Later this evening, failed one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump will hold one of his Nuremberg-style rallies at the Michigan Stars Sports Center in Washington Township, and public safety officials are already warning that the venue could turn into a fatal fire trap.
The Detroit Free Press reports:
Fire department officials in Washington Township — where former President Donald Trump will speak to supporters Saturday night — are scrambling to ensure the safety of the event that could potentially draw thousands.
“I do not want to allow it,” said Rob Schmelzer, the township’s assistant fire chief and fire marshal. “I have nothing against the past president. This has to do with the venue.”
Schmelzer and Washington Township Fire Chief Brian Tyrell said the rally falls outside the approved use of the Michigan Stars Sports Center space where the event will be held.
Tyrell added that he’s working closely with event organizers, the Secret Service, and the Macomb County Sheriff’s office to make sure there are off-duty officers at the rally to provide emergency medical services and fire protection.
“We’re still early in the planning, believe it or not, even though we’re only a few days out. This came upon us very quickly, and we’re just going to do our best to plan for the worst case scenario.”
Will rallygoers be safe if a larger than expected crowd shows up? Fire Marshal Schmelzer says there’s really no way to know, and that alone makes it dangerous.
Township Treasurer Mike Nicley says the Secret Service has told him as many as 10,000 could show up to hear the loser ex-president spin conspiracy theories and belch out endless lies:
“This is just not the right venue.”
It’d be nice to think that the MAGA faithful would heed the warnings and not take the risk of going to a possibly dangerous venue. But these are the same people who are refusing to take the COVID vaccine because they think there’s a tracking device in the shot.
Caveat emptor, MAGAts. Of course, you probably have no damn idea what that means, either.
