The fallout from the September 10, 2025, parents’ rights rally outside the Frederick County Board of Education has escalated into a full-blown crisis of credibility and trust. While families gathered peacefully to demand more involvement in their children’s education, counter-protesters showed up in black bloc uniforms, screamed racial slurs, held violent signs, and chased parents into the Frederick Police Department.
The Frederick Police Department’s (FPD) official response? It was all just “protected speech.”
Police Statement: Nothing to See Here
On September 11, FPD spokesperson Samantha Long told MDBayNews:
“Officers were present to maintain public order and ensure safety. The officers on scene observed behavior that, while potentially offensive or intimidating to some, remained within the protections afforded under the First Amendment. As a result, no arrests or citations were issued.”
That claim — that officers were present and saw nothing unlawful — is already under fire. Video footage shows counter-protesters harassing families outside the Board of Education building with no police officers visible anywhere on scene.
But the bigger issue is this: FPD is using the First Amendment as a shield for inaction. And the law doesn’t back them up.
What the Law Actually Says
Legal analysis makes clear that law enforcement had grounds to intervene.
- Substantial Disruption: Under Grayned v. City of Rockford (1972), police can lawfully restrict speech that causes material disruption of a government function. The counter-protesters’ amplified chants and drum-beating disrupted public remarks by Lt. Governor candidate Dr. Brenda Thiam and board members Colt Black and Jamie Brennan.
- Harassment: Maryland Criminal Law § 3-803 prohibits conduct intended to alarm, annoy, or harass. Shouting “Shut up, Black b**h”* at Dr. Thiam and pursuing parents into the police station easily meets this threshold.
- Targeted Threats: While broad rhetoric like “Die, Nazi, die” may be protected hyperbole (Watts v. United States, 1969), context matters. When combined with signs reading “Kill Nazis, Not Trans Kids” and aimed directly at candidates, it crosses into intimidation.
- Time, Place, and Manner: Under Ward v. Rock Against Racism (1989), Frederick could enforce neutral limits on amplification and noise. Yet FPD imposed none.
In short: the law gave FPD multiple tools to act. They chose not to use them.
The Myrick Campaign Calls It “Fabrications”
The John Myrick for Governor campaign flatly rejects FPD’s version of events.
“Their response is filled with fabrications,” the campaign told MDBayNews. “No FPD officers were present during the rally in front of the Board of Education. The conduct is criminal and is not protected. We do have video of the incident.”
Campaign Manager Marco Pizer provided a video along with the image to MDBayNews, which captures the intimidation aimed at parents, Education Board Member Colt Black, and Dr. Thiam.
Selective Policing in Frederick
The hypocrisy is hard to ignore. Residents have seen Frederick police respond with overwhelming force in other cases — including sending a dozen officers to investigate one woman in visible drug distress.
But when parents, board members, and a statewide candidate were harassed by organized agitators just steps away from police headquarters, the department minimized it as “free speech.”
This is not consistent policing. It’s selective enforcement. And it erodes public trust.
The Real Message: You’re On Your Own
What happened on September 10 isn’t just about one rally in Frederick. It’s about whether Maryland families can expect protection when they exercise their rights in public.
By hiding behind the First Amendment, the Frederick Police Department turned its back on parents, on elected officials, on political candidates, and on the rule of law. Instead of standing up against intimidation, they legitimized it.
Until Chief Jason Lando explains why his officers were absent on scene and why his department mischaracterized threats as harmless expression, the message to parents is chillingly clear:
When mob intimidation comes for you, don’t expect the police to stop it.
📌 MDBayNews will continue to publish photo and video evidence from the September 10 rally as it becomes available.
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