Saratoga Mayor Ron Kim asked for a full review of the hate group's suspected appearance; additional gatherings reported Saturday in Waterford and Ballston Spa
The group of apparent Proud Boys who gathered in downtown Saratoga Springs over the weekend stopped in at least two other Saratoga County municipalities Saturday, in what some residents described as an intimidating scene.
According to witnesses interviewed by the Times Union, the men, who wore fabric over their faces, were seen in Ballston Spa and Waterford in the hours after their impromptu and unsanctioned demonstration on Broadway in Saratoga Springs.
On Monday, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim also condemned the group — who looked to be wearing clothing associated with the Proud Boys: “On Saturday afternoon a group known for their misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigration views, and propensity for violence, including on January 6, 2021, when its members stormed the United States Capitol, briefly marched in Saratoga Springs. This is not a normal group of individuals seeking to influence public debate. This is a hate group that is known for acts of violence against people based on their vile, despicable, white supremacist views.”
Jes Rich, who owns Sage Wine & Spirits in Ballston Spa, was talking with customers around 2:45 p.m. Saturday when a group of men in black and yellow Proud Boys attire walked past her shop on Front Street shadowed by a yellow pickup truck “playing that Jason Aldean song very loudly,” Rich said.
The group in Saratoga Springs had been playing Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” earlier that afternoon.
Rich said she came out of her shop and exchanged words with the men. “I wanted to make it very clear that we don’t tolerate their hate here,” she said. In response, the men took photos of Rich and her customers. Later they posted the photos along with negative reviews of her business on Google.
“I want to make sure people who need a safe space can find one in my store,” she said, noting that her storefront has Pride and Black Lives Matter messages prominently displayed. “One of (them) was wearing a Pride flag as a cape which I found particularly disgusting,” Rich said.
Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi Jr. said the village was considering a permitting process for public demonstrations.
“This is not a content-based issue,” Rossi said. “It’s going to have to be a board decision and we are going to assess the possibility for a need to permit acts like parading in ways that could block streets or sidewalks.”
Rossi said that he and the Board of Trustees would be examining the issue over the next month. “We’ll see where we are in a couple of weeks,” he said.
Around 4 p.m. Saturday, a Waterford woman was walking to Memorial Park to read by the river when the sound of singing stopped her. “They were singing the national anthem,” the woman, who the Times Union is not identifying because she fears for her safety, said. “I stopped out of respect because I thought at first it was a parade.”
The woman said she was the only pedestrian out and that she crossed the street to avoid them. “Then their truck turned around and I didn’t want them to overtake me,” she said.
She ultimately sought refuge inside the Waterford Police station until they dispersed. The woman said that while she wasn’t targeted by the group the experience frightened her. “I’m a scholar of Jewish history,” the woman, who is Jewish, said.
“When you cover your face and put gloves on that means to me 'I really want to do damage somewhere but don’t want to be held accountable later,'” she said.
The initial gathering in Saratoga Springs has prompted the most comprehensive civic response so far. Kim has asked Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino to provide a report on the circumstances surrounding Saturday afternoon’s assembly.
In a statement, Kim said he wanted to know what information, if any, was provided to the Public Safety Department and Saratoga Springs Police Department before, during and after the march, and what actions either body took once they became aware of it. He is also asking Montagnino to look into “what relevant regulations and/or laws were violated by the march” and how to “prevent a repeat of this incident in the future.”
Kim asked that a report be delivered by the end of the day on Thursday.
In a phone call Monday, Montagnino said he intended to fully comply with the mayor’s request and that he plans to submit a report before the Thursday deadline.
Montagnino also said that a call was made to Saratoga Springs police during the demonstration and that at least one officer spoke to one of the marchers. He said he plans to include a copy of the police report in his review. Montagnino also said there may be police body camera footage of that interaction.
On the mayor’s question about potential laws or regulations being violated, Montagnino said that there may have been a violation of the city’s code on parade permits. “I’m working under the assumption that no permit was ever sought,” he said.
The Anti-Defamation League describes the Proud Boys as: “a right-wing extremist group with a violent agenda. They are primarily misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration. Some members espouse white supremacist and antisemitic ideologies and/or engage with white supremacist groups.” Members of the group nationally took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, with four leaders of the group being convicted of seditious conspiracy charges earlier this year.
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