(updated 02/14/2022 8:30pm) During the November 23, 2021 meeting, Kane County Commissioners referred to Kanab Patriots & associates as “a hate group” and “fringe” and setting their change of focus to listening to the moderates in the community, to minimize divisiveness. This KURW post exposes where the county commissioners are correct in the hate group assessment but incorrect in their “fringe” assessment.
Here’s the problem with the Kane County Commissioners referring to these community members as “fringe”:
Community leaders have supported or encouraged Kanab Patriots and their behaviors while dismissing concerns & exposure of their extremism and bigotry,
including:
right up to the point where the commissioners became one of the many targets of Kanab Patriots
The Kanab Patriot post above focuses on Kathy Chamberlain, spouse of Commissioner Brent Chamberlain, the latest of many women attacked online by Kanab Patriots. The KURW feature post “Kanab Patriots” Recruits and Radicalizes Facebook Extremists exposes these other attacks by the hate group Kanab Patriots.
This post has four sections:
- Elected officials support of Kanab Patriots & extremism or bigotry
- City/County Staff support of Kanab Patriots & extremism or bigotry
- Kanab Patriot’s negative posts of public figures
- Founders of Kanab Patriots (post coming soon for all Patriots)
1/4: ELECTED OFFICIALS support of Kanab Patriots & extremism or bigotry
For each person listed below, one piece of evidence of their support of Kanab Patriots, their activities or community divisiveness will follow. This post is just a general snapshot to establish that extremism is not “the fringe”. A more detailed post for each public figure will follow in a few weeks.
Celeste Meyeres is a Kanab Patriot. She and Byard Kershaw are designated “RED LEVEL”. Their evidence is detailed in the KURW post Meet Your Neighbors: Red Level.
The county attorney, Rob Van Dyke, minimizes the relevance of the extremism & bigotry in public social media posts exposed by KURW. Kanab Patriots, the founder, and others on Hatewatch by KURW liked this response.
Kane County Commissioner Chair, Andy Gant contributed disinformation & divisiveness during the meeting and previously on-line in a post regarding Ammon Bundy’s extremist group People’s Rights Movement Conference at Kanab Center:
In April 2021, Gant replied “thanks” (see lower right corner image below) to the following post by Camille Taylor, the director of the Kane County Office of Tourism. in which Taylor blames “complainers” & praises Kanab Patriots & supporters of Bundy’s extremist group People’s Rights Movement. I, Michelle Galaria, personally paid for the ad in the S.U.N. paper at the request of a few in Kanab with my contact information.
See more about this conference Bundy Recruits Kanab then his PRM Assaults Officer in Idaho and Patriot Prayer Joins. Kudos Kane County Office of Terrorism
During this commission meeting, Gant complained about how bad things are for veterans “especially with this administration” which is inaccurate & divisive. When presented with concern & correction to his statement Gant replied that his comment was “uninformed and inappropriate, especially in that setting. According to Veteran Affairs CFO “We’re looking at a potential increase in demand for services, and this administration has risen to the occasion. They’ve supported our request for the resources necessary.” –VA CFO. Specifically, increases in mental health, homeless & suicide prevention.
Kane County Commissioner, Wade Heaton, encourages defiance of public health regulations (upper post by Camille Taylor) and misrepresentation of MAGA as non-violent and the “other side” as violent promoters of anarchy & fear.
Kane County Commissioner Brent Chamberlain, has no public posts but his spouse, Kathy Chamberlain, encouraged weekly All Lives Matter / MAGA rallies at 89/89A hosted by Stephen Corson (took group to DC Insurrection) and Jeff Schwilk (founder Kanab Patriots & other hate groups in region). Kathy is targeted in the Kanab Patriot post in the introduction to this KURW post, above.
Kanab’s newly elected mayor & teacher with Kanab Schools, Troy Colton “CJ” Johnson was endorsed by Kanab Patriots and he supports Kanab Patriot’s response to the Kane County Commission.
Additionally, Colton supported David Crosby’s attendance in DC turned insurrection, promoted Denise Judd Mackelprang’s comparison of 2021 to Nazi Germany, supported Leland Pollock’s public land/tree hugger bigotry and spread disinformation regarding public land restrictions for wildfire with statements of overreach because they learned they could with Covid restrictions.
See evidence from Johnson and others in KURW feature post Meet the Candidates: Kanab Mayor & City Council 2021
Kanab City Council Member, business owner & chair of Kane County GOP, Celeste Meyeres. In response to Hatewatch by KURW, Kanab Patriots created a “Patriot list” of those named for extremism and bigotry. Celeste praised being included & recognized by Kanab Patriots and was joined by spouse Nicholas Meyeres.
Celeste was a target of Jeff & Tana when they used a page named Kanabians for Slow, Sensible Growth before launching Kanab Conservative Activism changing the name to Kanab Patriots late 2020. Nicholas facilitated Patriot events at 89/89A and Parry’s corner in October 2020.
See previous KURW feature posts about Celeste & spouse Nicholas and their extremism & bigotry
Kanab City Council Member, veteran, Byard Kershaw shares outrage with other veterans, law enforcement, business owners, Kanab Patriots & public officials at former VP Pence and other Republicans for not aiding in the refusal to certify Biden’s election win. His interaction on Kanab Patriots page began 03/2021 questioning why he wasn’t on their “Patriot List”. See his evidence at Meet Your Neighbors: Red Level
Vice-chair of Kane County Hospital, Jeffry Mosdell, encourages bigotry (right) and extremism (left). These posts are by a business owner and Garkane Energy Board member supported by city council, veterans, law enforcement & other business owners.
Kane County Planning & Zoning member Boyd Corry supports calls to fight by Kanab City Council member Celeste Meyers joined by the founders of Kanab Patriots (Jeff Schwilk & Tana Kou), law enforcement, business owners, insurrection attendees & supporters, school employees…
Garkane Energy Board Member Ray Clark celebrates Ken Gotzenberg’s inclusion on Hatewatch by KURW for bigotry & extremism and shares election fraud conspiracy & denying bigotry with the founder of CA hate groups & Kanab Patriots, Jeff Schwilk. Ray also posted LGBTQ+ bigotry see in Jeffry Mosdell’s section above.
2/4: CITY / COUNTY STAFF support of Kanab Patriots & extremism or bigotry
For each person listed below, one piece of evidence of their support of Kanab Patriots, their activities or community divisiveness will follow. This post is just a general snapshot to establish that extremism is not “the fringe”. A more detailed post for each public figure will follow in a few weeks.
Tom & Landon Cram, and Camille Johnson are designated “RED LEVEL” and their evidence is detailed in the KURW post Meet Your Neighbors: Red Level.
The Chief of Police, Tom Cram encourages Capitol Riot participation by David Crosby and dismisses exposure of extremism and bigotry by KURW as “a hater thing”.
Chief Cram disparaged Kaepernick, mocked the death of George Floyd, demeaned protesters, encouraged political divisiveness & covid conspiracy theories of 2020 and Trump/Obamagate conspiracy theories of 2021.
See more from Chief Cram and DC Riot at Kanab at DC Capitol Riot, with a detailed section of Cram’s escalating extremism.
Spouse of Kane County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Alan Alldredge, Rinda Alldredge, approves Kanab Patriot’s Patriot List inclusion from Hatewatch by KURW.
See more of her bigotry, extremism & disinformation in KURW feature Big Al’s Burgers at the Junction: Rinda & Russell Alldredge
Kane County employee Shannon McBride encouraged conspiracy & divisiveness by Kanab City Council member Kershaw.
McBride also supported calls to fight from Jim Baker & Celeste Meyeres (both posted above)
Kane County Sheriff’s Corrections Officer Landon Cram has supported Kanab Patriots since August 2020 during their counter protests to Black Lives Matter events.
In this post they spread disinformation of Antifa/BLM, mock LeBron, dismissing & make light of violence by Rittenhouse & exaggerate/misinform criminal history and relevance of victims.
See more from Landon at KURW feature See more from Colton at KURW feature Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Dan Watson, Landon & Colton Cram, Russ Whitaker
Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy Colton Cram, son of Police Chief Tom Cram, posts publicly that the other side are the crazy ones (left image) and supports denial of bigotry & Civil War 2021 by John Maddux (right image).
Colton’s spouse Alicia Cram has been a supporter of Kanab Patriots from the beginning, targeting businesses & supporters of social jusctice / BLM. See her evidence Alicia Cram, The Pattons, Tina & Jeff Collins, and Susan Bunting Erickson
See more from Colton at KURW feature Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Dan Watson, Landon & Colton Cram, Russ Whitaker
Kanab City Police Officer Dustin Bundy encouraged conspiracy, disinformation & divisiveness about Democrats, George Floyd, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter from Kanab City Council Member Meyeres joined by Kanab Patriots (starred).
In person, Bundy blames Best Friends Animal Society, the largest employer in the county, for negative community relations
See other bigotry/extremism in part of this KUR feature post Kanab City Police Department: Chief Tom Cram & Officer Dustin Bundy
Kane County Office of Tourism Director Camille Johnson Taylor denies MAGA 89/89A harassment, evidence of Jeff Schwilk’s hate group history & activism & again blames “others/complainers” just as seen in her posts in Andy Gant’s section above while embracing hate group founders like Jeff Schwilk & Ammon Bundy.
Taylor’s extremism and bigotry along with her negative treatment of community members is presented in this KURW feature Camille Johnson Taylor, Kane County Office of Tourism 1.
Kanab City employee & son of Police Chief, Hunter Cram, has supported Kanab Patriots since they launched their anti-Black Lives Matter campaign on their old page Kanabians for Slow Sensible Growth.
He supports and posts conspiracy, extremism & bigotry like this slaver post on local platform for hate Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave.
See more from Hunter Cram in the KURW post Violence at Their Core: Geoffrey Broadbent, Jeff Schwilk, Coby Glover, Robert Brissette, Hunter Cram & Kym/Phil Cloughesy
Kanab City Employee, Celeste Cram. Celeste is the spouse of Hunter Cram and daughter of Crystal & Stephen Mognett.
Celeste encourages divisiveness & disinformation on local platform for hate Kanab/Fredonia Rant & Rave, posts bigotry & extremism , participated in ALM/MAGA rallies with parents and supports the anti-mask movement by Caitlin Cox, Nicholas Meyeres, Tana Kou & Kanab Patriots.
See more bigotry & extremism from Celeste and her mother Crystal in this KURW post Bigotry LGBTQ+ (Part 1 of 3).
Kanab City Manager Joe Decker has no public activity, however, his spouse Trina Oliver Decker supported Q-Anon SaveOurChildren, anti-Black Lives Matter, disinformation systemic racism, airline exclusion disinformation, and Covid vaccine conspiracy.
Patriots, law enforcement, business owners/managers & public employees/volunteer supported this slavery/BLM post by Dan Watson in response to a “Why Black Lives Matter” informative post on Kanab Fredonia Rant & Rave.
See more from Dan Watson in KURW feature Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Dan Watson, Landon & Colton Cram, Russ Whitaker
3/4: POSTS of PUBLIC FIGURES BY KANAB PATRIOTS
These are some of the people who have been targeted by Kanab Patriots:
- Collette Cox, Best Friends staff & Kanab Chamber of Commerce
- Marilyn Cox, mother of Collette (wrote LTE about JP Sears in Kanab)
- Julie Castle, CEO Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS)
- Bart Battista, Candidate city council 2018, veteran, BFAS management
- Celeste Meyeres, Kanab City Council & business owner
- Jeff Yates, Kanab City Council & business owner
- Byard Kershaw, Kanab City Council, Arts Board, P&Z, veteran
- Arlon Chamberlain, Kanab City Council
- Kathy Beeler, business owner
- Michelle Galaria, volunteer & events page adminstrator (Kanab Activism)
- Pat Donoho, resident & activist
- Tonya Smith, area resident
- Teresa Rounds, area resident
- Mike Noel, Director Kane County Water District
- Andy Gant, Chair Kane County Commission
- Rob Van Dyke, Kane County Attorney
- Brent & Kathy Chamberlain, Kane County Commission & spouse
- Wade Heaton, Kane County Commission & business owner
For slideshow of evidence use the arrows to the sides. Kanab Patriots was formerly named Kanab Conservative Activism and branched from Kanabians for Slow, Sensible Growth.
4/4: FOUNDERS of KANAB PATRIOTS
Jeff Schwilk and Tana Kou moved to Kanab around April 2019 (voter registration). Jeff has a long history of confrontational activism documented by Southern Poverty Law Center. He added two local FB pages to the several others he already had: Kanabians for Slow, Sensible Growth and Kanab Patriots (formerly Kanab Conservative Activism). Kanabians for Slow Sensible Growth was a response to the housing project proposed by Best Friends Animal Society is his community, The Ranchos. Kanab Conservative Activism was created as a counter page to Kanab Activism.
This 24 slide Google Presentation is only for Tana & Jeff (12 slides each).
For other Patriots see Meet the Kanab Patriots (last names A-C) and Meet Your Neighbors: Red Level
KANE COUNTY OFFICIALS (REFERENCE)
Kanab Utah Right Watch 