A 75-year-old bat-wielding grandma in Michigan can be seen in a new clip trying to ward off peaceful protesters, claiming she was trying to "protect [her] property." On Wednesday (June 3rd), Karla Anderson, the elderly resident of East Grand Rapids, tried to block those protesting the murder of George Floyd and all victims of police brutality from marching down the street in her affluent neighbourhood.
“I’m gonna protect my property," she can be heard saying to the protesters, holding up her bat in defence. "You have no right to riot!” As the crowd gets closer to her, a few people try to grab the bat from her, while others guard her and direct her to a less crowded area of the street. "What the f*ck was that?” a voice, that appears to be coming from the person filming, can be heard wondering aloud.
“I just simply stated, you know, ‘You’re not going to burn down East [Grand Rapids],’” she later told local news station and NBC affiliate, WOOD TV. “This is not about Black Lives Matter, this is about racial division.” She also added that she believed Antifa was involved in the protest, despite a lack of evidence that this was at all true. Watch the clip below to see what went down: