A large group of former President Donald Trump‘s supporters traveled several hours from Evansville, Indiana, to Hammond to protest outside Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.’s home over the weekend in response to a flag being flown outside a resident’s house.
The group, Young Conservatives of Southern Indiana, drove roughly 264 miles to and from the mayor’s home on May 1 in response to McDermott’s public condemnation of an anti-President Joe Biden flag, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
A caravan of pro-Trump protesters reportedly gathered at a local Walmart before heading to McDermott’s home, and law enforcement in Hammond facilitated traffic for a safe arrival. The protesters only drove by the mayor’s home, and organizers warned participants to stay peaceful.
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The flag in question was located at a residence across from a park and violated a Hammond ordinance banning public display of “obscene” material because the flag contained two uses of the F-word, according to the mayor. McDermott threatened to send code enforcement officers after the resident, Roy Steffan, for any potential violations. The mayor has since met with and apologized to Steffan, saying he has not been cited by code enforcement for any issue.
Following his warning to the resident, the mayor was alerted on April 28 about a possible group of protesters planning their gathering, the Lincoln Journal-Star reported.
News about the protest outside McDermott’s home spread on social media, and roughly 50 people gathered to protest the mayor’s grievances with the flag on Saturday.
“It was like having a parade coming right to my neighborhood,” McDermott said, according to the Omaha World-Herald. “It was bigger than I thought, more cars, but everyone was nice, and my supporters who were in my driveway were really nice.”
Some members of the crowd were supporters of McDermott, who were present to serve as an antithesis to the Trump supporters.
John Cantrell, a resident in the neighborhood, said he does not understand what the group’s purpose for driving by was.
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“I think it’s crazy to drive five hours here and five hours back for this,” Cantrell said. “There are just so many better things to do with your time than spend 10 hours on that.”
