‘Total lawlessness:’ Journalist influencer says he was stalked, later assaulted at chaotic Dearborn protest

A conservative influencer and journalist who claims he was stalked and then assaulted while covering a protest in Dearborn, Michigan, described the scene as “total lawlessness” and accused police of refusing to intervene or take his report.

Dearborn, home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States, has recently drawn attention from activists who accuse the city of operating under “Sharia law,” according to MLive. On Tuesday, an anti-Islam protest on Michigan Avenue turned chaotic as demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed, prompting allegations of assaults and police inaction that later spilled into a city council meeting.

Cam Higby told the Dearborn City Council that he was pepper-sprayed and robbed while documenting the confrontations.

“I went and told one of your officers … that this had happened. He told me there was nothing that could be done about it unless I went to the station,” Higby said. “I told him, ‘You’re never going to catch the guy if I go into the station later …’ He said, ‘Sir, I can’t leave my post.’ Five minutes later, I caught him in the parking lot on a personal phone call.”

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In a follow-up interview with Fox News Digital, Higby said he confronted a counter-protester on the “Free Palestine” side who was harassing a man in an “America First” hat. Higby said the man pushed him, as he tried to record, and he shoved him back, after which he was pepper-sprayed.

“Sir, why is not he welcome on a public sidewalk?” Higby asks the man, before being told to “get that camera out of my face.” The man turns to tell him this again, adding that he will “take it” from Higby if he does not stop recording. The phone then drops and someone picks it up to record Higby with his eyes tightly shut.

“They picked up my phone, recorded me suffering … and then chucked it across the street,” Higby recalled, adding that roughly $50 and his microphone receiver were taken.

He alleged that officers witnessed several assaults but “did nothing,” describing the scene as “total lawlessness.”

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Higby said he ultimately left the city without filing a report because he did not feel safe.

“It didn’t seem like any of the police were motivated to enforce any kind of law,” he said. “They wouldn’t take my report [earlier] and I got out of Dearborn as quickly as possible.”

A spokesperson for the Dearborn Police Department told Fox News Digital it “responded quickly” and managed the demonstrations. The spokesperson also said that officers made three arrests from different groups for “disorderly behavior.” 

Chief Issa Shahin stated, “I am proud of the disciplined and measured response our officers demonstrated during the November 18 demonstrations. Their actions reflected our department’s core values and our dedication to safeguarding everyone in our city. I also want to thank the Dearborn community for its patience and support throughout the event. Working together, we will continue to ensure that Dearborn remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming place for all.”

Higby, who livestreams political demonstrations on his YouTube channel, said the night before the protest he and his team were followed by cars, people on foot, and even a low-flying drone while filming near a local mosque.

“It was very creepy, eerie and unsettling,” he said.

During the same city council meeting, several participants offered sharply different views of the chaos.

Isaac Thomas, who identified himself as one of the anti-Islam protesters, said their peaceful demonstration was “met with violence.” He claimed several people were assaulted and said that police officers were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd.

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“Multiple people were assaulted. It was caught on video, and we would like to make police reports for the assaults that happened to us. So far, the officers have refused to do that,” Thomas said, warning that “legal action” could follow.

Counterprotesters affiliated with the far-left group, By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, claimed police were not forceful enough toward the anti-Islam demonstrators.

Detroit-based activist Adrian Lupkiewich, described by local outlets as a transgender activist, told the council that officers “did nothing to really disperse the crowd of fascists.”

“All they did was protect them, and that is wrong,” Lupkiewich said, urging the council to “stand in solidarity with the people here today that are condemning fascism” and to “fight” back against what the activist called a “demagogic fascist movement led by Trump.”

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Another Detroit-based BAMN activist, Liana Mulholland, praised the counter-protesters for driving away the anti-Islam activists.

“They went from being maybe, I don’t know, around fifty people to like three guys with a banner because they had been scared away,” she said. “And I think that is exactly the kind of action that is needed. And I think Dearborn really set the model for how to deal with these situations.”

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud acknowledged the unrest but lauded residents for their composure.

“While children were singing on their way to school, dozens of protesters were marching through our streets shouting about Muslims in America,” he said. “Some of them were misled. Others came with hate in their hearts … And yet even then, Dearborn showed who we truly were … a place where neighbors show up for one another, where hurt is met with compassion.”

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According to MLive, the confrontations began when Jake Lang, who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, arrived on Michigan Avenue and attempted to burn a Quran. Lang held up a lighter attempting to light the religious text on fire, but counter-protesters knocked it from his hands.

Later, Lang slapped the Quran with a slab of bacon before a counter-protester grabbed the book and ran off with it.

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Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.