BOISE, Idaho — A planned Black Lives Matter protest had people on edge after their last rally nearly spiraled out of control, the Mayor cautioned people not to show up, there was a significant police presence and BLM didn't reveal where they would hold their rally.
On June 30, a large crowd of BLM protesters clashed with an even bigger crowd of counter-protesters, there was shouting, pushing and some violence.
Heading into this protest, the Boise Police Department put up barricades in front of City Hall that separated the area into two distinct zones. However, Black Lives Matter decided to hold their rally on the Boise State campus.
Hundreds of people showed up at City Hall as the Idaho Liberty Dogs organized another anti-protest.
According to their Facebook page, Idaho Liberty Dogs is a grassroots group that stands up for constitutional rights and freedoms, their page says they believe in America first, vets before illegals and the laws of the land while preserving Idaho's conservative values and keeping the state red.
This group marched from Cecil D. Andrus Park to City Hall with their American flags, flags supporting President Trump flags, but the most common message was backing the blue.
We are supporting them and their efforts to protect each and every one of us," said former police officer Lance Johnstone. "There is a certain group that thinks we need to defund the police, we need to pay the police more money."
I've covered several racial inequality demonstrations, including some by Black Lives Matter, and there were never any anti-protest groups until the message centered around defunding the police.
"Where did that come from? In my opinion, there was one cop that ruined it for many of us in Minnesota," said Johnstone. "But if the police gets defunded who are they going to call when they need help."
It should be noted that defunding the police doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of the police, it's an initiative that's more centered around slashing the police budget and using those funds in other areas.
The Black Lives Matter protested ended before the Idaho Liberty Dog's, so we did see some of them make their way to City Hall, but we didn't witness any violence this time around.
