Protesters descend on Wadsworth during drag story time event

WADSWORTH — On Saturday morning, protesters surrounded a Memorial Park picnic shelter where a drag queen read a story to children and sang songs for them. On one side of the shelter, neo-Nazis wearing masks chanted, "Sieg heil!" while slicing their hands through the air in the Nazi salute. They waved the Nazi flag and spouted profanities and insults at LGBTQ community members inside the shelter. On the opposite side, Christians loudly warned those attending the drag queen story hour to leave children alone. Members of The Proud Boys were also among the protesters. Some didn't seem to belong to any group. Wadsworth police received help from at least two other departments — Hinckley police and the Medina County Sheriff's Office, in keeping protesters and story hour attendees physically separated, although they couldn't stop the foul language and insults flying back and forth. Every so often, members of the LGBTQ community and Christians, in pairs or small groups, engaged in civil conversation and debate, instead of screaming at each other. "We try to be peaceful," David Snell, a Cleveland resident who identified as a Christian, told The Gazette. "Hate groups try to make us look bad. We're protesting for the right reasons. "We just want to be the light for the world. They (the drag queen story hour group) are grooming our kids, and we have a problem with what's going on here." Inside the shelter, Jason Kasunick of Eastlake said he wasn't surprised by the ferocity of the protests. "It's appalling but not surprising," Kasunick said. "They are showing exactly who they are. Kasunick said he was there to support the LGBTQ community "and people who dare to be different and not comply." Parasol Patrol Protesters arrived early Saturday morning. At one point, as they assembled in the parking lot, they spotted whom they believed was a spy, someone sent by the story hour organizers to report their activities. One protester followed the man through the park, and speaking through a bullhorn, said "Pedophile alert ... I think I caught me a predator. ... We will root out evil wherever it goes." The man told the protester he was only going for a walk. "I am not a pedophile," the man said. Meanwhile, at the picnic shelter, members of the Parasol Patrol, a national organization based in Colorado, assembled before the event. They use umbrellas to shield children from protesters. Ian Burns of Wooster told The Gazette he was there to stand up for American principles and back the story hour. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are important things that need to be defended," Burns said. Protesters descended a hill from the parking lot toward the picnic shelter. They shouted, "Eighteen plus gets rid of us," meaning they didn't oppose LGBTQ community members or their activities as long as they didn't involve those younger than 18. The protesters called the story hour organizers and attendees "groomers" intent on recruiting young children into the LGBTQ community. "We need to protect our children," one protester said. River Rose of Doylestown, the drag queen and storyteller at Saturday's event, told The Gazette that children know at an early age whether they are part of the LGBTQ community. Rose said she was 10 when she first identified as female. "This event is not for people who are not gay or trans," said Rose's mother, Eve Latchouly. Juan Collado of Cleveland agreed, saying that no one is mandated to bring their children to the drag queen story hour. "We are not grooming kids," Collado said. "We are teaching them equality and not to hate others." A noisy event The story hour started late. Inside the shelter, an organizer told the crowd of about 50, "This only works if we're not confrontational. Do not take the bait. Don't give them (the protesters) what they want." Then the neo-Nazis arrived. At least one, who appeared to be the leader, carried a sidearm. Police lined up and kept the neo-Nazis separated from the rest of the crowd. As the story hour began, neo-Nazis hurled insults and blared sirens from one side of the picnic shelter. They targeted individuals with their comments, trying to provoke them. Sometimes the story hour attendees shouted back. The Parasol Patrol did their best to block the neo-Nazi protesters with their umbrellas. One woman attending the story hour had a seizure and an ambulance was called. Rose, the storyteller, read a story to about 15 children. It was about treating others the way they want to be treated and about being a good person and making other people happy. Then Rose and the children played pretend-guitar, sang and danced. Meanwhile, the neo-Nazis yelled racial slurs at a Black journalist. When the event ended, police walked everyone back to their cars. Along the way, protesters using bullhorns tried to provoke story hour attendees with insults. A couple of fights almost broke out, but police stopped them. Contact Bob Sandrick at areanews@medina-gazette.com.