Conservative YouTube content creator Nick Shirley walked into a West Baltimore church on Thursday, selfie stick in hand, during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

After Shirley’s request to film the drug addiction recovery meeting was rejected, someone recognized the 23-year-old social media star, perhaps best known for his viral video alleging fraud by businesses run by Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

The man who recognized Shirley demanded that he leave, according to Tiffany Christian, administrator of Simmons Memorial Baptist Church in the city’s Penn North community.

“He said, ‘No, stop, get out. Get out right now,’” Christian said.

Shirley is known for both prank videos and conducting man-on-the-street-style interviews on politically charged topics. He is among a group of high-profile content creators who have aligned themselves with President Donald Trump and gained political influence.

After his video on alleged fraud among Somali-run businesses was promoted by conservative leaders including Vice President JD Vance, the federal government intensified a violent crackdown on immigrants in Minneapolis and the surrounding area.

A video posted on social media Thursday purportedly shows Shirley outside the West Baltimore church.

“I don’t want you here making up anything for your social influencers to try to attack more people,” says the person filming, who has not responded to a request for comment.

“We’re doing a video on fentanyl,” the young man who appears to be Shirley says before getting cut off by demands to leave.

As of Friday afternoon, Shirley has not posted any recent videos from Baltimore on his social media accounts. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Seven people told The Banner they saw Shirley in the Penn North neighborhood on Thursday or Friday as he sought to interview people about drug overdoses.

They said he cited mass overdoses that thrust the neighborhood into the national spotlight last year after dozens of people were hospitalized by suspected bad batches of drugs.

Pastor Timmie Lee of Cornerstone Christian Community Church, who saw the initial confrontation with Shirley, said on Friday he worries about what federal attention Shirley might draw to Baltimore.

“What we need is help,” Lee said. “We don’t need nobody bringing anything else.”

Christian said Shirley had told her he wanted to highlight the good work Simmons Memorial Baptist Church was doing in the community. But she felt that he was not transparent about his intentions.

“I’m still really angry. That really hurt my feelings,” she said, adding, “We are already vulnerable to so much that’s going on around here.”

The interaction at the church is not the only one that turned tense.

Darrell Simmons, who sells purses, shoes and household goods on a corner across from the church, said he spoke to Shirley for about 15 minutes on Friday morning about politics before declining to do an interview with him.

“He was trying to demonize the area instead of looking at the problem that’s within the area — the poverty,” Simmons said.

Simmons recognized Shirley from his videos, which receive millions of views worldwide.

“He’s just trying to drum up more hits. But don’t come down here trying to use us as a springboard to where you want to get to talking about us,” Simmons said. “Because you don’t know us.”