Colorful bus had ‘riot’ gear, Ohio cops say. Protesters say they’re ‘helpful hippies’

An Ohio police department’s photo of a colorful school bus allegedly carrying “riot supplies” — an arsenal of baseball bats, meat cleavers, rocks, axes, clubs and projectiles — grabbed nationwide attention.

The Columbus Police Department posted the picture on Twitter showing the painted bus parked in the dark after a protest on the city on May 31.

“There was a suspicion of supplying riot equipment to rioters,” police tweeting, saying criminal charges were pending.

The tweet and Facebook post have thousands of retweets and “likes” with people using it as an example of violent rioters at protests. The protests against law enforcement brutality have swept across the U.S. since the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.

The vast majority of the protesters across the nation have been “peaceful demonstrators calling for change,” law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Sen. Marco Rubio retweeted the police department’s photo, using it to criticize what he claims is an organized effort to incite violence at protests.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also tweeted about the bus, saying “the limited arrests to this point do not reflect the significant safety concerns we have for the city.”

“I would point to the recovery of a bus registered in Vermont filled with bats, rocks, meat cleavers and axes on Sunday night,” Ginther tweeted.

But the passengers aboard the bus who describe themselves as “helpful hippies” share a far different story.

Marisa “Reese” Digati, who says she lives on the bus, wrote in a response to the police department’s Facebook post that she was helping people at the protest, handing out water and washing mace from faces.

“This bus is my home and I often use it as a supply vehicle. We were peaceful the entire time. The ’weapons’ that were found are tools. Axes for my wood stove, knives for cooking, etc.,” Digati wrote.

Digati told WYSX she’s lived on the bus in Columbus for about a year, but she is from Rhode Island and the vehicle is registered in Vermont.

Digati is part of a group who perform “flow arts,” an act that usually includes dance, juggling and spinning fire, her friend Stephen Palmer told Columbus Alive.

“All day people were checking in, getting hydrated, having conversations and generally participating in the protest,” Palmer told the news outlet. “Not a single officer gave us a second glance.”

A video posted on Imgur shows the bus parked downtown with protesters standing outside. A man can be heard saying, “Hey if anybody gets pepper sprayed or anything find the bus ... we got minor medical (supplies).”

A Facebook Live video by Kaylee Noel Oiler shows herself and others on the bus with raised hands as police officers stop the vehicle. Oiler said police officers had told them to wait until protesters had cleared the area before driving the bus to a safer location.

“I’m just trying to leave,” the driver said in the video. “What do I do here?”

Video shows the bus packed with items, including a stove, backpack with a red medical cross symbol and protest signs.

“None of us have damaged property. None of us have hurt anyone. We all came with medic supplies to help people,” Oiler said in the video.

One by one, the passengers get off the bus.

Here is the video. Warning: It includes obscene language.

A spokeswoman for the Columbus Police Department did not return a phone call from McClatchy News on Friday asking whether charges have been filed in the case.

A police spokeswoman declined to answer questions from Columbus Alive, telling the news outlet that the FBI is investigating.

Ex-cop Derek Chauvin eligible for $1 million pension even if convicted in Floyd death