Dearborn Michigan – What it Means to Have a Festival

A person asked me about giving out tracks at a festival in Dearborn; what did I think of it? I responded then that I didn’t know what happened in Dearborn, I’m not from the US (and believe it or not, don’t watch US News that much), or keep up on events in the US. But a while later I saw the video about the Arab festival in Dearborn, the Christians with placards who were being pelted with bottles and pieces of concrete by Arab or Muslim children and were soon asked, by the police on duty there, to leave.

I’m not really interested in the final part of the video, which shows how police later stop their vehicle while they are being escorted by more police to a safe distance; presumably the police don’t want them to come back and are escorting them to the ends of the cultural festival, which has 17 blocks of activity related to the festival. Whatever the protesters then felt towards the police or the city, regarding their rights or an infringement of their freedom of speech right, is not my concern, after they are escorted out of the festival, that’s up to their lawyers to decide; it seems that from what the group leader said, that there had been a court case about events at the last festival and the police or city were not successful in the suit against them. So the precedent from the previous year’s court verdict is in favor of the protestors and as far as any new suit trying to fight the same fight (allowing a presence for the Christian preachers) as the year before. Nonetheless, the group is asked by the police to leave, (the festival in April, 2012).

Deputy Chief of Dearborn

First, it is the law that must be upheld. The police on the scene require compliance whether you are an Arab, a Muslim or a Christian. That being said, the fact that the leader of the group keeps arguing with the police, when they have crowd control to worry about, is in itself a problem. The deputy chief defends police actions saying that it isn’t free speech (or “the signs”) that are the problem, but the “disturbance” which the group is causing by their presence. He has to call a spade a spade. He obviously doesn’t know everything that is going on between the crowd (largely children, and later some youths with horns) and the group of Christian evangelicals or preachers.

After the deputy chief speaks to a lawyer he tells the protestors that they have to leave or they will be “cited for disorderly”. That’s when the group is finally escorted out.

The Crowd - group dynamics

The protest leader claims that the Muslim or Arab children (200 children, he says) have been attacking their group for 30 minutes. During that time, we see some yelling, we see one young Muslim man speaking with them angrily, but not violently, we see many children (I couldn’t say if they are 100 or 50 or 200 from the video, that would need a panorama or view from above) throwing things at the protestors (Christians evangelicals, maybe). Later on there are more Muslims, older youths with horns, making a lot of noise as they walk in front of the Christian group of protestors, some verbal exchanges take place, no real violence of any sort is directed at the group, except from children.

The Organizers - their rights

I have to look at the context of the festival to understand more. For one thing, the festival is not a Muslim festival, but is an Arab festival. As such, I imagine that in Dearborn, there are both Muslim and Christian Arabs. Therefore, there is already in all likelihood a good presence of Christians and possibly Christianity at the festival. Maybe there are booths that are already promoting Christianity, or maybe the Christians and Muslims are not propagating their religious views or beliefs at the festival. Maybe the festival organizers didn’t want any religiously outspoken people or booths with only religious content or products at the festival, i.e. books, CDS, DVDs or video cassettes. We have no idea from the video what was available at the festival or even the theme of the festival other than it is an Arab festival. During some of the filming, there is obvious Arabic recorded music playing, or perhaps even live music.

The cultural festival already has a right, before the protestors, to have their festival. Why their festival should be disturbed by protestors is a good question, and if the eviction of the protestors means a better and safer atmosphere for the festival shouldn’t the protestors be evicted?

That being said, it is not obvious to me at this point if the Christian protestors needed to be there with placards or pamphlets or a megaphone, or even if their message being broadcast at the festival isn’t already being broadcast at some of the booths at the festival. Also, did the singular approach of the protest group contravene any bylaws, or such, as the police officer tells the group’s leader that they are not permitted to use the megaphone. And it seems that they at some point, during their march, are instigating violence, and if they are, is that against the law? But you will have to read on to see what I mean by ‘instigating violence’…

17 Blocks of Festivities

Another thing which should be noted, which is very important is that the festival runs for 17 blocks, so a disturbance in one area will require more police; escorting a group out will use more police but only until they are gone, then the police will of course resume policing the area of the festival; it’s obvious that the group is making some trouble for the police, whether they see that or not. In any case, when police tell you to do something you should do it. I think the protest leader is lucky he wasn’t arrested for obstruction of justice. If an Arab Muslim or a black or Hispanic Muslim argues that much with a policeman maybe he wouldn’t be as lucky as this man.

The most important thing to note, which is of course not a subject of the video at all (a very amateurish slanted video in my view), is the success of the festival and what it can mean for Dearborn. Festivals can become huge and popular gatherings. Festivals can also make a lot of money; is one of the reasons the police and the city want the festival to continue, so that the money made from the festival, which stays in Dearborn rather than leaving Dearborn, will help the economy, even slightly? Why do people generally want festivals? Why do city governments allow festivals? The deputy chief mentions the fact that the Chamber of Commerce didn’t want a bullpen at the festival, so that’s why there are no bullpens; it also seems as though if the Chamber of Commerce is involved that they should also have some rights as far as what kind of activities they want promoted at the festival and what kind of actions they would prohibit, to maximize enjoyment and a festive atmosphere at the festival.

The City - freedom of speech debate

The protest leader complains that the city or police are not well equipped to deal with the crowd, or shouldn’t have given the festival organizers a permit, if they can’t protect the protestors, what I had understood from one of his statements to the police. Well, the police are hoping that they will be able to control a crowd and they also count on their authority as peace officers to be able to evict anyone, including American patriots or Christian evangelicals out of the festival if need be, but without resistance. When someone starts resisting the police he becomes a danger to the public.

The deputy notes that “your head is bleeding” or something to that effect, and that obviously he and his group are in some danger or risk of being harmed further than they have already been harmed. He also points out that the police themselves are also in some danger, due to the actions or presence of the group. If their mere presence is enough to cause a riot, then they should be evicted, sorry.

Arab children vs. Mr. Israel

It is unfortunate that the children persist in throwing objects, especially heavy object like pieces of concrete, which obviously can hurt someone and did. It would have been better if the police had stopped some of the children, and I’m not quite sure why they didn’t just make an example of some of them to stop the abuse.

Instead of enjoying themselves at the festival, buying food, listening to Arab music, riding the Ferris wheel and playing on other toys or games at the festival, the children are attracted to the stoning of protestors. Partly, there is a mob mentality which seizes the children, as obviously children are not the most rational of humans or well-behaved when they think they are being drawn into a fight. They readily accept the challenge unthinkingly; they saw the protestors as challengers, and because they are not afraid of the protestors (no adult is going to attack them, or he’ll be arrested) they are very bold in their stoning of the protestors and verbal abuse. They continue to stone the protestors as long as the protestors continue to give them a reason; which to them is the fact that they are at a festival where they are not wanted. An American girl yells to them, “Go home”, which might show that there is already tension in Dearborn between immigrants’ children, or Arab Americans and others in the community; one Muslim youth mentions that many of the protestors are not ‘Americans’ so much as illegal Mexicans from over the border. Therefore, there definitely appears to be a problem of race-relations in the city, or at least everyone is well aware that differences and problems exist in Dearborn because of race, or economic impacts of the over the border migration of Mexicans into America, whether they are actually legal immigrants or are illegal. (I don’t think though, that illegal immigrants would risk police investigation of their identity at a cultural festival merely because they demand the right to video the crowd, hand out Christian literature to Muslims, or get into a scuffle or argument with some Arab children.)

History of the Festival - distrubances

It is however sad that the festival, for two years in a row, is plagued by some low-level violence and disturbances which serve to tarnish the image of the festival, the people involved in the festival, the organizers, the community as a whole, and put a spotlight on the local government, or police, which makes them appear in a negative light. As American patriots, I think it would be much better to concentrate their efforts on the success of any and all events held in the city which promote the city’s unique cultures, which promotes peaceful coexistence. The protestors seem altogether self-absorbed, just out to promote their own view of the world, at the same time not really promoting Christianity as much as their right to freedom of speech, even if it disturbs an otherwise fun and healthy family activity; it is the families with children who really appreciate festivals, and to ruin it for those families in Dearborn who are there with their children - to give them an opportunity to enjoy a wholesome event; with good food, friends, and what is available at the festival - is pure selfishness and self-aggrandizement. There is no good reason for a group to come into a festival - not with the idea of enjoying the festival, which is the purpose and raison d’être of the festival; that people would enjoy themselves – but to disrupt and attract a crowd. They know from the last year’s events that this year probably the same negative responses to their presence, as a group from outside the festival, coming in to spread their message, where it isn’t necessarily going to be respected nor received, especially by Muslims, who do not need nor want a Christian education (Muslims already know what the Christians believe, it isn’t like they don’t already know). And if a policeman tells you to put the megaphone away, that it is not allowed, then you put the megaphone away. If police tell you that you are to be escorted out, then you let yourself get escorted out; that is the law, pure and simple. You can then take your protest to the courts and practice your amendment rights to sue the government of Dearborn, or the police department.

My question:

One of the protestors is heard saying, “I think when you chop peoples’ heads off that’s provocative.” Does such an attitude belong at an Arab cultural festival, where people want to go to have a good time?