Nazi protestors demonstrate against anti-racism film in Howell
HOWELL, Mich. (WLNS) — A group of men holding swastika flags and yelling slurs were spotted in Howell Thursday night during the screening of an anti-racism documentary called 'Faces of Hate.'
This incident comes a few months after a similar group of men were seen back in November waving Nazi flags and protesting against a showing of 'The Diary of Anne Frank' play at the American Legion.
Jeffrey Amayo, a construction worker, says he was invited to the screening of the film and approached one of the men holding the flags.
'He barged into the theater, they pushed him out, and I decided to get in his face, and just tell that he's a joke,' said Amayo. 'You know, let him know that a Black man is telling you you're a joke, and I made him afraid.'
Amayo says this incident hits close to home.
'I grew up in West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills,' said Amayo. 'I was a victim of racial harassment and racial violence, and I decided to put my foot down. No more. No more.'
The film, 'Faces of Hate,' tells the story of an ex-white supremacist who changes his racist ideology. Tyler Deperro, the owner of Historic Howell Theater, says a man came inside earlier that day upset about the film.
'And then later on as the movie was ending,' said Deperro. 'That group came back around 8 o'clock across the street with their Nazi flags and yelling slurs.'
Julie Ohashi, co-founder of Stand Against Extremism (SAGE) Livingston County, the group that sponsored the documentary says, the film was what caused the extremist to show up.
'We did receive verbal abuse. Threats of direct physical violence,' said Ohashi. 'They're saying things like, you know 'race mixers are the death of the white race,' and 'stop killing white children,' 'end white genocide.''
Ohashi says SAGE combated against the protestors the best way they could.
'The response was to drown them out in any way we could, just play really loud music,' said Ohashi. 'Yell over top of them, but we didn't want them to have the platform.'
Although the event ended on a sour note, Ohashi says the screening was a success, with 100 people viewing the documentary.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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