The New Normal
Demonstrators Wave Nazi Flags Outside Performance of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Members of the Livingston County community are voicing their concerns after people waving Nazi flags gathered in Howell and Fowlerville Saturday night. Residents and officials alike are particularly upset, given the long history of racism in the county.
Several people in Howell were seen waving Nazi flags outside of an American Legion Post that was hosting a theatre performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank” Saturday night. After the group left Howell, they made their way to downtown Fowlerville, where they gathered in one of the town’s major intersections.
The Fowlerville Community Theatre, who were performing “The Diary of Anne Frank,” released a statement on Facebook reading, in part:
As a theatre, we are storytellers. We tell stories that transport audiences to different times and places—some real, some fantastical. This production centers on real people who lost their lives in the Holocaust, and we have endeavored to tell their story with as much realism as possible. On Saturday evening, things became more real than we expected; The presence of protesters outside gave us a small glimpse of the feare and uncertainty felt by those in hiding.
As a theatre, we want to make people feel and think. We hope that by presenting Anne’s story, we can help prevent the atrocities of the past from happening again.
Fowlerville Community Theatre, Press Release, Nov. 11, 2024.
6 News also had the chance to speak to members of a local advocacy group, Stand Against Extremism LivCo (SAGE), about the incident
“I can’t say I was shocked, because we have seen them in the community in the last year,” said Tonya Defever, a member of the organization. “I guess I felt really saddened.”
In July, organizers held a “White Lives Matter” rally in downtown Howell, where at least a dozen people holding white supremacist signs and chanting ‘Heil Hitler’ marched down Grand River Avenue.
It’s gotten to the point where some residents of the area may feel threatened.
“[I] instantly [contacted] my Fowlerville people and make sure that everybody knew,” said Julie Ohashi, co-founder of SAGE, “and Howell people that they were out, and just to be careful if you were in the area because it’s dangerous.”
The SAGE representatives 6 News spoke to say that they’re familiar with the Howell and Fowelerville communities and that these events don’t represent everyone from the county. However, they also say local leadership has been silent about white supremacy, something they say needs to change.
Livingston County, particularly the Howell area, has a known association with racism. The now-deceased Robert E. Miles, Michigan Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, was known to hold KKK gatherings that drew national attention from both fellow white supremacists and national media outlets on his nearby property.
However, local officials say that it’s time to move past that history.
“I’ll say to those that are using our community and in most cases don’t even live here, to promote a message of hate, quit coming here,” says Jason Woolford, who represents the area in the Michigan House of Representatives.
Recent events potentially bringing back some of Howell’s racist reputation continue to frustrate local officials.
“It was national news,” said Howell Mayor Robert Ellis. “And it’s very difficult to respond to that because we don’t have a national voice.”
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