Supporters of police and President Donald Trump gathered at Scheiderer Transport Inc., just outside Plain City, early Saturday morning in response to a planned anti-police brutality protest. At the end of August, a post circulated on social media from a group called Plain City Residents for Racial Justice which called for a peaceful demonstration across from the trucking company property on Route 161, east of the village. The planned event was created to “protest police brutality and racist flags,” according to the group’s social media page. Several “Blue Lives Matter” and pro-Trump flags are on display along the front fence at the Scheiderer property. After multiple heated exchanges on social media, the protest was canceled by event organizers citing concerns of potential violence between protesters and counter-protestors. With the protest cancelled, the owners of the Scheiderer property decided to turn the planned event into a “freedom rally.”
(Journal-Tribune photo by Michael Williamson)