Montgomery County police officers, who responded to the scene shortly after 1 p.m. at Loyalty Bookstores, will be present at future story hours “in a peacemaker role,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus G. Jones said in a statement Monday.
“Officers will be on hand to ensure the safety of attendees and participants,” Jones said. “If protesters are present, we will make sure that there is distance between the two groups, so attendees are able to come and go safely without interference.”
Although Montgomery County police responded to the scene at Loyalty Bookstores on Saturday, Mink said Proud Boys were mostly able to continue approaching those defending the story hour. There were no arrests or official reports of injuries Saturday.
Mink, who said she met with the police chief and requested a more robust response, said she hopes the police department’s approach to future story hours will prevent altercations and allow families and children to hear a drag queen tell stories without fear of intimidation, harassment and violence.
Mink said she, along with other volunteers from a local chapter of Parasol Patrol, a group that protects kids heading into story hours, vastly outnumbered the protesters, who donned clothes and signs with the Proud Boys’ colors, name and logo.
John Zittrauer, 40, a volunteer for Parasol Patrol, said he was injured when the Proud Boys pushed against his group, but he was unsure what, exactly, busted open his nose. Police on scene checked…
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