Did Gary Snow Target the HEMMING PARK 5?

In a YouTube video Gary Snow posted on April 6, one day before videos of cops beating and arresting protesters in Hemming Park made international news, he jokes with and mocks a young woman holding up a “Refugees Welcome” sign and waving a rainbow flag at the Jacksonville Landing. One minute and two seconds into the undated video, entitled “Trolling the Liberals at our President Trump rally Jacksonville FL,” a fairly jovial Snow, who sings and drinks from a cup of yellowish liquid, says to the woman, “Mike didn’t want to show up. Connell, Connell didn’t want to show up. Dave Schneider, Dave, Dave Schneider didn’t want to show up…. They sent the women in to do their work for them.” Snow later says, “I’m still out here fucking with these motherfuckers … Call Mike, tell him to come out here. Call Dave, call Connell, tell him to come out here.”

Connell Crooms and Dave Schneider were two of the five protesters among those beaten and arrested by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in Hemming Park on April 7, one day after this video was posted. In a phone interview this afternoon, Snow repeatedly refused to say when the video was filmed.

In the relatively short amount of time since Snow says he moved from Chicago to Jacksonville last year to get away from the violence and cold weather, he seems to have made friends in high places. In February, he was in the audience at the Fox News Martha MacCullan Town Hall Rally at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club; in March he was one of a relatively small number of people who got in to hear Vice President Mike Pence and Governor Rick Scott speak at Mac Papers Envelope Converters.

Asked about his ability to gain entry to such events, Snow first mentioned that he volunteered for the Donald Trump campaign.

“Many people have befriended me and thought that my enthusiasm for the things that I have done was above par… a lot of people have asked me to attend certain events,” he said.

Snow has repeatedly denied being a paid protester or political tracker. He also noted that he doesn’t attend every event he’s asked to.

“Republicans reached out to me to go to the HRO event … I said ‘no,’” he said. “…I personally don’t think you should attack people based on their sexuality.”

Snow said that since Friday night’s incident in Hemming Park, which many have blamed him for inciting (an allegation he vehemently denies), he has been harassed and threatened by local progressives.

“I have people who are posting pictures of my house… giving me death threats,” he said, sounding tired.

Asked whether the recent events have taken a toll on him, Snow said they had. “It does rattle me,” he said, but added, “It’s still not going to deter me.”

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Tracking Gary Snow (all locations are Jacksonville unless otherwise noted)

Utilizing information publicly available online, Folio Weekly has compiled a timeline of political rallies and events that Gary Snow is believed to have attended in the last year.

2016
March 14 Bernie Sanders rally in Chicago, Illinois

March 31 Rally protesting hiring of Jason Van Dyke in Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Tribune reports, “Jared Steverson, left, gets in a shouting match with lone police sympathizer Gary Snow near the entrance of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7 on March 31, 2016, during a rally to protest the hiring of Jason Van Dyke for a janitorial position.”

A posting on the Blue Lives Matter Facebook page shows Snow being escorted away from the protest by police, and states, “Gary Snow, an avid police supporter and all around great guy, gets threatened and harassed for showing support for the Chicago PD. Gary attends anti-police protests to stand up for police.”

April 20 Trump rally in Indianapolis, Indiana

Local CBS affiliate posted this tweet from one of its producers: Gary Snow drove from #Chicago and said he came because he couldn’t see #DonaldTrump b/c of cancelled Chicago rally

May 2 Trump rally in South Bend, Indiana

Local ABC affiliate reports: “Before the rally began, a small, but vocal group of anti-Trump demonstrators shouted “love thy neighbor” and other not-nearly-as-nice statements. Some carried Mexican flags, and one shouted down our interview with a Trump supporter from Chicago. ‘I went to the rally in Chicago and this is what I’m talking about. They didn’t practice civil disobedience, you know, you don’t see this at a Bernie Sanders rally,’ said Gary Snow, a Trump supporter, before a protester cut in, shouting: ‘You’re a racist!'”

July 10 Black Lives Matter rally at Duval County Courthouse

July 31 Back the Blue rally in Memorial Park

A clip Snow publicly posted on Facebook shows him on News4Jax saying, “These people that protest the police try to intimidate you to stop you from coming out and supporting the police. You know, we shouldn’t be intimidated, we should come out here.” A man believed to be Snow is also photographed in the station’s online coverage of the rally.

August 3 Trump rally at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

October 1 Ballots and Brews at Intuition Ale Works in downtown Jacksonville

October 21 Bill Clinton speech at the Main Library

A YouTube video posted by Gary Snow shows him questioning U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz with a loudspeaker or megaphone, interrupting a reporter filming an interview. “How do you feel because you lost your job for lies and corruption?” Snow says. People shout at him, “Leave her alone!”

The video then shows him following the congresswoman down the street, saying, “Debbie, please answer my question, why did you lose your job with the DNC?”

November 1 at President Obama’s speech at the University of North Florida

November 12 at the anti-Trump protest in Hemming Park

December 19 when Florida electors voted in Tallahassee, Florida

Getty Images reports: “Gary Snow, a Trump supporter, stood on the opposite side of the street from the Tallahassee protesters Saturday and protested them. A Jacksonville resident, Snow brought his own music – including sounds of a baby crying – to taunt the group. He says Love and the other women organizers are anti-white males.”

In January, NPR affiliate WFSU reported:

Jacksonville resident and Trump supporter Gary Snow showed up in Tallahassee last month to protest an anti-Trump rally before the state’s electors voted.

“If you look at the four people who organized this event, they’re four women, four feminists,” he said. “I’m not going to say that they’re lesbians. There’s no problem with that.”

Snow said the liberal women who supported Hillary Clinton are the ones attacking people. “But it’s just I’ve seen this same thing over and over again, this anti-man, this anti-especially a white man,” he said.

2017
January 20 Donald Trump’s Inauguration in Washington, D.C.

January 31 No Human is Illegal rally at the Duval County Courthouse

February 18 at Orlando Melbourne International Airport, Orlando

Getty Images reports: “Gary Snow of Jacksonville, Florida, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, stages a lone vigil against anti-government protesters during a rally at the Orlando Melbourne International Airport on February 18, 2017”

February 21 at Resist Tuesday Rally held by Indivisible groups at Marco Rubio’s Jacksonville office and at Fox News Martha MacCullan Town Hall Rally at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Ponte Vedra Beach

February 23 at U.S. Rep. John Rutherford “town hall” hosted by Indivisible groups

First Coast News reports: “’I’m out here supporting our congressman,’ Gary Snow said. ‘He’s our elected official. I’m out here supporting him. I’m out here supporting Donald Trump against a movement that has been choreographed to organize people to directly attack Trump’s agenda.’”

Action News also posted photos of Gary Snow on their website.

March 11 U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis Town Hall in Daytona Beach

On the Daytona Beach News-Journal website, a man who appears to be Snow is seen in a photo apparently involved in a verbal altercation with a man in the audience.

March 18 Mike Pence and Rick Scott speech at Mac Papers Envelope Converters

Snow is pictured from behind in the Florida Times-Union’s coverage of the event, which was also attended by Governor Rick Scott, Mayor Lenny Curry and Rep. Rutherford, noted that the crowd was comprised of local small business owners and other leaders from the community. Snow is only a few rows back from the front.

April 7 at the protest of bombing of Syria in Hemming Park that ended with the violent incident between JSO and protesters

April 11 JSO body camera forum at Florida State College of Jacksonville South campus

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Read our previous coverage of the Hemming Park 5 here and here.

If you know of any additional rallies or political events to add to this timeline, email the dates, locations and pertinent information along with any links, images or other confirmation to [email protected].