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Remember that Ohio church a week ago that was firebombed over a drag show?
There is an angle of the story that most media outlets strangely ignored completely.
Headline: "Ohio Church Hosting Drag Event Firebombed, Resists Police Pressure"
Read those last three words again.
From this source: https://medium.com/prismnpen/ohio-church-hosting-drag-event-firebombed-resists-police-pressure-ed1dc3915fb9
In response to the initial threats of violence and protest from Proud Boys, et all,
"To write that local law enforcement reacted poorly is to badly understate what happened next. Instead of rallying to protect the restaurant and the church — to protect and serve their community— police officials complained that protection would be too costly, claimed they wanted no part in “controversy,” and advised the church (in what reads like an order) to shut the events down."
The cops were doing the terrorist's job for them.
26 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
James Finn
Apr 4
Ohio Church Hosting Drag Event Firebombed, Resists Police Pressure
(snip)
Then last Friday, the FBI arrested a Nazi
According to CNN, “Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, Ohio, has been charged in the US District Court in Cleveland with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device, according to a criminal complaint.”
(snip)
Then something truly special and cool happened
According to Cleveland.com, the Community Church of Chesterland held its sold-out drag-queen story hour as scheduled, and only one lonely protester showed up. The photo (which I can’t show you for copyright reasons) is almost hilarious. One lone person dressed all in black, wearing a black facemask, sits on the side of the road near the church looking lonely and dejected. They probably should have gone inside for a little radical acceptance and love.
A larger protest did take place at the Element 41 restaurant earlier in the day, but news sources report that protesters were mostly outsiders, members of the white-supremacist group Patriot Front. Their calls for support from the local community fell mostly on deaf ears. Or maybe locals, some of them people I grew up with, came to their senses? I mean, seriously, Nazis? White supremacists? Molotov cocktails? Arson targeting a church? Are those really Ohio Christian values? Evidently, lots of people found those values shocking and unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the Chesterland church seem to be practicing their values of forgiveness. It seems the police decided to protect and serve after all, and church leaders are heaping them with praise:
(snip)
https://medium.com/prismnpen/ohio-church-hosting-drag-event-firebombed-resists-police-pressure-ed1dc3915fb9
Apr 4
Ohio Church Hosting Drag Event Firebombed, Resists Police Pressure
(snip)
Then last Friday, the FBI arrested a Nazi
According to CNN, “Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, Ohio, has been charged in the US District Court in Cleveland with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device, according to a criminal complaint.”
(snip)
Then something truly special and cool happened
According to Cleveland.com, the Community Church of Chesterland held its sold-out drag-queen story hour as scheduled, and only one lonely protester showed up. The photo (which I can’t show you for copyright reasons) is almost hilarious. One lone person dressed all in black, wearing a black facemask, sits on the side of the road near the church looking lonely and dejected. They probably should have gone inside for a little radical acceptance and love.
A larger protest did take place at the Element 41 restaurant earlier in the day, but news sources report that protesters were mostly outsiders, members of the white-supremacist group Patriot Front. Their calls for support from the local community fell mostly on deaf ears. Or maybe locals, some of them people I grew up with, came to their senses? I mean, seriously, Nazis? White supremacists? Molotov cocktails? Arson targeting a church? Are those really Ohio Christian values? Evidently, lots of people found those values shocking and unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the Chesterland church seem to be practicing their values of forgiveness. It seems the police decided to protect and serve after all, and church leaders are heaping them with praise:
(snip)
https://medium.com/prismnpen/ohio-church-hosting-drag-event-firebombed-resists-police-pressure-ed1dc3915fb9
Note that the blogger links to a CNN article originally published April 1st (the bombing was MARCH 25, the week BEFORE) - https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/01/us/pro-nazi-group-molotov-cocktail-ohio-church-drag-show/index.html but has since been updated weeks later, and is now showing a date of "April 25".
The police quotes directly AFTER the bombing are there and I expect the blow-back was fierce and they did diddly squat until the feds came in and took over. NOW they suddenly found time and money to protect people who live in their community.
I.e., the event where the police finally DID SOMETHING was the one scheduled a week later -
Only one protestor shows up for drag story hour at Community Church of Chesterland
Updated: Apr. 01, 2023, 6:46 p.m. | Published: Apr. 01, 2023, 6:34 p.m.
CHESTERLAND, Ohio – The much-anticipated protests over drag events in Chardon and Chesterland on Saturday ended without incident. Only one protester showed up for the third event, a drag story hour at a local church. Dressed in black, the masked protester sat streetside and did nothing.
The day’s activities also included two drag brunches. Only a small group of protestors that included members of the Patriot Front organization arrived on Chardon Square Saturday morning for the start of a drag brunch at Element 41 restaurant, but beyond chants and shouts there were no violent confrontations.
About an hour before the second drag brunch ended, two SWAT team members came down from the third-floor rooftop over Element 41 in Chardon and told a room of reporters that a bomb threat had been called in to the restaurant. Observers left and reporters moved to a safe distance.
An organizer of the event said later that the bomb threat was actually called in to an unidentified radio station from an unidentified international phone number and was deemed not credible. Also, attendees had been subjected to metal detection and the restaurant was swept by explosive-detecting dogs.
(snip)
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/04/only-one-protestor-shows-up-for-drag-story-hour-at-community-church-of-chesterland.html
Updated: Apr. 01, 2023, 6:46 p.m. | Published: Apr. 01, 2023, 6:34 p.m.
CHESTERLAND, Ohio – The much-anticipated protests over drag events in Chardon and Chesterland on Saturday ended without incident. Only one protester showed up for the third event, a drag story hour at a local church. Dressed in black, the masked protester sat streetside and did nothing.
The day’s activities also included two drag brunches. Only a small group of protestors that included members of the Patriot Front organization arrived on Chardon Square Saturday morning for the start of a drag brunch at Element 41 restaurant, but beyond chants and shouts there were no violent confrontations.
About an hour before the second drag brunch ended, two SWAT team members came down from the third-floor rooftop over Element 41 in Chardon and told a room of reporters that a bomb threat had been called in to the restaurant. Observers left and reporters moved to a safe distance.
An organizer of the event said later that the bomb threat was actually called in to an unidentified radio station from an unidentified international phone number and was deemed not credible. Also, attendees had been subjected to metal detection and the restaurant was swept by explosive-detecting dogs.
(snip)
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/04/only-one-protestor-shows-up-for-drag-story-hour-at-community-church-of-chesterland.html
Here is DOJ's press release about the arrest (note the date) -
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 31, 2023
Man Charged with Arson and Possession of a Destructive Device
An Ohio man was arrested this morning and charged with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device.
According to court documents, on March 25, Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, used Molotov cocktails against the Community Church of Chesterland (CCC), in Chesterland, Ohio, in an attempt to burn the church to the ground.
“As alleged in the charging documents, the defendant used an explosive device to cause harm to a church he found objectionable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “It is the solemn duty of the Department of Justice to safeguard the right of all Americans to free expression, and I commend the work of law enforcement in this matter.”
“Violence and destruction are never an acceptable way to express a disagreement with a particular viewpoint,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio. “While, as Americans, we enjoy the right to disagree, doing so peacefully is the only appropriate option. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio remains committed to protecting the rights of all citizens to express their viewpoints peacefully.”
“The FBI Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force worked alongside the Chester Township Police Department in the matter surrounding a Molotov cocktail used against the Community Church of Chesterland on March 25. The FBI leveraged its task force and its specialized resources to identify, locate and subsequently arrest the subject earlier today,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “We thank the collaborative work and strong partnership of the Chester Township Police and Lake and Geauga County local authorities who assisted.”
If convicted, Penny faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the malicious use of explosive materials charge and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of a destructive device charge.
The FBI Cleveland Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Deckert for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
_____________________________________________________________________
Attachment(s):
Download Penny Complaint
Topic(s):
Domestic Terrorism
Violent Crime
Component(s):
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
National Security Division (NSD)
USAO - Ohio, Northern
Press Release Number:
23-357
Updated March 31, 2023
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 31, 2023
Man Charged with Arson and Possession of a Destructive Device
An Ohio man was arrested this morning and charged with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device.
According to court documents, on March 25, Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, used Molotov cocktails against the Community Church of Chesterland (CCC), in Chesterland, Ohio, in an attempt to burn the church to the ground.
“As alleged in the charging documents, the defendant used an explosive device to cause harm to a church he found objectionable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “It is the solemn duty of the Department of Justice to safeguard the right of all Americans to free expression, and I commend the work of law enforcement in this matter.”
“Violence and destruction are never an acceptable way to express a disagreement with a particular viewpoint,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio. “While, as Americans, we enjoy the right to disagree, doing so peacefully is the only appropriate option. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio remains committed to protecting the rights of all citizens to express their viewpoints peacefully.”
“The FBI Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force worked alongside the Chester Township Police Department in the matter surrounding a Molotov cocktail used against the Community Church of Chesterland on March 25. The FBI leveraged its task force and its specialized resources to identify, locate and subsequently arrest the subject earlier today,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “We thank the collaborative work and strong partnership of the Chester Township Police and Lake and Geauga County local authorities who assisted.”
If convicted, Penny faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the malicious use of explosive materials charge and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of a destructive device charge.
The FBI Cleveland Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Deckert for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
_____________________________________________________________________
Attachment(s):
Download Penny Complaint
Topic(s):
Domestic Terrorism
Violent Crime
Component(s):
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
National Security Division (NSD)
USAO - Ohio, Northern
Press Release Number:
23-357
Updated March 31, 2023
and the complaint, which includes pics of the damage and the suspect - https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1577496/download (PDF)
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