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Mitchell Hamline student Victoria Guillemard spent the school year like her fellow 2Ls, with one notable exception. Between attending classes online, studying, and working in a public defender\u2019s office, she also has been part of an effort to educate people about the new whites-only church in her hometown.<\/p>\n
Recently, her efforts drew the ire of the church\u2019s priest, who asked for a harassment restraining order against Guillemard. That request was denied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the text telling me I\u2019d won right before going into court for one of my clients,\u201d Guillemard said, in an interview. \u201cSo I entered that hearing on Zoom with a big smile on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n
The journey started just after Guillemard finished finals in spring 2020. When Mitchell Hamline announced classes would remain online for the summer and fall semesters, the 24-year old moved back to Murdock, Minnesota, her quiet hometown of fewer than 300 people.<\/p>\n
That was around the time the Astru Folk Assembly (AFA) Church sought a permit to operate in a shuttered church it had purchased. Jason Plourde, an ordained AFA priest, acknowledged in court that AFA\u2019s goal was to \u201cpromote and secure the future of \u2018white children\u2019\u201d and that only those of European ethnic descent \u2013 clarified as \u201cwhite\u201d \u2013 are allowed in the church. The Southern Poverty Law Center and American Defamation League both recognize AFA as a White Supremacist organization.<\/p>\n
From there, Guillemard set off to learn all she could about the group and the legalities around its efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was between semesters and I had some down time, so I spent 48 hours googling everything I could about zoning laws and the constitutional rights of hate groups,\u201d Guillemard said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want Murdock to be the hate capital of the Midwest.\u201d<\/p>\n
She asked professors for help; they pointed her to resources but also cautioned Guillemard that both religious freedoms and other First Amendment expressions complicated matters. \u201cI knew pretty quickly this was a sticky legal situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Members of Murdock Area Alliance Against Hate protest outside the new location for the AFA church in this undated photo.<\/p><\/div>\n
In the end, she and seven other people created Murdock Area Alliance Against Hate (MAAAH). Their strategy isn\u2019t to win legal battles to expel the church, but rather to educate people in the area about the group\u2019s motives. \u201cIf we can make it so they can\u2019t operate and continuously recruit, they\u2019ll just move to another town on their own accord,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her efforts garnered her attention in the New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier this year, Plourde sought a restraining order, arguing Guillemard\u2019s efforts amounted to personal harassment. Judge Stephanie Beckman \u201803 rebuffed that charge, writing<\/a> \u201cthere was no harassment because Respondent [Guillemard] is engaged in education and outreach directed at the actions and speech of Petitioner [Plourde] and his group and not focused on him as a person as the focal point.\u201d<\/p>\n Beckman also noted criticism of the church qualifies as a \u201cmatter of public concern,\u201d a marker used in determining whether someone is committing harassment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to have a ruling that says, yes, a member of a hate group recruiting in your community is a matter of concern,\u201d added Guillemard. Her attorney for this case was a Mitchell Hamline alum, Brian Wojtalewicz \u201976.<\/p>\n The restraining order case also showcases yet another aspect of First Amendment protections. Guillemard knew AFA has First Amendment religious freedom protections to open its church, but she also has her own First Amendment protections to speak out about the church\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me I should be careful because this might affect my legal career, especially the character and fitness parts of entering the bar,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this is<\/em> my legal career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m becoming an attorney because I want to advocate for those who are silenced. And If I didn\u2019t stand up for my own beliefs, as well, I wouldn\u2019t be able to do that work.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Media coverage of the recent restraining order case in the Minneapolis Star Tribune<\/a>, Fox9 Twin Cities<\/a>, and New York Post<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mitchell Hamline student Victoria Guillemard spent the school year like her fellow 2Ls, with one notable exception. Between attending classes online, studying, and working in a public defender\u2019s office, she also has been part of an effort to educate people about the new whites-only church in her hometown. Recently, her efforts drew the ire of … <\/p>\n