A 700 person protest demonstrated that Grand Junction does not tolerate the racist rhetoric that Jared Taylor brought with him to Colorado Mesa University (CMU).

Led by the Mesa County Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (MCDSA), the protestors gathered at North and 12th and marched through campus voicing their discontent.

Psychology senior Isa De La Canal, also a member of MCDSA, said that Taylor’s pro-segregation and pro-eugenics stance is fascist and dangerous but needs to be brought into the light.

“We wanted to try and pressure CMU administration to take responsibility for student and community safety. We wanted to bring people together to stand in opposition to white supremacy and fascism,” said De La Canal.

The organizers felt that there was not enough accountability from campus leadership for student and community safety when Taylor was permitted to speak on campus. 

“We cannot be silent. To be silent in the face of encroaching fascism is to be an accomplice to it,” said De La Canal. She was one of many students who felt the Unity Event was “cynically co-opted by John Marshall and the Administration,” which is how the protest was born.

As the campus ramped up for the speaking engagement and the counter-events, many spaces on campus were unavailable. In an email late Wednesday evening, Vice President for Student Services Jody Diers announced that “due to security and logistics” entry to the University Center the day of the event would require a MavCard and that some buildings, such as Dominguez and Escalante, would be locked earlier than usual. 

Taylor’s social media advertised the event for weeks and many of his online supporters were trying to rally local support.

One twitter user with the name KentuckyAnglo, a self-described “white warrior,” replied to one of Taylor’s tweets about the event with a photo of a map with CMU’s location and wrote “He could use any of the support he could get from any of you nationalists in Colorado/Utah/Wyoming. Please attend!”

Although tensions were high on campus, there was no violence reported from any parties. There had been reports of a community member under surveillance by law enforcement in the weeks prior. 

According to an anonymous source within Student Life, this person was allegedly encouraging violence and agitation across several socials within alt-right communities against both the Unity Event and the protest. Attendees were not dissuaded by this.

“It was so awesome to see the community respond in such a way. All the students should feel proud that they came together and organized this,” said social media influencer Dean Withers. “It was cool seeing all the students rally for something they believe in and fight against what [Taylor] brought here.” 

Withers attended the speaking engagement and attempted to interview CMU President John Marshall at the Unity Event. Withers was threatened with removal from Taylor’s speech several times. He is known for being publicly outspoken against racism and conservatism on his YouTube channel and TikTok.

Taylor’s event started at 6 p.m. and although all tickets sold out in the days prior, only half of the room was filled. CMU admin was explicit that any person causing a disruption would be removed and as a result, Taylor’s audience was mostly silent.

Ticketing was controlled by Student Life and more strict than any other event in recent history on campus. Those that acquired a non-transferable ticket were required to provide a photo ID to associate with it. The ID of the attendee was required to match the associated ticket upon arrival to the event.

Law enforcement was stationed on the rooftop of the University Center, Asteria and Dominguez, in plain clothes and across the campus generally. They had been working with CMU administration for weeks to ensure a swift response in case violence erupted.

Western Culture Club put Texas-based attorney, Jason Lee Van Dyke, on retainer in case the members received threats. He has represented members of Patriot Front and was legal counsel for the Proud Boys until 2018. Van Dyke was expected to speak prior to Taylor during the engagement but did speak. 

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the Proud Boys are a national white-supremacist group that actively engage in inciting violence. The leader of the Proud Boys, Gavin McInnes, has been published by American Renaissance, which is run by Taylor. The Proud Boys are notable for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection and the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. 

Patriot Front’s presence was allegedly spotted by MCDSA protest scouts several blocks away from the school, however the group members did not make moves on to campus. A group of people were observed in matching uniforms that fit the Patriot Front description. Van Dyke represented Patriot Front’s leader Thomas Rousseau in court last February.

The future of the Western Culture Club is in question after a group of 20 students joined in an effort to overthrow and dissolve the club prior to the event as a way of cancelling it. While it would have likely only moved the event to an off-campus space as opposed to fully cancelling it, the strategy proved to be unsuccessful.

Prospective events hosted by Western Culture Club or any associated students are expected although nothing is scheduled at this point. Applebaugh indicated in an interview prior to the event that if he could bring any person at all to campus, he would invite the Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un. Applebaugh also said it would be “funny” to be able to invite former President Barack Obama and President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol.

While those seem unlikely to happen, Applebaugh indicated the Western Culture Club is always looking for opportunities to spark controversial dialogue.

For additional coverage regarding Jared Taylor’s speaking event, check the Criterion web page throughout the week as well as the print edition out on April 9.

Correction: It was initially reported that Jason Lee Van Dyke did not attend, but it was found that he just did not speak at the engagement due to time contraints.