Union man speaks out about run-in with Steven Crowder - FOX 35 News Orlando

By Andrea Isom
FOX 2 News

MELVINDALE, Mich. (WJBK) -- It's a video seen all over the world. An attack on a Fox News contributing reporter at the right to work protest in Lansing earlier this week was caught on video.

Now, one of the union members seen in the footage is speaking out to FOX 2.

By now, almost everybody knows who he is, reporter Steven Crowder, the guy who got sucker-punched outside a pitch tent where the pro-right to work crowd had gathered. (See the video above in the upper right corner)

"I'm under rested and overworked right now and still tough enough to take the union's greatest punch," said Crowder during an interview on 'Hannity' Wednesday. "And the leftists are saying that I deserved the beating that I got, completely and physically unprovoked."

The demonstration was so far from dull. There was quite a commotion, complete with cursing and all sorts of carrying on.

"Get the (expletive) out of my face," one man repeatedly says to Crowder during the skirmish.

Who is he? "I am the vice-griever for Local 1299, United Steelworkers," says Wheeler Marsee.

He's also a City Council member in Melvindale, a downriver suburb of Detroit. He tells FOX  2 he and a few friends came to participate in a peaceful protest against right to work. And things were all good, until they weren't.  "There was people up there that were rebel-rousing the crowd," says Marsee. "The next thing I knew, I had the gentleman in question right up in my face. The video didn't give it justice because he was the aggressor."

Marsee is talking about the Crowder, who claims he was trying to protect the people and the integrity of that tent. Marsee says he did not touch any person or any property.

"You've already destroyed one tent, leave the tent alone," Crowder can be heard saying in the video.

"Get the (expletive) out of my face," replies Marsee.

"You hurt a lady in there," say Crowder.

"Stop rushing me, man. I didn't hurt nobody," says Marsee.

Marsee says he didn't know, or care, who Crowder was. "He literally got six inches from my face."

He is not down playing the use of his dirty words, and he is not apologizing for them either. "Once I realized what he was doing, emotions took over," says Marsee. "I know it wasn't very impressive. But at the time, and I seen the camera, I seen the camera in my face. My passion for the union took over and the gentleman, he did back off. I didn't have to back off. I held my ground. That's all it was. And this union should told their ground."

And what does Marsee have to say now to Crowder? "I guess you got what you expected, brother. You came up for a reaction. You've done this many times in the past."

And to the citizens in Melvindale? "Folks, it is what it is. You've seen me in the video. I've had a lot of phone calls of support. You know me. You either love me or hate me. I love the city of Melvindale, and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing."