'Back The Blue' Rally Meant To Thank Police, Military: Organizer

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With two rallies set to unfold in Southampton Saturday, the man who organized the "Back the Blue" event spoke to Patch and said he decided to rally to show support for police and the military.

The "Back the Blue" rally was organized by Patriots of America and is slated to take place at Agawam Park at 11 a.m.

Next, a "Black Lives Still Matter" march and rally will take place at Agawam Park from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Speaking with Patch this week, Kenny Oliver, a retired police officer who worked for both the NYPD and Southampton Town Police and also has spent 30 years volunteering for the fire department, set out to explain why he organized his "Back the Blue" event.

The rally, an event announcement said, is being held to "show much needed support for all police and law enforcement agencies as well as our Armed Forces. This is long overdue and needs to be addressed immediately." These "brave and heroic men and women . . . keep our communities safe and defend our freedom day in and day out without hesitation" and the event is meant as a way to say "thank you," the announcement said.

The idea was born, Oliver said, after a golf game in Sag Harbor. "We were talking about doing something to support the military, the police, the National Guard," he said. "It's been a rough year for everyone, with COVID."

Oliver said he put the first event flyer out without his name because he "wasn't looking for notoriety. I was just trying to do something nice for the military and law enforcement. I wanted the community to come out in support of the military and say 'thank you.'"

Oliver has seen some pushback from some who have questioned why he didn't immediately give his name and asking about the meaning of his email address, "Patriots of America."

He said he gave an email for Patriots of America because he didn't want to to give his own personal email; that led to some people "pre-judging, making their own narratives," he said. "Everyone is sitting at home; idle time is the devil's playground."

But Oliver said his motive has always been simply to show thanks. "I consider myself a patriot. I love this country to death — and there's nothing wrong with saying that."

Oliver, originally from Oyster Bay, lives in North Sea with his wife Tara, said Saturday is shaping up to be a "great day."

Those attending are asked to wear a blue or a patriotic shirt and carry a flag or banner to show support; the rally will begin with a blessing, the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The "peaceful" rally route will begin at Agawam Park and head down Windmill Lane, make a right on Jagger Lane, a right onto Main Street, a right on Jobs Lane and then, finish back at Agawam Park.

And, he said, the rally will be a good way to bring people into Southampton Village who can later shop and frequent local businesses struggling due to the coronavirus.

Oliver said he was a transit cop in East New York, in Brownsville, where he worked for many years and then, was hired in Southampton; he also spent 10 months at Ground Zero, he said.

Oliver participated in a program called "Safe Passage" in Brooklyn, where he watched over some of the "worst subway" stations in the city.

"It was nice when you got people coming off the trains — in neighborhoods that were 95 percent Black — thanking you for being there. This was in the height of the crack epidemic."

Of Saturday's event, he said: "I'm a retired cop. I've been seeing what's going on today and I wanted to put something together for the military and law enforcement — so people can spend money in town. But you can't even have a nice moment."

Oliver said he belongs to the Moose, Elks and Masonic Lodges, as well as the Knights of Columbus.

"My reputation speaks for itself," he said. "I’m no stranger to volunteering my time. I give back — that’s all I’m trying to do, is give back to the community."

Saturday's event, he said, was organized to send a message of support to those who work every day to protect the public. "This is not political. This is a really. I come from a large family of law enforcement and military. It's in our DNA. When you take the oath of a police officer or the military, you are taking the oath 24/7. You can come home, take the shield or the uniform off, but you are still on duty. You are still going to uphold this country and fight for this country 24/7."

And, he added: "In any line of work, there are a few bad apples."

Oliver has a message before Saturday's event: "If you support the military and the police, and you're in the community and want to come out and walk peacefully with us, stand on the sidewalk and cheer, that's all I want."

He added: "At the end of the day, go spend some money and help out the store owners."

Although some asked why he didn't cancel the event after questions arose, Oliver said he has nothing to hide and wants to show his support. "You can Google me to kingdom come and find nothing bad about me," he said. "I like Trump and I like beer."

Oliver said he expects a showing of police officers to attend the community-sponsored event. "We're trying to get the community out. A lot of people are scared right now, they're frightened, they don't know which way this country is going. We just wanted everyone to have unity, to be united again," he said. "My reputation speaks for itself. If people want to say hateful things about me, they don't know me."

Organizer Lisa Votino, who put together the "Black Lives Still Matter" event, said many had reached out with concerns about the "Back the Blue" rally and asked if there would be a community response.

"We are still here. We are still watching. We still believe that Black lives matter," she said. "And this is our community. We stand together now and always."

Votino added: "While outsiders will be coming into our community bringing their hate under the guise of supporting law enforcement, we will gather and stand united like we do. We have held protest after protest, all peaceful, all positive, all showing appreciation for our first responders including the police that partnered with us. We have had open and honest continuing dialogue with our local departments. If this was a a first responders' appreciation day, we would show our respect. That's not what this 'back the blue' rally is. It's not what any of them are. The 'back the blue' rallies on Long Island have been filled with people spewing political rhetoric, violence, hate and racism."

Votino added: "This is not a counter-protest. We will not be taking any action during their rally. But we will have the last word in our community. Hate will not go unchecked. We believe that Black lives still matter. We are still waiting for the arrest of Breonna Taylor's killers.We still seek justice, equality and equity as we raise the names for all the people we have marched for and all those we haven't."

The group will march through Southampton Village and voter registration will be available, Votino said. Those attending are asked to wear masks; hand sanitizer and gloves will be available.