Kyle Rittenhouse speaks to supporters amid protests in Grand Haven

GRAND HAVEN TWP. — Before attending a gun rights rally at Freedom Farms in Ionia Township, Kyle Rittenhouse spoke at a ticketed-only event Wednesday, July 19, at Pottawattomie Park.

At the same time, in Grand Haven’s Central Park, more than 20 gathered to protest the event.

More: Kyle Rittenhouse, Michigan gun rights supporters lament new safety laws at rally

About 40 people attended the brunch, hosted by political action committees Sons of Liberty and the Grand New Party. Rittenhouse, who was found not guilty by means of self defense after fatally shooting two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, was the keynote speaker.

Others who spoke included Patricia and Mark McCloskey — the St. Louis, Missouri, residents best known for toting firearms and pointing them at protesters who entered their private neighborhood — and Lucas Gerhard, of Oakland Township, who was arrested for posting a picture of an assault weapon on Snapchat in 2019.

“These are ordinary people who, for exercising their rights, faced tremendous hardships and they pushed through it and they came out on the other side, and now they’re national heroes,” said Shane Trejo, executive director of the Grand New Party.

Gerhard spoke to the group of Michigan residents, some local and some from the east side of the state, about his experience being arrested, facing a domestic terrorism charge and spending time in jail and on bond as he awaited trial.

“I would watch the news, seeing people burning police cars, burning down cities, these guys getting out, the (district attorney) letting them go,” Gerhard said. “These people are real terrorists. I post a picture of my rifle, my constitutional, second amendment right ... and they don’t give me the benefit of the doubt, they just arrest me right there and then.”

Rittenhouse spoke about how he’s become an advocate for the second amendment — the right to bear arms — since being acquitted of his own charges.

“I want people to get more involved with grassroots organizations, such as Great Lakes Gun Rights, National Association for Gun Rights, or, I’m from Texas, so Texas Gun Rights, just get involved in organizations like that, support them, sign their petitions, join their email list, donate to them,” Rittenhouse told the Grand Haven Tribune before the event. “They’re fighting to save what our founding fathers enriched in our constitution for us.

"The second amendment saved my life. Without it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today.”

Rittenhouse said he doesn’t speak at many events and works a "nine-to-five job.”

Grand Haven native and political organizer Brandon Hall, executive director of Sons of Liberty, said the event garnered a lot of “hate” from some community members.

“The amount of hate and death threats this event has had, it’s disappointing,” Hall said Wednesday. “They say they’re mad at Kyle, but they have no problem threatening to kill me or Kyle.”

The event was originally advertised as “Brunch on the Beach," and slated to take place on a private beach residence. Instead, it took place under a pavilion at Pottawattomie Park. No reservation was made, according to Grand Haven Township. Use of the pavilions are first-come, first-serve.

“We had private residences lined up, but due to obscene death threats from the radical mob, they didn’t want to put their families at risk, which is completely understandable,” Hall said.

Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said his officers knew of the event.

“We were aware of the planned event and prepared to take action, if anything got out of hand,” Sparks said. “I’m told there were no issues.”

About an hour before the brunch began, a couple dozen protestors lined both sides of Washington Avenue in Grand Haven, next to Central Park and the Ottawa County Courthouse.

“They're trying to do this primarily to raise money for far-right candidates to try to unseat other Republicans,” said Grand Haven resident Walter Davis, who organized the protest after hearing of the event. “I think we’re (Grand Haven) a target for them to rally a different frame of mind.”

Protestors of all ages held various signs, some calling for peace in Ottawa County, while others donned more specific messages like, “Vigilantes Stay Home” and “Pray for Kyle Rittenhouse.”

One 19-year-old Grand Haven native held a sign that said of Rittenhouse: “Your ‘attackers’ thought you were a mass shooter, not a medic.”

“We decided to show up and be like, ‘No, we don’t want you in this town,’” said Finch Arnold, who stood with two friends. “If they want this to be a safe, tourist community, stuff like this shouldn’t be allowed.”

National gun violence and concern for her children’s safety brought local mother Marin Dixon and her daughters to Wednesday’s protest.

“It was really upsetting to me that we’re bringing someone here who I viewed as a vigilante and people are promoting him as a positive person,” Dixon said. “I wanted to come out and show what I stand for and what our community stands for.”

Dixon said she spoke with her two daughters Neve, 9, and Nora, 3, about the “peaceful protest” and sharing their “family values.”

“We talk about what’s going on in the news and the world a little bit, how we just want to be on the side of peace and being positive people in our community and our country,” Dixon said.

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Ten minutes away, another mother attending the political PAC-hosted event became emotional talking about the concern for her children and grandchildren’s futures.

“Just hearing the despair in my adult children’s voices where they say, ‘Mom, we hate this world,’ and just all the injustice,” said Kippy Ellis of Muskegon. “I do see people here that are like-minded and like-hearted as myself, and it makes me feel like I’m doing something. I want to do more.”

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Kyle Rittenhouse speaks to supporters amid protests in Grand Haven