Michigan police officer suspended after flying Confederate flag at anti-Trump protest

Published 7:25 am Sunday, November 13, 2016

Michael Peters, a Traverse City police officer, drives away in a truck flying a Confederate flag after drinking a beer at Friday's "Love Trumps Hate" rally at the Open Space in Traverse City, Michigan.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — An off-duty police officer who drove a pickup truck affixed with a Confederate flag outside a protest against President-elect Donald Trump and drew a confrontation from an African American rallygoer was suspended from duty on Sunday.

“He is not working as a police officer,” said Traverse City Police Chief Jeff O’Brien. “I do not condone his actions.”

O’Brien announced the suspension two days after off-duty officer Michael Peters drove a pickup truck decorated with a Confederate flag near a “Love Trumps Hate” rally at the Open Space, parked and drank a beer.

The incident marred an otherwise peaceful event Friday, when hundreds of local residents rallied at the city’s Open Space.

Marshall Collins Jr., of Traverse City, raised a fist in the air as the truck circled the event.

The Traverse City, Michigan Record-Eagle reports Collins, who is black, later confronted Peters, who parked the truck in a restricted zone and sipped a Bud Light while a crowd grew around the vehicle. He said the man denied the flag’s history is steeped in racism and division.

“It means a lot to people like me,” Collins said. “It means hatred.”

A photograph from the incident circulated on social media following the confrontation.

O’Brien estimated about 100 people emailed him calling for Peters’ termination from the department. He and department leaders launched an internal investigation into whether Peters’ actions violated laws or the department’s code of conduct. Evidence of illegal behavior will be sent to prosecutors in Grand Traverse County.

Peters’ union contract guarantees his pay during suspension and the investigation, O’Brien said.

He added that Peters’ actions are “not what the Traverse City Police Department represents. We are to provide protection for everybody. The Confederate flag is not something we consider an oath of office. We take an oath of office to the Constitution, not the Confederacy. I personally feel that flag stands for hate and hatred.”

Peters couldn’t be reached for comment.

A woman arrived with Peters. Another man — Ryan Salisbury, a former Grand Traverse County sheriff’s deputy — held an anti-Hillary Clinton sign nearby. Local businessman Andy McFarlane, who confronted the trio along with Collins, said he attended the rally because he felt Trump used racist and sexist rhetoric.

The Confederate flag only supports bigoted stances, he said.

“The reason I have such a powerful reaction is it’s a symbol for the denial of those rights for a portion of the population,” McFarlane said.

Collins grew up splitting his time between Northport and Florida. He said the flag-emblazoned trucks like Peters’ were a frightening sight from his days in the South. Those vehicles forced Collins and his sister into bushes and under beds, fearing prowling Ku Klux Klan members.

He spoke about those experiences to a crowd at the protest.

“(Peters) had the nerve to tell me that I had no experience with the flag,” Collins said.

Salisbury denied he saw Peters or participated in a protest with him, although the two parked next to each other and could be seen together. He said he arrived to stand up for a fair election and because he felt it was insensitive to hold such a rally on Veterans Day.

“I think that as a Americans we have a right to demonstrate peacefully,” he said.

Salisbury said the Confederate flag is not a symbol of racism.

Peters stayed for about 10 minutes before finishing his beer and driving off. Rumors circulated among protesters that Peters was a local law enforcement officer, but Collins didn’t know for sure until Saturday.

Collins said he didn’t feel safe knowing someone who is supposed to protect his rights would fly the Confederate flag. He said O’Brien’s condemnation “hit the nail on the head.”

“I hope they hold (Peters) accountable,” he said. “He needs to be held accountable.”

O’Brien said his officers have a constitutional right to free speech, but also a code of conduct and other internal policies. He said a sergeant on Monday will continue looking into whether Peters violated those rules, as well as local prohibitions on where people can openly drink alcohol.

“We’ll do an internal investigation and see if any policy was violated,” he said.

Troutman writes for the Traverse City, Michigan Record-Eagle.