Before the presidential election in 2020, he became a fixture at local rallies in support of President Donald Trump and gatherings of far-right activists, said Rachael Wachstein, a longtime resident who organizes social justice events in the mostly liberal area.
Wachstein said she first saw Crimo at a September gathering of Trump supporters held near the site of the July 4 shooting. It drew a crowd of local counterprotesters, according to Wachstein and local news accounts. “He was pretty aggressive,” she said. “He was up in my friend’s face, shouting.” In photos of the event, Crimo, wearing bright red pants and a sweatshirt with a smiley face, can be seen standing near a crowd holding pro-Trump flags, as police officers monitor the gathering.
In the weeks that followed, Wachstein said she spotted Crimo at a similar pro-Trump event in Northbrook and with a group of far-right activists that showed up to stage counterprotests at weekly vigils Wachstein organized in nearby Deerfield. He often dressed like Waldo from the “Where’s Waldo?” puzzle book series, according to Wachstein and photos of the events.
Given Crimo’s activism, she said, she now wonders whether Crimo attacked the community because of its liberal views. “I could just see him thinking it would be great fun to ruin everyone’s holiday,” she said.