Silver Spring, Maryland—A family day story hour at a local book store for children and their parents turned violent outside when about 30 Proud Boys from the local chapter of the Old Line Proud Boys attempted to gain access to the event on Saturday. The hate group members beat, kicked, and stomped on several citizens with one sustaining open flesh injuries to the face. A medic provided first aid on the scene but no hospitalizations were reported.
The Loyalty Book Store and the Parasol Patrol had anticipated PBs would show up to the community friendly book reading—an event sponsored by Loyally Books, so Parasol Patrol formed a line on the sidewalk before PBs arrived. The Parasol Patrol effectivly blocked PBs from entering Loyalty Books with deescalation tactics. Loyalty Books had closed its doors to PBs to protect the children and parents from harassment. Maryland State Police were on the scene during the assaults but did little to protect the citizens outside. In fact as video shows, it was the Parasol Patrol that protected the families inside the venue from PBs, not police, as some news stories erroneously reported on social media.
This particular individual hate group has shown up to events in Washington DC and to other States to disrupt Drag Queen Story Hour readings and to harass families attending them. So it wasn’t a surprise that they would show up on Saturday to intimidate the families and children from attending the latest Drag Queen Story Hour, according to members of the Parasol Patrol.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the PB organization as a violent domestic hate group. Its leader and members were involved in the insurrection on January 6, 2020, in which a Capitol Police officer died, over 130 Capitol Police were injured or maimed, and an insurrectionist was shot dead inside the Capitol. They were also the MAGA attack on Black Lives Matter Plaza signage in Washington DC, on November 7, 2019 during the Presidential election and in another incident involving hundreds from their group, assaulted scores on the weekend of a pro-Trump rally December 12, 2019. They were present at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. During all these events there were citizens injured and property damage. After the Presidential election they skirmished in the streets and burned Black Lives Matter signage of venerated churches in downtown Washington DC.
Book Reading Inside Was A Success
Inside Loyally Books, the family friendly event went off largely undisturbed with about 20 families enjoying the Drag Queen Story Hour, according to an inside source who spoke with DCMediaGroup on condition they not be identified. They were not affiliated with the Loyalty Bookstore and they were not one of the parents of the children attending.
They described a scene of joy and of children and parents enjoying themselves who were given friendly greetings with smiles when they arrived. The Drag Queen storyteller, Charlemagne Chateau, engaged the children by encouraging them to participate in dancing to the Hokey Pokey and to enjoy pantomimes as they read to them from books such as Karamo Brown’s ‘I Am OK To Feel.’ In this way the storyteller built children’s interest for books and of reading, and broadened their imaginations, which was the intention of the family event. Parents watched as Chateau interacted and engaged the children to participate.
The subjects of the stories promoted positive self images, allowed children to express themselves, and taught self-love and self-empowerment, according to the source. The author, Karamo Brown, is a celebrated media personality nationally known for his messages of inclusion and self-empowerment of oppressed groups such as the LGBTQIA2S community.
A rainbow flag placed over the window on the inside of Loyalty Bookstore facing the sidewalk, blocked the view outside where the PB assaults took place. The flag was in anticipation of an expected PB disturbance outside and amplified music outside made it all but impossible for children to hear the mayhem outside. The Parasol Patrol played Disney music and sang along with it over a speaker to frustrate the PBs and drown out their chants. And it worked—to a point.
PB Actions Turn Violent
As the PBs realized they would not be getting disruptive access to the bookstore to stop the reading, they began pushing, punching, and kicking a line of community citizens who call themselves the Parasol Patrol. The disturbing scenes captured on video taken by several in the Parasol Patrol depicted the violence. The PBs, who hid their faces behind black skeleton masks and wore combat grade flak jackets, attacked and shoved citizens, destroyed or shredded their umbrellas, and body-slammed one into a glass window cutting their face. Video and photos provided to DCMediaGroup show Maryland State Police on the scene but doing little to prevent injuries or protect the venue from PB mayhem. Police did eventually move between between PBs and the Parasol Patrol Police but only for about a minute and after several were already beaten and injured. Police have made no arrests as of our Sunday publication.
Kristen Mink, Council Member, 5th District of Montgomery County, was stomped and kicked by one of PBs outside Loyalty Books. “Proud Boys showed up in Silver Spring and got violent today, trying to scare away families and children attending Drag Story Hour at Loyalty Books. But the community held a wall of rainbow safety and support. The kids had a great time and were none the wiser. We will never back down,” she posted on Twitter.
She also released a video segment showing a PB assaulting her. “I looked down when I felt someone stomp on my foot. An adult. I just.” The video she released on Twitter also shows the same PB kicking her in the thigh.
One in the Parasol Patrol said the PB assault was an escalation of violence not seen before at any previous Drag Queen Story Hour.
One of the citizens who showed up and joined the Parasol Patrol, said he was there because “Drag Queen Story Hour events have been consistently targeted by protesters who have harassed parents and their children.” John Stimpson was right up front in the line when PBs tried to push their way into the bookstore and he was “definitely shaken by the experience. I wasn’t sure how far they were willing to escalate, however I’m very proud that I was there and I that I was a part of keeping families safe from a violent hate group.”
Stimpson wrote by email of his feelings about the PB group, saying, “The PB claim to be there to protect kids, but that’s a ridiculous lie. The idea that any of the kids who came to this event with their loving parents would be comforted by the presence of intimidating strangers in skull masks is absurd on its face. The truth is they were their to intimidate and harass a marginalized group of people, who in their narrow minded worldview should not be allowed to exist in public spaces.”
Stimpson also wrote that the responsibility for the well-being of others in the face of hate groups is a community-wide imperative. “None of us are free until we are free. It’s vital that people who claim to support LGBT people get off the sidelines and into the fight for their rights.”
Michelle Peterson, a local resident of Silver Spring, also joined in the front of Parasol Patrol line to protect the community venue from PB hate. Peterson was also assaulted several times, being struck by several PBs and shoved as she stood next to others on the sidewalk, but she sustained no serious injuries. She wrote by message to DCMediaGroup about her experiences, saying she totally misread the tone when she first arrived—the PBs were far more confrontational than she expected. “I was holding an umbrella and a Proud Boy started leaning on it. I think it’s pretty clear in the video, you can see me trying to brace the umbrella by the handle, then I reach to support the fabric portion as he leans on it further. Then all the shoving breaks out. And one of the Proud Boys started trying to reach over the top of the umbrellas and started swinging. I wasn’t injured, but my hat was pulled from my head,” she said.
Peterson believes that people are allowed to live as they see fit and just as families of Silver Spring are allowed to live and raise their families, so are others, such as the PBs. But she drew the line on the PBs who willfully imposed violence on others. “No one is forcing anyone to go to these events. These are families that are part of or allies with the LGBT+ community, and they deserve the right to raise their children to be accepting of the community. Same as the Proud Boys are allowed to indoctrinate their children by taking them to church weekly and filling their heads with with racist nonsense. The LGBT+ community deserves our support in their fight for the right to simply exist.”
Loyalty Bookstore Heralds Actions of Parasol Patrol while Condemning Hate Group
The next day Loyalty Bookstore posted the following message on its Instagram channel:
“Yesterday afternoon Loyalty came under attack from hate groups who had tried to force their way into our store during a Drag Queen Story Hour with physical violence. The incredible Parasol Patrol and the Montgomery Country Chapter of Drag Story Hour did wonders to not only to push back and hold the safe space, but to keep cheering and singing joyfully in the face of hate speech and disgusting threats. Because of their efforts, the children inside the store got to enjoy doing the Hokey Pokey, hearing beautiful books read aloud, and basking in the presence of Charlemagne Chateau.
“We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers and our wonderful drag queen for focusing on joy and safety.
“Loyalty will continue with our Drag Queen Story Hour because it is an awesome time for kids and because there is no hate or violence stronger than our community.”
Loyalty Bookstore has put out a request for community help to support its mission of inclusivity of marginalized groups by either volunteering or donating at its website or by purchasing books from their website.
Police Were Ineffective At Protecting Community From Proud Boy Attacks
Twenty minutes after Proud Boys began shoving and striking the Parasol Patrol, police arrived and stepped in between citizens and Proud Boys, according to Sadie Kuhns, who joined the Parasol Patrol outside the story hour venue. They said police were neither helpful nor protective of those attending the story hour venue, and it was the Parasol Patrol who kept Proud Boys out of the Loyalty Bookstore. Video was shaky but it clearly shows who the aggressors were—and it was the Proud Boys. (See video at foot of story)
“Police did not break it up. Out of multiple assaults by Proud Boys, there was only one moment they stepped in to separate, and they pushed us back. They kept us separate for maybe 30 seconds and then stood in the street watching it all happen,” Kuhns said.
Kuhns also pointed out that police were not on the scene when Proud Boys first arrived and it was the Parasol Patrol that kept them out of the bookstore. “Police were not proactive. No barricades, no dispersal, no police line,” they said. They also said it was “just a community creating a barrier of flags and umbrellas and defending a bookstore full of children from neo-nazis.”
In The End Children’s Anonymity and Families Rights Were Protected
After the venue ended The Parasol Patrol formed a gateway to shield parents and children from PBs. They ushered them safely on their way home.
Some expressed concern and surprise that PBs showed up in Silver Spring, a diverse community which welcomes everyone from all walks of life.
