Page 32 - Florida Sentinel 6-17-22

National
31 Patriot Front Members Arrested Near Idaho Pride Event
Black Detroit Officers Were Allegedly Denied Service At A Restaurant Because Of Racism
Authorities arrested 31 mem- bers of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
The men were standing in- side the truck wearing khakis, navy blue shirts and beige hats with white balaclavas covering their faces when Coeur d’Alene police stopped the U-Haul and began arresting them on the side of the road.
“They came to riot down- town,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said at a news conference.
All 31 were charged with conspiracy to riot, a misde- meanor, White said. The men were going through the book- ing process Saturday afternoon and are scheduled to be ar- raigned on Monday, he said.
Based on evidence collected and documents, authorities found that the group was plan- ning to riot in several areas of downtown, not just the park, White said.
Police found riot gear, one smoke grenade, shin guards and shields inside the van,
SGT. MYRON WATKINS AND SOME OF THE OTHER OFFICERS.
A group of Black Detroit offi- cers say they were denied service at a restaurant because of their race. The alleged incident hap- pened when 11 off-duty officers, who were mostly Black, went to a restaurant in Novi, Michigan after their shift on Monday night. The officers said they waited sev- eral minutes to be seated, but the Bar Louie manager later came out and told them the kitchen was closed.
“One of my co-workers asked, ‘What time does the kitchen close?’ He didn’t give us a direct answer,” Sgt. Myron Watkins told Fox 2. “He pulled out his cell phone, looked at his cell phone and said, ‘It’s 9:26 and it closes at 9:30.'”
According to Fox 2, nine of the 11 officers are Black, one is Latino and the other is white. After they were allegedly denied service, the officers asked an- other Black man nearby to go in
and try to get service.
“He was able to sit down, had a
menu and he asked them what’s good to eat?” officer Do- minique Brown told the news station. “She responded ‘A burger.’ We didn’t get that treat- ment.”
Although the Black customer was served without issue, the of- ficers said they still felt that the restaurant had racially discrimi- nated against them.
“One single Black guy isn’t a problem,” officer Johnathon Gardner told Fox 2. “As a group, I feel we were judged. They looked at us, and they judged us as a group, (like) ‘This is too many Black people coming into our establishment, this is too big of a concern, they’re going to cause a scene or a ruckus.’ And I feel like they judged us.”
Gardner, who has served 15 years in the military, said it felt like Jim Crow all over again.
Authorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front.
White said. They wore arm patches and logos on their hats that identified them as mem- bers of Patriot Front, he said.
Police learned about the U- Haul from a tipster, who re- ported that “it looked like a little army was loading up into the vehicle” in the parking lot of a hotel, White said. Offi- cials spotted the truck soon after and pulled it over, he said.
Videos of the arrest posted on social media show the men kneeling on the grass with
their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
“Reclaim America” was writ- ten on the back of one shirt. Police led the men, one by one, to the front of patrol cars, took off their masks and then brought them to a police van. Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Wash- ington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illi- nois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas, White said.
Only one was from Idaho, he said.
Six Haitians Visiting For Special Olympics Reported Missing In Florida
In a June 7 statement, Osceola County Sheriff's Office said, "We are in communication with Walt Disney World, Special Olympics, and our Law Enforcement and Federal partners. At this time, we believe this is an isolated event and do not suspect foul play."
The statement also says they were last since leaving their hotel in Kissimmee, Florida at approx- imately 2:30 p.m. on June 6. Their room keys were turned in and their luggage was left be- hind.
The Special Olympics said the missing men include those who "are not Special Olympics ath- letes and one who is an adult with an intellectual disability."
“The well-being of these dele- gates is our foremost concern,” the statement adds. “Local au- thorities have indicated they have no reason to believe the health and safety of any of the in- dividuals is at risk. To expand the reach and effectiveness of law en-
Florida authorities are search- ing for six members of Haiti's delegation for the 2022 Special Olympics Games who have been reported missing.
forcement’s efforts to locate these individuals, they have been reported as missing persons.”
The reported missing are Oriol Jean, 18, Anderson Petit- Frère, 18, Peter Mianovich Berlus, 19, Nicholson Fontilus, 20, Steevenson Jacquet, 24, and Antione Joseph Mithon, 32.
The Special Olympics began June 5 in Orlando, Florida.
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