There have been quite a number of loud and aggressive individuals popping up in Minnesota. Many of them were Trump and ICE supporters, and they have been harassing various people. You might already know of Jake Lang, who was recently arrested in Washington D.C., but his personal friend has also been arrested. Zak X, whose real name is Zachary Allen Stump, has been going around harassing, insulting, and threatening people using megaphones in Minnesota. His main targets recently have been Spanish immersion daycares and anti-ICE protesters.
He already has a case against him out of St. Cloud for assault, and now he is facing another charge. Not too long ago, Zak X was arrested by Stillwater police in Minnesota. This was not the first time he had gone to the area to confront and harass protesters. At one point, Zak X allegedly said he would go to the Minnesota protesters’ homes and implied that he would shoot them. Police were reportedly aware that he might return and advised residents to call authorities if he came back.
When one of the protesters called the police, the operator reportedly heard his threats of violence over the phone, and officers were immediately dispatched to arrest him. During the arrest, he attempted to elbow one of the officers; however, the two officers quickly subdued him and handcuffed him. Minnesota residents could be heard cheering in the video as Zak X was escorted away by the police.
Zak X appeared to be unfazed, as he later uploaded a video from the police station claiming that officers were targeting him for exercising his First Amendment rights. He also expressed concern about possibly being jailed and even implied that this incident might cause him to reconsider his demonstrations. Even so, he refused to admit that he had done anything wrong and maintained that he had not threatened anyone. He claimed that both the police and the residents were bullying him.
While his followers supported him, many other internet users showed little sympathy toward Zak X. Critics argued that he had been harassing people and that his threats crossed the line. “LOL He likes to drive in front of the weekly protests in Saint Cloud with his dumb little megaphone. This is great,” one user said.
Another user who knew someone in the area shared their experience. They wrote, “This cracks me up because my husband was in Stillwater for work and texted me: We randomly found a protest and watched some guy get arrested for being a [expletive]! [Expletive] with a megaphone marching back and forth taunting people in really childish manner.”
