'This Cannot Happen': OC Protesters Confront 'White Lives' Rally

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — At least 12 people were arrested Sunday during a raucous rally where hundreds of white supremacist demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed in Huntington Beach.

About 500 people flooded the streets by the pier, according to the Huntington Police Department. A majority of them arrived around 11 a.m. to confront a planned White Lives Matter protest that was slated for 1 p.m.

Utterings of a planned White Lives Matter protest surfaced last week, just days after fliers with Ku Klux Klan propaganda showed up in the city.

For Tory Johnson — a Black Huntington Beach resident and leader of a local Black Lives Matter group — this was a call to action.

"When I first saw the flyer, I was just like, 'this cannot happen,'" Johnson told Patch. "This can't happen in our city. And so it's up to us to change the reflection of Huntington Beach."

So, Johnson began organizing a counter-protest that would draw hundreds of supporters and gain national coverage over the weekend.

"Our model was 'we protect us and occupy this pier,'" Johnson said.

Johnson and several others started to gather by the pier around 9:45 a.m. on Sunday ahead of the white supremacist demonstration, which was reportedly promoted on the social media site Telegram and organized by the Loyal White Knights.

The Orange County local said he witnessed apparent members of the KKK and another man with a swastika tattoo with White Lives Matter protesters in tow.

"The White Lives Matter people just kept coming," he said. "But every time they tried to come onto the pier, well, you saw what happened."

Videos posted to Twitter on Sunday showed altercations between protesters, police and counterprotesters in the crowd. But any white supremacist groups that arrived Sunday afternoon were severely outnumbered.

Huntington Beach police confirmed that a second group did arrive at 1 p.m.

"Shortly thereafter, small disturbances began breaking out requiring police intervention," the Huntington Beach Police Department said in a statement.

"A large group of participants became unruly," police said, prompting them to declare an unlawful assembly in the area of Fifth Street and Walnut Avenue shortly before 3 p.m.

At least 12 people were arrested for various charges ranging from Municipal Code violations to fighting in public and various weapons offenses, police said.

"I'm not going to let anybody steal my dream or tell me I can't live somewhere because of the color of my skin," Johnson said. "And that's why I've been fighting so hard."

Johnson said he first set foot in Huntington Beach in 2012 from Indiana with just a backpack and aspirations to lay down roots in the California beach town. But Johnson says he has faced barriers as a Black man living in Huntington Beach.

"I'm just a regular dude but it's been hard for me to get a good job here," he said. "Huntington Beach has such a strong history of racism and white lives have always mattered here."

Johnson said he will be laying low this week to avoid any potential conflict with community members, but he said overall, Sunday was a success.

"Everyone knows what I've done now and certain people feel certain ways about it," he said. "What I did yesterday put my life in danger. But it was a call to action for the community...it was a massive [win]."

News of the rally, which was believed to be part of a nationally coordinated group of white supremacist protests across the country at various cities, placed residents on edge and prompted law enforcement to ramp up enforcement ahead of the event.

"There will be a noticeable increased police presence in the area, and we have contingency plans in place to address issues that may arise," Smith said ahead of the rally.

The Orange County Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit also joined the effort on Sunday.

Despite earlier reports, the Orange County NAACP did not organize a counterprotest, officials said in a statement Saturday.

"While the OC NAACP applauds the efforts of peaceful protest nationwide, we do not sanction this particular event or seek to make our position clear on this issue," the statement reads. "Our prayers are for the safety of all individuals, and we would never impede on anyone's right to freedom of speech."

Sens. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Newport Beach) slammed the planned Sunday rally in a statement on Friday.

"We unequivocally condemn white nationalism and the racist ideology promoted by the Ku Klux Klan," the statement reads. "While we acknowledge the rights of all Americans — even the vilest racists out there — to express their opinions, we want to loudly and clearly state that the views expressed by the KKK and other white nationalist groups do not reflect the views of Orange County's residents or elected officials.

"Our rich diversity makes Orange County and Huntington Beach stronger and better. We join the Huntington Beach City Council in condemning white supremacy and applaud it for planning a series of pro-diversity events to counter the disgusting message being promoted by the KKK and other organizers of the White Lives Matter rally this weekend."

What are your thoughts on the weekend's events? Tell us in the comments, or by emailing your Patch editor.