‘Small businesses, we’re screwed.’ Fresno restaurant rally pushes to reopen shops
A few hundred people rallied outside the Fresno County Department of Public Health on Saturday to implore state and local officials to loosen coronavirus safety orders.
The downtown Fresno office was closed as demonstrators chanted, held signs and accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of unethical actions. The group blocked Fulton Street just south of Fresno Street.
Organizers said the rally was smaller than past efforts, noting they planned it on shorter notice.
The demonstration blocked Fulton Street for about 45 minutes. The demonstrators did not obtain a permit to block the street, according to a Fresno city spokesperson.
House of JuJu owner Julie Glenn has kept her Clovis business open despite orders and despite at least one citation, but said small businesses are struggling.
“Small businesses, we’re screwed,” Glenn said. “I don’t know if we’re going to come back from that, but we employ a lot of people.”
Glenn said she doesn’t believe all of the coronavirus-related numbers being reported by health officials, saying she wants better transparency.
New coronavirus case count
The California Department of Public Health said Saturday there has been 1,087,714 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. There were 15,442 newly recorded confirmed cases through the previous day.
“We are not here in this group to say COVID isn’t real,” Glenn said. “It’s not something to shut down a half a million people’s lives for.”
After a $1,000 fine from the state bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Glenn relinquished her alcohol license. She has said she does not fear enforcement because Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp has declined to prosecute offenders.
Under the purple tier in California, restaurants can still do take-out and delivery and serve customers on patios but must close their dining rooms, which had been allowed for about six weeks to operate at 25% until Nov. 23, when Fresno and other counties slipped back into the state’s most-restrictive purple Tier 1.
Organizers of the rally said they want to remain open at least at 25% capacity indoors, according to a letter they shared on the Open Central California Safely Facebook page.
A new curfew is in effect 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. It continues daily for a month to try to drive down infections, according to state health officials.
During speeches on Saturday, the crowd demanded health officials give evidence to support their decisions to leave big box stores open while small businesses are hamstrung, chanting “show us the data.”
Several people carried flags, including more than one that said Trump, a Gadsden flag and a Confederate one. Many, if not more than half, of the demonstrators did not wear masks.
Clovis City Councilmember speaks
The only elected official at the rally was Clovis City Councilmember Vong Mouanoutoua, who said government should let businesses reopen.
“The best we can do is get out of your way, let you run your lives,” he said to a cheering crowd.
Members of the crowd also yelled “fake news” after speakers mentioned the media. Others called Newsom a hypocrite and liar.
Newsom is under fire for attending a birthday party at Napa County’s French Laundry restaurant at the same time he’s cracking down on public gatherings as coronavirus numbers jump. Newsom apologized for attending.
Along with those struggling to keep their businesses afloat, many employees are facing cuts to their hours, according to Lewis Everk, who owns Vyxn Restaurant & Lounge at Friant and Fort Washington roads, and three Jugo Salad & Juice Bar locations.
“The real reason that I’m here today is for my staff, looking in their faces when they know I’m about to tell them, ‘Guys, I can’t do it anymore. We don’t have the sales,’” Everk said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
