuck Biden" flags hoisted from the protesters on all four corners of M-59 and Michigan Avenue, while multiple pickup trucks also hoisting various pro-Trump and anti-Biden flags continually rolled through the intersection, blaring their horns.
A video posted to TikTok shows the President's motorcade coming through the intersection as protestors stand on the side of the roadway and are later told by police to clear the street. A young boy featured in the video is heard to ask where President Biden will be getting out of his vehicle "so I can shoot him." It's believed that the video has been reported to law enforcement authorities.
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♬ God's Country - Michael Lee
Biden spoke at the Operating Engineers Local 324 Training Facility located just down the road. Officially, the crowd was gathered for a "Stop the Spending Rally" organized by the Livingston County Republican Party. That gathering featured Meghan Reckling, chair of the local GOP and Meshawn Maddock, co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
In an AP Interview, Reckling said Reckling said 800 people signed up and came out to protest the President’s spending plans, commenting “I think this is very reflective of how residents, not only here in Livingston County, but real Americans, when you leave the Washington, D.C., bubble, feel about the out-of-control spending between our president and Congress”.
Livingston County Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier countered that Democrats are presenting opportunities to Americans, while Republicans want to simply shout them down. "We're here to stand up for what we believe in, which are positive programs. They (Republicans) have nothing. They have nothing positive to offer the American people."
While there was a contingent of Biden supporters, they were vastly outnumbered and their group was infiltrated by protestors carrying signs and flags that said "Trump Won", referencing the false claim that the 2020 election featured massive voter fraud, a notion that has been debunked at every level of government, including by Michigan Senate Republicans.
Members of the group recorded at least two interactions in which they were angrily confronted by protestors. One of them, Pamela Meng, told WHMI that she was "surrounded multiple times by large groups of men. It was a mob mentality. There were about 30 of us with Biden signs." Meng said several of the men spit at them while "blowing marijuana smoke in my face and calling me a cunt." Meng said she planned to file a police report today about the incident.
WARNING: Video contains profane language