THE NEW YORK POST has an excellent piece on this issue, of which a large excerpt lies below:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Harris campaign — along with media allies — has made an extraordinary claim, implying Donald Trump’s Tuesday visit to discuss crime and safety in Howell, Mich., is motivated by racism.
And Howell residents are mystified.
[….]
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign thinks Trump’s Tuesday event at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, a city of 10,000 near Michigan’s major population centers, is a sign of solidarity with these young men.
“The racists and white supremacists who marched in Trump’s name last month in Howell have all watched him praise Hitler, defend neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and tell far-right extremists to ‘stand back and stand by,” said Kamala Harris’ Michigan spokeswoman Alyssa Bradley.
“Trump’s actions have encouraged them, and Michiganders can expect more of the same when he comes to town.”
A Washington Post article boosted this narrative: “Howell has long been associated with the Ku Klux Klan because of the rallies Michigan-based Grand Dragon Robert Miles held on a nearby farm in the 1970s and 1980s.”
And Reuters headlined a piece “Trump to campaign in Michigan town with historic links to white extremism.”
Anonymous user Carlstak extensively edited Howell’s Wikipedia page Aug. 17 to emphasize claims of racism after the announcement of Trump’s event.
The user, for example, changed the line “For many decades, Howell had the reputation of being associated with the Ku Klux Klan,” to say “For many decades, Howell has had” that reputation.
Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy, who is hosting Trump, rejects any insinuation that a culture of racism attracted the Trump campaign.
“I’ll call 100% bullsh-t on that,” Sheriff Murphy told The Post.
“Frankly, I get a little bit fired up when people bring that up,” he said, “We did have the Grand Dragon that lived here in Livingston County. But we somehow as a result of that got labeled with ‘racist, unwelcoming community,’ which truly couldn’t be further from the truth.”
[….]
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s national press secretary, said, “Did the media write this same story when Joe Biden visited Howell in 2021, or when Kamala Harris visits cities where racist protests and marches have occurred in the past? No, of course not.”
Trump’s Michigan spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita emailed The Post a list of cities where Kamala Harris has campaigned that have seen racist incidents in the past, including Eau Claire, Wis., Pittsfield, Mass., Philadelphia and Atlanta.
“You should ask the Harris team why she believes all residents of Howell, Michigan, are racists and if that also applies to the cities she has visited with their own divisive histories,” said LaCivita.
The Harris campaign did not reply to a request for comment.
Trump Mic Drops Reporter’s “White Supremacist” Question
RED STATE notes the backfire aspect of Kamala’s campaign strategy here:
- … this latest moment of fake outrage could backfire on the Harris campaign by alienating voters in these areas. It certainly comes off as an elitist dismissal of their communities, does it not? Are we to ignore people living in certain parts of the country because evil things occurred where they live? This isn’t exactly the best way to attract people to one’s cause.
HOWELL, Mich. (FOX 2) – About a dozen white supremacists made their mark on Howell with a disruptive demonstration last weekend that reignited the city’s checkered past.
“I saw a few men, teenagers maybe, all covered in black – kind of like ninjas. That was my first thought,” said Howell resident Shannon Harvey.
[….]
Harvey lives a block away from the courthouse where the men were, and could hear them.
“I can sum it up in two words. Their messaging was white power,” Harvey said. “I was very surprised to hear the type of language that they were using downtown. It’s something that you don’t hear here often.”
The men moved from the courthouse, to the library. Eventually, the demonstration was dismantled and they went home.
“Howell Police were able to make contact with several of the demonstrators confirming that all those contacted came from outside of our community, as far away as Saginaw and Macomb Counties,” Ellis stated.
The reason these men chose Howell is believed to be because of Robert Miles, a prominent KKK leader who held cross burnings and rallies nearby in the 1960s. ….