Chief Elaine Bryant says Columbus police created safety plan with drag show organizers

Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant issued a video statement Monday in response to the weekend’s canceled drag holiday story time event in Clintonville, saying the police division “stands fully with the LGBT+ community.”

Bryant’s statement comes after the Red Oak Community School canceled its Holi-drag story time Saturday morning over safety concerns about protests by the Proud Boys, a far-right white nationalist extremist group, and what school officials had described as a "casual, distant acknowledgement" of the event from police.

Columbus police and Mayor Andrew Ginther had previously refuted that characterization, and Bryant did the same in her pre-recorded video released Monday night.

“No one should be intimidated, harassed and threatened because of who they are or who they love,” Bryant said in the video. “We will not stand for extremist groups to come into this city and cause violence.”

The drag event was protested by the Proud Boys, who have been designated as a terrorist group by Canada and New Zealand, and was also attended by members of the white nationalist, far-right extremist group the Patriot Front. Some of those protesting the drag event were wearing military gear and carrying assault rifles; many were wearing masks that covered their faces from the nose down.

In the video, Bryant also addressed the optics of a Columbus police "dialogue officer," who was present to keep open lines of communication with opposing groups at the protest, high-fiving a drag show protester. The gesture, the chief said, did not indicate support for the protesters opposing the event.

Earlier Monday, Ginther issued a statement that said police took threats seriously from the start. Bryant’s pre-recorded address included nearly identical sections to the statement issued by Ginther.

Ginther: Proud Boys threats to drag storytime, school were taken seriously from start

The Ohio Chapter of the Proud Boys, an extremist organization whose leadership has been charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, posted on the social media platform Telegram last month that it intended to attend and protest the story time event.

“It’s going to be wild,” the group said in its posting, language similar to that used by former President Trump to encourage his supporters to attend his Jan. 6, 2021 rally in Washington, which led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Bryant said police 'immediately began' working with drag show organizers

Once Columbus police became aware of the planned Proud Boy activity, the division “immediately began working in close coordination with the organizer of the event, Red Oak Community School, the host of the event, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, and LGBTQ+ community leaders to ensure that a security plan was in place to allow the event to occur peacefully,” both Bryant and Ginther said in separate statements.

In a video statement Saturday morning, organizers said they'd reached out to Columbus police about their concerns that the Proud Boys would intimidate and harass their event attendees and organizers. They contend that police had "offered nothing."

"I spent a week calling our police department and leaving voicemails about the reports we had seen," Cheryl Ryan, manager of Red Oak Community School, said in a video posted to YouTube on Saturday. "After a week, I was told we could hire a special duty officer, who may or may not show up because they're understaffed."

But Bryant said police and organizers developed a safety plan on Nov. 18 that included uniformed Columbus police officers outside the church and plainclothes officers inside the church to ensure safety.

She said over the next week and a half, police had conversations with organizers and local businesses to prepare for the event.

Days before the event, Columbus police were informed that organizers were working with “an unnamed community safety organization” to provide security for the event and plainclothes officers were no longer needed inside the church. The organizers were comfortable with police outside the church, Bryant and Ginther said.

The morning of the event, police were informed that the event was canceled because of a dispute between the performers and the organizers. Bryant said the department’s bike patrol, counterterrorism unit and dialogue officers were all present at the event.

“We fulfilled that promise,” Bryant said. “Our officers were there from the early morning hours to the completion of the event.”

The Dispatch has filed for a public records request for communications between police and organizers as well as interdivisional communications.

Red Oak pledges to hold more drag story times

Reached Tuesday, Ryan pointed to the school's Dec. 5th statement, which in part said: "We do not feel we did everything right, but this isn't about us."

"Let's focus on why we are here and what we are trying to accomplish," the statement reads. "Everyone has the right to be treated fairly and justly and exist happily. It is our duty as educators and parents to equip our kids to realize their full potential. This event helps us accomplish that, while fostering social justice, creating social awareness and nurturing empathy for others."

The school intends to put on another drag story time, according to the statement, though one "in the full light of day, in-person and with transparency regarding the overall safety plan between our performers, our attendees, and city leadership."

"If this happened in one of the best cities in America, we know others are also dealing with similar issues. Let’s be an example of how to get this right."

Brian Hagemann, director of administration at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, said Tuesday in a phone interview that Saturday's event was canceled over safety concerns. He also confirmed multiple private security teams were involved, declining to identify them.

“Conversations about personal security versus site security created some conflict," Hagemann said.

A post in a Telegram group called "The Official Columbus Proud Boys" indicates Proud Boys plan to disrupt any future drag time story times organized by Red Oak. Proud Boys affiliates have protested at similar drag queen events nationwide.

Police 'dialogue team' to use high-five video in training

In her video statement, Bryant addressed a clip circulating on social media that shows counterprotesters confronting a Columbus police dialogue officer after they said he gave a high-five to one of the Proud Boy protesters.

Bryant said the gesture did not indicate police support for any extremist movement.

“We understand how this looks and how this could make community members feel,” Bryant said. “However, this was not done to show solidarity but an attempt to defuse a tense situation.”

The blue-vested Columbus police dialogue team was formed earlier this year and aims to help facilitate peaceful protests. The team has been used 13 times since July, including a presence at the recent protests over the fatal police shooting of Donovan Lewis.

Bryant said the team will use the video in training “so they that can be more aware of how actions can be perceived by others while building relationships.”

Proud Boys organize in Clintonville despite event cancelation

Despite the Holi-drag story time event’s cancellation, about 70 to 80 protesters, some of them armed, lined the streets near the entrance to Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church on Saturday morning and into the afternoon, many holding Proud Boys signs or flags.

There were no injuries, no arrests and no use of force from police, Bryant said.

Protesters had mostly cleared out of the area along North High Street near Weisheimer Road in Clintonville, by about 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Temporary fences had been placed at the entrance to the church parking lot, with signs warning against trespassing and noting the event’s cancellation.

Columbus Dispatch reporters Jen Smola and Monroe Trombly contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chief: Columbus police worked closely with drag show organizers