We are not a city that wants to discriminate.
We are not a city who wishes
to bring any hurt upon anyone,
so it's important because court
Lane has experienced that before.
We're not going back to the
days of the area nations.
We are past that not
again, a powerful message from
the mayor of Coeur d'Alene.
Today, after 31 men linked
to a national hate group.
Arrested for planning to Riot
in the city over the weekend.
Good afternoon and thank you for
joining us for Creme the news
1st at four I'm Mark Hanrahan.
Whitney has the night off today,
Coeur d'Alene mayor and the city's
police chief addressed the arrest
in a press conference for the first
time since Saturday's Grammy's.
Nicole Hernandez breaks down
the latest information.
So the Cordyline mayor and Coeur
d'Alene police chief held a press
conference here at the Coeur d'Alene
Public Library at 11 this morning.
There were very transparent in their
process saying they actually don't have
much new information at this point.
Police Chief Lee White says police
are working on writing reports and
linking together body camera footage.
He says the investigation will be a long
process this just days after officers
arrested 31 men connected to a white
nationalist hate group that included the
group's leader and one man from Spokane.
Chief White says the biggest
lesson they learned from today.
How helpful just 1911 call can be?
There's one concerned citizen rather
than pulling out their phone and
videotaping this for their 15 minutes
on YouTube or snapchatting it,
or something like that.
Took the time to call 911 and
report some suspicious activity,
and as a result, we likely stopped
a riot from happening downtown.
Each man was booked for conspiracy
to riot a misdemeanor. Here in Idaho,
all 31 men have since bonded out of jail.
The Kutney County Courthouse
says each has until June.
30th to set up a day for their hearing.
Since the arrests,
police chief White says the department
has gotten 149 phone calls.
He says they're split 5050 with some thinking
police and others angry about the arrests.
The Cortland Police chief and mayor
both said the community should
not be worried for future events
going forward in Coeur d'Alene.
Nicole Hernandez Crime 2 News
new at 4:00 tonight.
Court documents are giving us a better
idea of exactly who these men are,
where they came from, and what police
seized when they arrested them.
Crepitus Amanda Roley has been
reading through the court documents.
OK, she is live in the studio tonight
with what she's learned, Amanda.
Yeah Mark newly filed Kutney county
court documents detailed just how much
planning and coordination went into
the group's attempt at disturbing the
peace in Coeur d'Alene this weekend.
Now we can also confirm from
these court documents that police
seized 3 vehicles, EU haul,
a Ford Ranger and a red Camry as evidence.
Now quarterline police identified the
passenger of EU haul as Thomas Rousseau,
who is also the founder of Patriot.
Front porch records,
say officers found several
typed documents on his person.
Now one document discussed the
group being there to quote,
raise a voice against the moral
depravity which permits events
such as this to take place,
referring to the Pride event this weekend.
Now, another document outlined call
locations primary checkpoints,
drill times, prep times and observation,
Windows and court documents say
it also listed GPS coordinates.
For a drop point with two backup plans,
now it references using smoke and
an exit strategy is also outlined as
once an appropriate amount of time and
confrontational dynamic has been established.
Now police also confirmed none of
the suspects had any illegal drugs
or other illegal items on them,
but what they did find among the 31
suspects include tactical metal medical kits,
radios and cameras.
In fact, one suspect had what appeared to be.
A single smoke bomb or grenade,
and while no weapons were listed
in court documents,
police have not confirmed whether
guns were in EU haul or not.
Now.
Court documents also say we're so
the leader told officers he traveled
to Coeur d'Alene to peacefully
exercise his First Amendment rights.
Another suspect told police he
traveled a long way for the cause
and said we go where we are needed.
Amanda roley.
Crammed 2 news
alright. Amanda, thank
you very much.
This story is making national headlines.
Broke over the weekend.
A lot of people may not be
familiar with what unfolded,
so here is a breakdown of what
happened Saturday afternoon.
Cell phone
video from Saturday afternoon
captured the moment.
Heavily armed officers opened
EU haul on Northwest Blvd in
Coeur d'Alene inside 31 men,
all dressed in khaki pants
and blue shirts with white
fabric covering their faces.
A few minutes earlier,
police Chief Lee White said
a concerned citizen saw then
loading up into the ban in a
hotel parking lot and called 911.
The quote that we received
through dispatch was it.
Quote looked like a little army that
was loading up into the vehicle.
Chief White says the group had what
appeared to be a homemade riot shield.
Other protective equipment,
and at least one smoke grenade.
He said they were wearing patches and
insignias linking them to the Patriot front,
described by the Southern Poverty Law
Center as a white nationalist hate group.
He said they were from all across the US.
At least 12 different states,
including the group's
founder Thomas Rousseau.
Some of the suspects are from Idaho,
Oregon, and Washington,
and one of the men, Michelle Buster,
has a Spokane address chief White.
That they were on their way to riot.
It is clear from to us based on the gear
that the individuals had with them,
the stuff they had in the possession
and in EU haul with them along with
paperwork that was seized from them
that they came to riot downtown.
I don't think I'm a liberty that say exactly
what the paperwork had on it just yet.
I will tell you what it appeared to
be very similar to an operations plan
that they police or military group
would put together for a days of.
For an event
among their targets, according
to Chief White Pride in the park,
an LGBTQ event celebrating diversity.
This year's theme was called exist louder,
and it was attended by several 100 people,
and it wasn't just City Park that
they were planning to ride in.
There were some other information
they were planning on going
down Sherman, for instance,
all 31 men were charged with
conspiracy to riot a misdemeanor.
Authorities say they have all
since bonded out of jail.
In my opinion. I would gladly arrest 31
individuals who were coming to riot.
In our city for a misdemeanor,
rather than have them participate in
some sort of seriously disruptive event,
which is exactly what they
were planning in downtown area.
So preventing a riot by arresting
in 31 people with the misdemeanor,
I will gladly do that every day of the week.
As we just mentioned,
one of the men arrested is the founder of
the white supremacy group Patriot Front.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reports
that Patriot Front branched out from
another group called Vanguard America.
Following the deadly unite,
the right rally in Charlottesville,
VA in 2017 that killed 3 people
and hurt nearly three dozen more.
So once again,
this is 23 year old Thomas Russo.
He founded the group in Texas in
2017 following those events again,
he was among those arrested on Saturday.
And while the Coeur d'Alene Police
Department has been receiving complaint.
Calls and even death threats.
It seems that most people agree this
incident is not a reflection of the
greater Coeur d'Alene community.
One local organization that is
familiar with hate groups is
crediting law enforcement for how
they handled The Saturdays arrests.
The County County Task Force
on human relations combats
discrimination and hate grammateus.
Janelle Finch spoke with
them about what happened.
Northwest Blvd in court.
Alene authorities arrested 31
people associated with the Patriot
front white supremacy group.
Those 31 individuals were packed
into the back of a U-Haul and
charged with conspiracy to riot.
Today, leaders from the Kootenai
County Task Force on human relations
are speaking out their message.
North Idaho is not the place to bring
this kind of activity and create violence
to hate groups across America.
If you're intended on coming to
our community and commit violence,
this is the wrong place to be.
The Kutney County Task Force on
Human Relations was founded in
response to the Arian Nations
movement in North Idaho for 40 years.
The task force has been fighting
discrimination and hate crimes.
Board member Tony Stewart says Idaho
has experience with hate groups and
law enforcement was ready to act.
Police Department of Cordyline with County
and city police departments and the state
and with the FBI, they were prepared.
And I think the reason for that is that
we went through so much back in the 1980s
and 90s with not only the Arian nations,
but order one and order two.
I cannot overstate our task.
Forces, praise of the police,
and how they dealt with this
Cordyline City Council member
Christy Wood echoes Stewart and
says North Idaho is not a place for
hate groups. Our law enforcement
is highly trained and ready,
so it's not going to be an easy,
easy opportunity for any hate
groups to set up. Up here,
Stewart says he was surprised when he
heard the group made it to Coeur d'Alene.
Those individuals made it very
bad. Mistake coming here.
Stewart says. This situation makes
the task force more determined to
work and be available to victims.
We will continue to follow this story
as it develops in Coeur d'Alene,
Janelle Finchum. 2 news.
Meantime, Idaho Governor Brad Little
tweeted about Saturday's event,
saying quote intimidation,
scare tactics and violence have no
place in our great state UN quote.
He also went on to applaud law
enforcement for their quick actions
in Coeur d'Alene over the weekend.
This is a developing story.
We will continue to follow any
new developments as they happen.
In the meantime.
For more information about Saturday's arrest,
just head to our website cream.com.
Alright, let's take a quick break
from headlines and talk weather
because it feels like early
spring rather than mid June.
Let's get outside to.
Chief meteorologist Jeremy League.
Jeremy I guess the good news even though
you know it's like 40s and raining all day.
You don't currently have an umbrella,
which makes me seem makes me believe that
it's not raining right now.
Oh no, it's pouring ohh good it's pouring.
I just can't find the weather umbrella.
It went missing and so here I am.
It's raining. It's windy,
it's cold, that's why you make
the big bucks my friends yeah OK,
let's talk about her because it's
this 49 degrees winds out of the
West southwest at 20 mph so it's
raining sideways a bit at times.
Dew Point sits at.
45 it's a saturated atmosphere,
but we do have flood advisories
and flood warnings in place.
Basically all of this rain has
to go somewhere and it's not
really soaking in at this point,
so you're seeing it kind of puddle
in areas and turn into big ponds.
Minor flooding in some of the rivers.
Nothing major,
but we're going to keep a close eye on
that as the rain keeps coming down.
Rain is coming down and will continue to
do so through the remainder of this evening.
Watch it eventually move out later tonight,
but tomorrow we are back in it
through the middle part of the day.
And then eventually clearing out as
we head into the day on Wednesday,
we are going to dry out.
It just takes some time.
Rain continues to come down.
It's still,
it's still raining on me out
here and continues all night and
through the middle of tomorrow.
So as we head through the next few days
just no rain stays in the forecast.
All right,
Jeremy,
if
we must, we'll check back in
with you later in the broadcast.
Thank you very much and still ahead.
Tonight it is Pride Month and more
permanent action may be coming
to Spokane when we come back.
The four possible locations
for a rainbow sidewalk. We're
back after the break.