BILLINGS — On Sunday afternoon, protesters gathered on the lawn of the Yellowstone County Courthouse in support of the message of a man named Jonathan, who rebuked what he described as a rise in white supremacy.
“I’ve seen plenty of (Nazi salutes) out here–enough to know that we do have a problem,” said Jonathan.
His message resonated with others following an altercation on March 2, which Billings Police Department (BPD) said it received conflicting accounts of. No charges were filed, and authorities said no evidence was found linking the other party involved to white supremacist groups.
Michael, the other man involved in the altercation, denied any wrongdoing in an interview with MTN earlier this week.
“We don’t know the exact political leanings of the person that was part of that altercation. It’s strange, though, that you come out here and you are speaking against neo-Nazis and are violently attacked,” said Charlene Sleeper, who organized Sunday's protest.
Regardless of the specifics of that confrontation, demonstrators say their mission remains unchanged.
For many like Jonathan, the fight against extremism is not new—it is a continuation of past movements like Not In Our Town.
“(My sign is) repurposed from the women’s march, eight years ago. I kept it. I didn’t think I’d need it again, but here I am, eight years later–still needing the sign,” said Julie Schultz, a protester whose sign read "Make America love again."
Protesters are inviting the public to join them for two community meetings, Monday, March 17 and Friday, March 21 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Center Auditorium.
