COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Two St. Louis area men were among the 31 people charged with conspiracy to riot near a pride event in Idaho.
Mitchell Wagner, a 24-year-old Florissant man, and Garret Joseph Garland, a 23-year-old Freeburg, Illinois, man, were each booked on one count of conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor. Police said they were among the 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front that were packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
Michael Kielty, Wagner’s attorney, said Sunday that he had not been provided information about the charges. He said Patriot Front did not have a reputation for violence and that the case could be a First Amendment issue. “Even if you don’t like the speech, they have the right to make it,” he said.
The men were standing inside the truck wearing khakis, navy blue shirts and beige hats with white balaclavas covering their faces when local Idaho police stopped the U-Haul and began arresting them on the side of the road.
“They came to riot downtown,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said at a news conference.
Based on evidence collected and documents, authorities found that the group was planning to riot in several areas of downtown, not just the park, White said.
Police found riot gear, one smoke grenade, shin guards and shields inside the van, White said. They wore arm patches and logos on their hats that identified them as members of Patriot Front, he said.
Police learned about the U-Haul from a tipster, who reported that “it looked like a little army was loading up into the vehicle” in the parking lot of a hotel, White said. Officials spotted the truck soon after and pulled it over, he said.
Videos of the arrest posted on social media show the men kneeling on the grass with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
“Reclaim America” was written on the back of one shirt.
This is not the first time Wagner has been accused of white supremacist activity. In March, he was charged with first-degree property damage in connection with the vandalism of a mural that displayed the faces of prominent Black figures on the South 40 underpass on Washington University's campus.
The mural was covered with the logo of Patriot Front, university leaders said in December.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch, Garland also "assisted Wagner in planning and perpetrating the December 2021 vandalism."
Patriot Front is a white supremacist neo-Nazi group whose members perceive Black Americans, Jews and LGBTQ people as enemies, said Jon Lewis, a George Washington University researcher who specializes in homegrown violent extremism.
Their playbook, Lewis said, involves identifying local grievances to exploit, organizing on platforms like the messaging app Telegram and ultimately showing up to events marching in neat columns, in blue- or white-collared-shirt uniforms, in a display of strength.
“They’re responsible for over 80% of the white supremacist propaganda in the United States," said Jordan Kadosh of the Anti-Defamation League Heartland.
Though Pride celebrations have long been picketed by counterprotesters citing religious objections, they haven't historically been a major focus for armed extremist groups. Still, it isn't surprising, given how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has increasingly become a potent rallying cry in the far-right online ecosystem, Lewis said.
The six-hour Pride event generally went on as scheduled, including booths, food, live music, a drag show and a march of more than 50 people, the Idaho Statesman reported.
“We have been through so much, so much,” Jessica Mahuron of the North Idaho Pride Alliance, which organized the event, told KREM-TV. “Harassment, and attempts to intimidate on the psychological level, and the truth is if you allow yourself to be intimidated you let them win and what we have shown today is that you will not win.”
The group is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
“They still have their rights until they’re proven guilty and we understand that," said Kadosh. "This is really just about keeping an eye on them. This offline propaganda is more than just chatting in a chat room and espousing your views. This symbolizes action going out into the world and willing to act on your beliefs.”