Far-right Proud Boys member sits on city council of predominately Hispanic town in Michigan
Audio By Carbonatix
[
{
"name": "GPT - Leaderboard - Inline - Content",
"component": "35519556",
"insertPoint": "5th",
"startingPoint": "3",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "3",
"maxInsertions": 100,
"adList": [
{
"adPreset": "LeaderboardInline"
}
]
}
]
A member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group known for racist, misogynistic and violent rhetoric, sits on a city commission representing the predominately Hispanic population of Fennville in western Michigan.
Morgan Bolles, who has an extensive criminal record, was appointed to fill a vacant commission seat on Dec. 2. Soon after the appointment, city officials began making disturbing discoveries about Bolles, a 32-year-old who’s been charged with four assaults, at least three involving women. He also was charged twice with drunken driving, The Detroit News reports.
The Proud Boys are self-described western chauvinists with a history of engaging in violent street brawls and promoting racism, anti-semitism, homophobia, and closed borders. The Southern Poverty Law Center designates the Proud Boys as a hate group.
Bolles tweeted a photo of himself wearing a shirt depicting the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara with the words, “Socialism is for f*gs,” and flashing an OK gesture, which has been adopted by some white supremacists to promote hate, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The rhetoric prompted Facebook and Instagram to ban the group.
Morgan Bolles just got written in as a City Commissioner for Fennville, MI and will be confirmed on December 16th. There's one big problem: he hates LGBTQIA people and has ties to the Proud Boys.
— Vigilant AFA (@AfaVigilant) December 7, 2019
Given the gesture here, he likes "white power" as well. pic.twitter.com/uUEr4Xw6d6
At a December council meeting, about 50 residents turned out after learning about Bolles’ ties to the Proud Boys. He insisted the group is anti-racist and promotes limited government.
That wasn't the case in October 2018, when 10 members of the Proud Boys were charged following a violent street brawl in New York in which they were seen beating protesters and shouting homophobic slurs.
Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.
