2/8/25 SAGE responds to a denunciation from the City of Howell, the Livingston daily reports

During the 2/6 theater event a former KKk leader, who is born/raised and operated out of Livco as recently as 2018, stated that the white supremacy movement is active in LivCo today. You’d think for such a hefty price tag the PR firm would have done some homework like watching the ‘Face of Hate’ documentary to learn about the community they have been hired to represent. It has become clear that this firm was put in place to continue pushing the harmful narrative that we have no racism/bigotry/hate here (because that would be bad for business), rather just a reputation problem.

The way the City sympathizes with the white supremacists, who continuously are calling for the end of race mixers -which includes families like mine, as "a small group of morally misguided individuals" adding "they are very careful and 'pride' themselves on operating within the law and their constitutional rights." is racist apology at best, racist support at worst. DO BETTER, HOWELL LEADERS.

Everyone will benefit from watching the ‘Face of Hate’ and taking away the message that compassionate conversations, connecting with each other and being in community is the path towards healing from hate.

We are pleading that our fellow community members start healing with us by taking a moment after watching this important LivCo based documentary and reflect on what we, your marginalized neighbors, are begging…

Please listen to us when we say there is a very real problem with racism/bigotry/hate here. You may not see it if you are white and straight, but we live and breathe it. This is why we are trying so desperately to work on actually improving it so that we can truly be the inclusive community we all want.

Howell City Manager, Erv Suida, sent out a press release on 2/7/25 regarding the film event protest.

“SAGE (Stand Against Extremism LivCo) has responded to a denunciation from the City of Howell (link) after white supremacist demonstrators clashed with screening attendees in downtown Howell on Thursday. In a release, SAGE wrote members received “verbal abuse, direct threats of physical violence, and veiled threats against our lives” in response to the organized screening, and added local leaders and law enforcement “have not taken meaningful steps to address the needs of local community members.” After the free showing of “Face of Hate,” a documentary that centers on Howell native Jasen Barker’s journey away from extremism, a group of masked individuals (link) carrying at least one Nazi flag gathered across the street from the Historic Howell Theater in protest. . .

The day after the clash, Howell released a statement denouncing the supremacists, anti-supremacists, SAGE, the media, and messages "that insinuate hate is tolerated in our community." . . In particular, the city took issue with volunteer security members, some masked, armed and wearing bulletproof vests, standing outside the theater. The volunteers told The Daily they were exercising their Second Amendment right to protect SAGE members and attendees. SAGE, however, said both law enforcement and city officials have failed to protect community members from verbal threats and slurs, arguing the added security was necessary. "Multiple individuals from minority communities requested armed escorts to their vehicles that night, and it's worth noting the majority of SAGE members are of ethnic, religious, sexual orientation and/or gender minorities specifically targeted by those agitated at the documentary’s focus," the release from SAGE read. "Informed by past experiences and documented history, our actions prioritized the safety of community members attending the event by relying on constitutional rights." The armed volunteers were members of the public, according to conversations with The Daily, who have experience in public safety and emergency management. They said they've worked with SAGE in the past. None of the armed volunteers crossed the street to confront the demonstrators. . .

According to city's release, both local officials and surrounding police agencies "had a significant presence of both uniform and plain-clothed officers in (the) area to ensure everyone’s safety." However, throughout the confrontation Thursday, reporters saw multiple patrol cars from the Howell Police Department drive by, with none approaching the demonstrators or attempting to de-escalate the conflict. SAGE primarily took issue with the city's failure to admit there's a problem, instead insisting White Lives Matter is a statewide issue, "NOT JUST HOWELL." “The (city's) position and hiring of a public relations firm to show that hate is not a problem here is an emotional reaction potentially shared by many in Livingston County," SAGE wrote. "But it lacks logic. ... No amount of PR or misdirection will change the facts." The release called on local leaders to work with SAGE “to create effective, sustainable and data-informed solutions.” Full article link