The Kent County Republican Party is now defending Comm. Greene by perpetuating more misinformation about the non-violent action demanding sanctuary policies

The political propaganda coming out of the action that Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE organized at the home of Kent County Board Chair Ben Greene just keeps coming.

Commissioner Greene released his own statement where he creates a false narrative about the action from last Saturday, which I responded to a few days ago. In that article I stated:

It’s always convenient for politicians to demonize and exaggerate what community members do. In fact, it is intentional to engage in misinformation and refer to community members a “radical immigration protesters”, which plays well with Greene’s base of support and his major funders, including Dan, Doug and Dick DeVos, which contributed $1,225.00 each to his 2024 election.

On Tuesday, the Kent County Republican Party chair chimed in on this matter by defending Greene’s statement and engaging in their own bit of misinformation, which you can read here on the right. This statement appeared on their Facebook page.

Early on in the Kent County GOP statement it reads – Republicans believe deeply in the First Amendment. Really? If this is the case then why would the ACLU say this about the First Amendment under President Trump during the first 100 days?

“For the past 100 days, President Donald Trump has tested every limit, abused every power, and exploited every loophole to silence dissent, disenfranchise marginalized communities, and erode our rule of law. These are deliberate tactics designed to enforce compliance through fear, force, and censorship.”

President Trump’s executive order calling ANTIFA and domestic terrorist group, which includes anyone expressing ANTIFA principles will be a target of government suppression. Clearly a First Amendment violation. Or one only needs to look at people speaking out against ICE repression, some of who who have been arrested for criticizing ICE. Look at the case of a local Nashville journalist whose stories have been critical of ICE, which resulted in her arrest and detainment by federal agents recently.

The notion that the GOP supports the First Amendment is utterly laughable.

Here are some of the major pieces of misinformation from the Kent County Republican Party chair’s statement:

The claim that the non-violent protest intimidated Comm. Greene’s family. Watch the video and see if any of his family members was intimidated.

“Every American, regardless of party or position, has the right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property and the safety of their family.” There was no damage to Commissioner Greene’s property and at no point was the safety of his family threatened. His kids even waved at us at one point.

“Policy disagreements belong in public forums, at commission meetings, in elections, and in open debate. Not on someone’s front lawn.” First, no one was on Greene’s front law, since everyone stood on the sidewalk. Only three people came to the front door to ask the Commissioner to sign a letter committing him to adopting the 6 sanctuary policies that Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE have been demanding for over a year. This was a public protest, thus making it a public forum.

We can strongly disagree in this country while still respecting each other’s rights. That means respecting both the right to peaceful assembly and the equally important right to private property and family safety. Apparently the GOP Party Chair is unaware of how many people have been targeted by local police when peacefully assembling in this county, especially BIPOC organizing, some of which have done jail time for engaging in free speech.

In addition, the GOP Party Chair says he believes in family safety, well what about the immigrant families that are being terrorized by ICE, that are experiencing family separation and family trauma? Does the GOP Party Chair support the right of immigrant families to feel safe? Of course he doesn’t, which is why his statement in support of Commissioner Greene is just plain hypocritical.