VIDEO: Whitefish man charged after confronting Black Lives Matter, George Floyd protestors

“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 6/8/20

Since June 1, crowds of up to 70 individuals have regularly taken to the streets of Whitefish in Northwestern Montana to protest the untimely death of George Floyd, following his alleged murder at the hands of Derek Chauvin, an ex-Minneapolis police officer captured on video pressing a knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he begged for air. At the June 3 rally in the downtown area of Whitefish, protestors were met by Jay Snowden, 51, who aggressively and vulgarly confronted individuals at nose-to-nose proximity, including people of color—Snowden threatened individuals, yelling “Black Lives Matter, [EXPLETIVE] you” in their faces while simultaneously knocking signs out of people’s hands. The protestors chanted “peaceful” in turn, standing their ground against Snowden. Snowden was arrested by Whitefish police, and on June 4, Whitefish city prosecutors charged him with disorderly conduct. A roughly three minute recording of the incident has since gone viral, with over half a million views on Facebook alone. The man who filmed the incident told NBC Montana the protest was entirely peaceful until Snowden arrived, and that he recognized Snowden as the man who flipped off the crowd from his car the previous evening.

WARNING: The below video contains foul language unsuitable for minors.