Proud Boys Announce Plans to Disrupt Chester Drag Storytime

March 28, 2023 by John Karlovec

The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, apparently announced they will be gathering at a drag queen story time event in Chester Township April 1.

The Drag Brunch & Story Hour is scheduled to be held at two Geauga County locations. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a drag brunch is taking place at Element 41, a Chardon Square restaurant, with a drag show slated for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is sold out, including a second drag brunch from 2-4 p.m.

The brunch is a fundraiser, sponsored by the Community Church of Chesterland to raise money for its safe space program and to fund programming for PRIDE.

At 4 p.m., the church is hosting a drag story hour at its Chester location, 11984 Caves Road. Ohio performers Empress Dupree, Ava Aurora Foxx, Monica Mod and Veranda L’Ni will be reading children’s stories at the event.

At this point, The Proud Boys only announced a rally at the Chester event.

The church — which came under fire on social media and received threats after it announced the story hour event — was vandalized last weekend by what church officials described as a Molotov Cocktail, according to its Facebook post.

“I was asked to hold off posting about the damage done to @chesterland_ucc, so I took down Saturday’s post,” Minister Jess Peacock said. “Info is out now so yeah, our sign was destroyed, outdoor light fixtures broken and Molotov cocktails thrown at the church, which houses a pre-school. So they’re obviously ‘thinking of the children.’ We were fortunate that when this hate crime occurred, it was raining, which probably prevented the fire from catching. Small mercies.”

The Chester Township Police Department released a statement that said at least one incendiary device had struck the exterior of the church, resulting in minor damage.

“No portion of the structure appeared to have ignited; however, scorching was noted on the building’s exterior,” Chief Craig Young said in a statement. “Officers also noted that one of the church signs had also been damaged. Several items of evidentiary value were located at the scene and subsequently secured for further processing. The church was unoccupied at the time of the incident and there were no injuries.”

Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to contact the Chester Township Police Department at (440) 729-1239 or (440) 729-1234.

Rumors have circulated about protests at both events involving the Proud Boys, described online as an “exclusively male North American far-right neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.”

An apparent Proud Boys social media post reads “Rally Against Groomers” at 4 p.m. April 1 in Chesterland. It included “It’s Gonna Be Wild,” an apparent reference to Jan. 6. Former Pres. Donald Trump had called on his supporters to attend a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, promising it would “be wild!”

Law Enforcement Prepared 

On Monday, City of Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus, Young and Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand issued a joint press release as a result of inquires their departments have received from the public and media asking about the private drag events.

“We are aware that protests, demonstrations and other activities have occurred at similar events in other communities,” the release said.

“We are working collaboratively among ourselves and with other law enforcement agencies across Northeast Ohio to ensure order and safety in the community, and we will be prepared to respond to any breach of the peace if necessary,” it added.

The three declined to comment on specific security measures that are in place or are being planned, because “to do so could negatively impact our ability to protect the public during the events.”

Earlier this month, hundreds of protesters, including armed white supremacists and LGBT-community supporters gathered in Wadsworth’s Memorial Park as a group tried to put on a drag queen storytelling event for children. Protesters against the event far outnumbered supporters, according to news reports.

White supremacist and white nationalist groups, including at least one participant wearing a Proud Boys hoodie, shouted racist and homophobic slurs at onlookers and others, including “Heil Hitler,” and a man on a loudspeaker chanted “Sieg” as protesters responded, “Heil!”

Toward the end of the four-hour event, two people charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct were arrested after a series of melees involving pepper spray, the violent use of a flag pole as a weapon and a protester who unnerved witnesses when he pointed a pepper-spray gun at the crowd.

Hildenbrand said they have been working for two weeks with police department all over Northeast Ohio preparing for these events.

“Our goal is to protect the public and make sure there’s a peaceful demonstration,” he said. “If there isn’t one, we’re ready for it.”

Added Hildenbrand, “We are well prepared for any disturbance that may occur — and have people in reserve.”

The sheriff said command posts will be set up in Chardon and Chester, and numerous extra resources are coming in.

Event Organizer Asks Supporters to Donate, Stay Home

Event organizer Molly McMaster, president and CEO of The Fairmount Group, a new Chardon-based event production, marketing and communications company that produces LGBTQ and social justice events, posted on her Facebook page she was helping the church keep everyone safe at the upcoming drag events.

“We DO NOT need people on the ground to help us. What we need is money to pay for physical barriers and security guards,” she wrote, asking followers to share her link widely. “We need to raise $10,000 by April 1.”

She added, “And I’m completely serious when I say we do not need boots on the ground. Please, please, please, please, please do not make my job harder than it already is by adding to the confusion and the chaos. If you don’t have a ticket for the events and you haven’t been directly asked by an organizer to attend, I need you to stay home.”

McMaster said she hopes people take her words seriously.

“I am confident in my ability to get everyone in and out of the building safely, but I am only one person and I can’t spend all day breaking up fights between punk-ass progressive kids and Nazis with assault rifles in my back yard while my kid is 3 feet away. Give money and stay home.”

McMaster told the Geauga County Maple Leaf on Monday they are “significantly” short of their goal, but was hopeful they could meet it by week’s end. Anyone wishing to donate can do so through: https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/69308?widget=1.

“After what happened in Wadsworth, I don’t know what these Proud Boys are going to do,” she said. “As many security precautions as we’ve taken and as firm as I have been that’s everything’s under control, maybe The Proud Boys won’t do much, which would be wonderful, but we have no way of knowing.”

While McMaster said she isn’t aware of any planned Proud Boys rally in Chardon, she said she is aware of threats being made against Element 41.

“They did get one call from someone who said they were bringing 100 armed protesters to the restaurant,” she said, adding if the protesters are coming from out of town, she would not be surprised if they hit both events.

McMaster said she personally reached out to several local people who commented on social media they were coming out to protest.

“I personally reached out and begged them as a neighbor . . . to reconsider because it’s not about drag anymore, it’s about our community versus Nazis and I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said. “I don’t want our community to be synonymous with that type of violence.”

Added McMaster, “Even if folks are upset in Geauga County, even if folks really, really don’t like drag, want to call me a groomer and all of that, I think we care enough about our county, our community and our neighbors. Folks here are not the problem. I am not scared of my community, I’m not scared of my neighbors and I’m not worried about anyone locally causing trouble.”

McMaster also said her firm has organized a “very significant and robust private security detail.”

“We are confident law enforcement agencies have public areas under control and we are taking every precaution to protect our event inside our private property,” she said.