Honeoye Falls man who marched in Charlottesville: 'I'm not a hateful person'

When Jarrod Kuhn returned home to Honeoye Falls on Sunday, following his trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, he was confronted by a harsh reality — one that many would argue he brought onto himself.

Kuhn, one of the torchbearers to march alongside white nationalists at the rally at the University of Virginia on Friday night, had been identified in a photograph from the march and it was being shared at a rapid pace.

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In response to the march, which resulted in violence, thousands of people turned to social media to identify the men photographed at the scene in an effort to publicly shame them and inflict professional and personal consequence for their participation.

In some cases, the people identified lost their jobs and the support of their families, and one photo falsely identified a University of Arkansas engineering professor as a white nationalist at the scene when he wasn't actually there.

But Jarrod Kuhn was there.

"I went down to Charlottesville to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue," Kuhn, 21, said while standing outside of his home early Wednesday afternoon. "It’s a piece of history, and I felt really strongly that it shouldn’t be erased. I identify with the right wing. I’m not a national socialist, I didn’t go down there with any fascist groups."

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The photo of Kuhn carrying a tiki torch and glancing up as he is caught on camera spread quickly through the social feeds of residents of greater Rochester and beyond. A post made on Monday night by the Eastside Antifascists, an anonymous group based in Rochester that claims to work to monitor and fight cases of local fascism, called Kuhn out.

The post has since been shared more than 1,000 times, but it was a flyer, which listed the location of Kuhn's home, was printed out and was anonymously posted around the village of Honeoye Falls, that sparked further controversy and raised questions about the right to privacy.

Kuhn said he attended Saturday's demonstration in Charlottesville as well, but left after only 25 to 30 minutes because of the violence. He said he was not present when Heather Heyer was struck and killed when a car was driven into the crowd.

Julia Dickinson, a lifelong resident of Honeoye Falls, was one of several residents to receive a flyer on her doorstep. She was returning from a walk on Monday night around 9 p.m. when she spotted the paper bearing Kuhn's photo and information. It read "No Nazis in our Neighborhood."

"My initial reaction was one of shock and dismay. I don’t know him or his family, but I understand he graduated from Honeoye Falls in 2015," Dickinson said, adding that she went online shortly after to find more information and share the post. "I was contacted by one of his family members shortly after, and they asked me to delete it, saying they were getting death threats."

Saturday: Trump blames 'many sides' for violence in Charlottesville

Monday: Trump condemns white supremacists after Charlottesville violence

Monday: Charlottesville aftermath: Protests flare up again across U.S.

Tuesday: Trump's asserts left wing protesters just as violent as white supremacists

Dickinson said that she empathized with the family because she didn't want to add to what appeared to be turning into a "witch hunt," where the family was targeted, too. She went on to say that in speaking to people around town, the general consensus on the flyers seemed to be that they were the wrong way to bring about effective action in the situation.

"In a very small community like this, it’s not going to do any good to make people afraid," said Dickinson, noting that she thought that adding his address was inappropriate, but that this is a consequence of his actions. "I think it’s time for us on a community and nation to have some really tough conversations with each other. America is still deeply racist. Our country was built on slavery. We were able to put that down for a long time, but it’s time to figure out where we go next. There has to be a change."

Following the spread of the flyers around the village, Kuhn said that he received death threats, and that people had approached his home, but the flyers weren't up for long.

Following a post made on Facebook by village Mayor Richard Milne, the flyers were taken down from their display around town. The post, which doesn't condone the hate and intolerance, but called targeting Kuhn "illegal," has since been taken down. The same post is now up on the village website.

"I would do the same thing if it was a white supremacist posting," said Milne. "We didn’t feel it was appropriate, and we took them down and contacted the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. No matter what anybody’s personal feelings are, it was targeting an individual and a family and we took those down."

Online, Milne took criticism for the action, despite condemning "racial bigotry, Nazis and white supremacy actions and any actions that do not treat all people with respect and dignity."

"I think this individual has made some bad choices if he was taking part in those marches," said Milne. "Whether it’s a small village or a large village, if people see things like that it’s hurtful and does damage. At the same time, there are repercussions for actions."

A representative of the Eastside Antifascists who refused to identify himself denied involvement by the group in the printing and dissemination of the flyers.

Kuhn's mother, Stephanie Kuhn, said that she is concerned about how quick people are to point fingers and believe the postings of anonymous online sources. With two other children, both teenagers, she said that she feels vulnerable following the hate that has been spread.

"We are living in a society where the loudest voices love to criticize, and that’s part of our western practice," Stephanie Kuhn said. "In the post that the Eastside Antifascist group made, they said that Jarrod has been violent toward LGBT communities. Where does that come from? Where is the proof? But one picture is taken and everyone is so quick to believe."

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She went on to say that her son, who also participated in a Sharia Law protest in Syracuse, has a vested interest in politics, and has never been afraid to articulate his beliefs, but that he doesn't do so with malice.

"We have a phenomenon here that’s larger than my son. What we can learn from this is that we have a complete ideology about power, control and intellect and we are creating these paradoxes continuously," she said. "Point of view is very different than bringing harm and malice and violence to the forefront.

"Yet harm, malice and violence is where we spend so much of our energy. We need to stop perpetuating all of that agitation. My son's intention in going was to preserve the statue. He was so excited. My son has always loved politics."

She added that social media has created a situation in which misinformation and finger-pointing spreads at a dangerous pace, which she said is harmful.

Jarrod Kuhn maintains that he has no interest in violence or in promoting hate.

"I think there was violence on both sides, but I know that the left agressed. We were there, we had a permit," said Jarrod Kuhn, who said he was hit in the shoulder with a brick and had paint thrown on him while in Charlottesville. "I’m not a hateful person. I’ve never been a problem in this community, I’ve never pushed my beliefs on to anyone, and now people feel the need to make me out to be a horrible person, some of which don’t even know me.

"I’ve done things here. I’ve contributed, I’ve helped out. I’m not what they're making me out to be."

LPEACE@Gannett.com