WOODHAVEN (WWJ) -- The Woodhaven Police Department is addressing community concern about a protester who is often seen carrying a Confederate flag around town.
After receiving calls from some concerned parents, WWJ's Ryan Wrecker spoke with Woodhaven Police Chief Scott Fraczek about this man, who is apparently well-known in the area.
Normally seen outside of the police department and City Hall about once a month for the past five years, the man — wearing a ski-mask and holding various — has drawn the attention of parents when he said he was going to move the protest in front of the Upper Elementary and Middle School.
"So, when they pulled up and saw this guy out there, they had no idea what to expect," the chief said. "Unbeknownst to them, we were aware of it, monitoring it. They had no idea, so it kinda caught them off-guard."
Fraczek said the man has been cited in the past, but overall, protesting on public property can be done legally. What's not legal is entering private property, as you can be arrested for trespassing.
Overall, Fraczek said protester keeps to himself, so if you're a parent dropping-off or picking-up a kid, it's best not to engage.
"We just monitor him. Like I said, we've been dealing with him for five years," Fraczek said. "I talk to him on a regular basis when he's here. He's just got a grievance with the Woodhaven Police Department from an arrest back in 2017."
In a social media post, the Woodhaven PD said:
"This individual waves a confederate flag and displays various signs some of which read 'Black Lives Don’t Matter' and 'Native American Lives Don’t Matter;, while other signs may display a more disturbing message This individual is protesting what he believes to be unfair treatment by the WHPD and the 33rd District Court. We understand that his message is NOT coming across as intended and some are offended by his protest. The Constitutions of United States and State of Michigan provide the rights of citizens to protest and we will uphold these rights of our citizens. We do ask that individuals DO NOT CONFRONT this individual but instead ignore him."