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Nearly two dozen members of the neo-fascist extremist group marched in Saratoga County on Saturday, Aug. 5, first rallying on Broadway in Saratoga Springs and later in Ballston Spa.
Though the rallies caught many by surprise, the group was not required to give advance notice or obtain a permit in Ballston Spa, said Village Trustee Elizabeth Kormos.
“As a resident and Trustee of Ballston Spa I was dismayed to hear from a resident about the Proud Boys march that took place yesterday,” Kormos said on Facebook.
“The village cannot restrict this group from marching in the village under first amendment rights. Unfortunately, we do not even have a permit requirement for gatherings which would have given us notice ahead of time. Their march was 100% legal.”
Kormos went on to say that the trustees will “correct that deficiency” by adding permit requirements to village code in order to prevent surprise gatherings in the future.
“We are a diverse community and I stand behind all who disagree with the messages this group delivered yesterday,” she continued.
Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim is also vowing action.
In a statement issued Monday, Aug. 7, the mayor said he was asking the Commissioner of Public Safety for a full report on the incident, including what information was given to the public safety department and Saratoga Springs Police Department “prior, during, and after this group marched.”
Kim also wants to know what actions were taken by police when they learned of the rally, what laws or regulations were violated, and any recommendations to prevent future incidents.
He said he expects the report by the end of day Thursday, Aug. 10.
“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 Capital, briefly marched in Saratoga Springs,” Kim said.
“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.”
The Proud Boys rallies triggered a flood of posts on social media, including one video on Twitter showing the group marching to Jason Aldean’s song, “Try That in a Small Town,” which has been criticized as racist and violent.
“So Saratoga Springs it’s OK for white supremacists to block traffic and march down Broadway with faces covered playing ‘Try That in a Small Town.’ Disgusting,” they said.
Jes Rich, owner of Sage Wine & Spirits in Ballston Spa, confronted the group in person, prompting several demonstrators to retaliate by leaving a flood of negative reviews for her shop online.
“I’m not sure what I did was smart, but it was the gut reaction I had - to let them know that this town won’t stand for their ignorance,” Rich said on Facebook.
Founded in 2016 by far-right podcaster Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and “overtly Islamophobic and misogynistic, and transphobic and anti-immigration” by the Anti-Defamation League.
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