(updated 11/12/2021 following Brissette’s death)

Last year a video of Robert Brissette intentionally coughing on Black Lives Matter demonstrators went viral. This year he posted threats to Kanab residents and now he’s in jail before he could act.

See KURW post Meet Your Neighbors: Red Level for the other most extreme in this area including eleven Kanab at DC Capitol Riot and the local platform they us “Kanab Patriots” Recruits and Radicalizes Facebook Extremists

This post has seven sections:

• List of bigotry/extremism posted on Facebook
• Brissette’s Pattern of escalation
• 2020 sequence of events & evidence (six subsections)
• 2021 sequence of events & evidence (five subsections)
• Police Response
• How to intervene
• Supporters of Brissette and links to their evidence
• Brissette’s death of 10/2021 following altercation

(1/7) List of FB Bigotry/Extremism

(2/7) Brissette’s Pattern of Behavior

• 2020: Public social media post of anger—violent action made public—bargain with perceived person in charge of PR ( me) to get things to stop–join opposition rallies
• 2021: Public sm post of anger—violent threats made public—bargain with perceived person in charge of PR (Will James) to get things to stop–join opposition rallies

(3/7) 2020 Sequence: Backhoe Murder ‘joke’ then Covid Cough Assault

1/6. Sept. 20, 2020. Problems with neighbor

Twenty days before Brissette committed acts of violence against liberals demonstrating for Black Lives Matter, he posted anger of liberal neighbors on local platform for hate FB group Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave. His anger and bigotry (bullet points below) were encouraged by several community members (see links to their evidence of bigotry in subsection near end of this post).

• “don’t push big city ideology”
• “move your ASS back to the city”
• “The calif liberal ASS can go F— himself” (about his neighbor)
• Gibbs’s “…Biden voting California morons”

2/6. Sept. 22, 2020. Backhoe murder statement

Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave allowed the post to remain until FB removed the backhoe murder comment in Feb 2021. Someone intervened following You Can EASILY Help Reduce Bigotry & Extremism in Kanab simply reporting posts to FB from home.

3/6. Oct. 10, 2020. Assaults Black Lives Matter Demonstrators

Brissette approaches a group of 6-8 demonstrators from behind, shouting “You Democrats, Black Lives Don’t Matter, All Lives Matter”, “You, you look like a little pansy ass piece of shit, too” “Oh I’m so scared of your f*ing virus” as he coughs 10 times on four different people.

• Video Part 1: Covid-Coughed in face

He returns minutes later, starts another conflict which ends with him knocking the red “Made Ya Look, Black Lives Matter” hat off of an older woman.

• Video Part 2: Knocked off one’s hat

4/6. Oct 17, 2020. Pleas for truce and talk

Brissette asked perceived leader (me) for a truck on-line and a sit-down talk. I agreed after Kanab City Police told me that HE WAS SAFE to talk with. We planned to meet the morning of the next rally (Oct 24) but he did not show. Instead, he arrived at the counter-protest after never having attended the previous 14. He sets up right between the two women he assaulted at the previous rally. No restraining order was issued.

I was able to talk with him then and these are the videos from that discussion:

• Video 1 of 3: what set him off & Black Lives Matter
• Video 2 of 3: Hitler was horrible, but….
• Video 3 of 3: Why cough, why there, Trump flag racist

He attended every counter-protest afterward and helped promote two Trump Parades.

5/6. Oct 28, 2020. Charges announced

From the five considered charges, Van Dyke proceeded with two charges (infractions) and accepted a plea of one count of disorderly conduct and $150.00 fine. No restraining order.

6/6. REMORSE?

• taunted Pat & Kathy at the following two rallies (Oct 24, 31)
• participated in Kanab’s Trump Cruise (Oct 24) hosted by
  • hate-group founder & anti-immigrant activist Jeff Schwilk
  • US Capitol Insurrectionist Steve Corson
• celebrates being “at it again” with Steve Corson at Kanab’s Save America 2021 Protest
• threatens members of FB Page “Say It Kanab! Free speech for all”

(4/7) 2021 Sequence: FB Jail to Kane County Jail

1/5. FB Jail. March 2021

2/5. April 11, 2021. News of charges for Covid-cough from Florida posted on FB group Say It Kanab!

The shared article in slideshow below shows the frustration of some Kanab residents that Brissette received an infraction (disorderly conduct + $150 fine) and Florida resident gets jail time. Two of Brissette’s comments/replies to this post were removed: (1) violated FB standards “I was the victim bitch” and (2) violated page standards and was removed by Say It Kanab! admin

“Oh caugh caugh. The BLM member were lucky I was being nice. I should have just kick the bitchs asses and saved all the harassment and death threats I’ve been getting from you assholes”

-Robert Brissette

The Kane County Attorney considered five charges, proceeded with two and accepted plea of one (see letter as second image of slide show). Local Patriots defended him through misinformation campaign by “Kanab Patriots” Recruits and Radicalizes Facebook Extremists (see section “defends local criminals”).

3/5. April 17, 2021. SaveAmerica Rally

Brissette joins Steve Corson (Kanab “Patriots” at the Capitol Insurrection and Local Law Enforcement Praise) at 89/89A for an April 2021 Save America Rally and uses Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave as his platform for hate posting photo and bragging with a lot of support from group members of this page.

4/5. April 25, 2021. Brissette stalks & harasses one female commenter to his post above

April 25, 2021. In response to the SaveAmerica post, one woman shares the viral video of Brissette, reminds everyone what he did, and questions why he is bragging. He responds with

• sexual harassment
• a hateful attempt at psychoanalysis (abused, lesbian, liberal, mental health)
• doxxing: work, friends, car, video of home

All comments remain on Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave, none removed.

5/5. Brissette threatens mass shooting

Two and one half weeks later, May 12, 2021, Brissette direct messages threats of violence to one of the page administrators of Say It Kanab and KPD was called. This was in response to that April 11 post of the Florida story of charges for covid coughing posted above

(5/7) KANAB POLICE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE

A group of people under threat on FB page Say It Kanab! waited together for police to respond. The initial response from Officer Brett Smith is reported as “We don’t do anything about social media” and dismissed it. Then, Officer Clint Brinkerhoff corrected that error (post from Will James below) and Chief Cram followed up with Will. I am happy to see this correction by law enforcement given the reported bigotry & extremism among Kanab City & Kane County law enforcement in previous posts:

• Kanab City Police Chief, bigotry on display and how to file a complaint
• Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Dan Watson, Landon & Colton Cram, Russ Whitaker

(6/7) SUPPORTERS OF BRISSETTE’S ACTIONS

If names are underlined you can click to see a post with all of that person’s hate/biogtry/extermism. If they are not underlined, you can see their Calls to Fight: Against Neighbors & Against US Government posts combined.

SEPT 20, 2020: “don’t push big city ideology”, “move your ASS back to the city” and Gibbs’s “…Biden voting California morons”.

• Veterans: Jeff Schwilk, Kenneth Guinn, Johnny Utah
• Law Enforcement Background: Kym Cloughesy
• Business owners: Steven Kvamme (Clucking It Up, ), Sarah Lofing (The Shabby Iris Cottage Cakery), Elizabeth Patton (Patton Handyman), John Schouten (Kanab Suites)
• Others on Hatewatch: The Bermants (Kanab Val & Kanab Beamer), The Franklins (Casey, Christopher & Kathie), Don Sprecher, The Kaisers (Kris & Anita), Ashli Hutchings, Nataly Bistline, Pat Rember Chavez, Dave Miller, Steven White, Sandy Rosdahl, Tyson Glover, Jon Farr, Susan Michelle South, Keisha Gibbs.

DEC 2020: Reduced charges from Brisette’s October 10, 2020 covid-coughing assault, threat of violence & hate speech.

• FB Page “Kanab Patriots” Recruits and Radicalizes Facebook Extremists, so their admin/members Jeff Schwilk & Tana Kou
• If not underlines, some of their posts can be seen at Calls to Fight: Against Neighbors & Against US Government
• Law enforcement: Landon Cram
• Veterans: Kenneth Guinn & Jeff Schwilk
• “Patriots” and Hatewatch members almost all can be seen at Bigotry LGBTQ+: Shelly Wayne, Steven White, Steve Sanders, Joy Downen, Judy Woolley, Darleen Pennington, Dave Miller, Christopher Franklin, Crystal Mognett, Louis Pratt & Crystal DeGolier, Grace Ann Christian (Lois & Steve Corson)

April 2021: Save America 2021 Protest & Fight Evil, Pathetic, Low-Life Scum

• Host of these ongoing extremist demonstrations is Steve Corson one of the Kanab “Patriots” at the Capitol Insurrection and Local Law Enforcement Praise
• If not underlined, some of their posts can be seen at Calls to Fight: Against Neighbors & Against US Government
• Business owners: Steve Kvamme (Clucking It Up), Elizabeth Patton (Patton Handyman), Casey Cox (Let’s Do This), Desiree Felish (iRepair, Kanab Schools & LEO spouse)
• Veterans: Kenneth Guinn & Jeff Schwilk as Kanab Patriots
• Other Hatewatch almost all can be seen at Bigotry LGBTQ+: Tana Kou, Don Sprecher, Nataly Bistline, Bill Murphy, Kanab Beamer (James Bermant), Steve Sanders, Jim Rollyson, Crystal DeGolier, Joy Downen, Tyson Glover

(7/7) BRISSETTE’S DEATH FOLLOWING ALTERCATION

This section includes the local newspaper articles (S.U.N.), law enforcement request immediately following altercation, announcement of death from spouse Debbie and exposed bigotry from S.U.N. writer & owner Neal Brown.

1/4: First public announcement of events 11/11/2021 in Southern Utah News

2/4: Law enforcement threatens public for evidence of altercation

3/4: Death announcement from wife Debbie Brissette via GoFundMe

4/4: Evidence of bigotry from owner & writer of Southern Utah News (S.U.N.).

How to Intervene

1. Friends of people on KURW Hatewatch : See Reforming Extremists on Hatewatch
2. Anyone report to social media admin/platform. See You Can EASILY Help Reduce Bigotry & Extremism in Kanab
3. Anyone report immediate threat to law enforcement by calling 911
4. Anyone report plans of terrorism to local law enforcement to FBI. See Capitol Arrests: 3 from Utah, 1 from St. George. $100,000 reward for information on pipe bombs and how to help FBI.

Please email corrections to mgalaria@protonmail.com