Bredefeld, Crazy Bernie highlight Fresno Freedom Rally outside City Hall
At least 300 people gathered in front of Fresno City Hall at midday Wednesday for a Freedom Rally calling for an end to sheltering in place because of the coronavirus in California’s fifth-largest city.
The event unfolded the day after Mayor Lee Brand announced details of a plan to lessen restrictions with a first wave of businesses allowed to reopen beginning Monday.
Many restrictions will remain; the city’s shelter in place order runs through May 31.
Onlookers – many without face masks – waved U.S. flags and held signs with slogans like “Freedom over Fear,” “Open CA now” and “Fear is a Virus.”
Speakers included Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, who has called the city’s emergency ordinances “authoritarian,” and Crazy Bernie Furniture store owner Bernie Siomiak, who has been cited three times for operating his business contrary to those emergency ordinances. One by one, they stepped up on a small stage facing the fountain in front of City Hall.
Bredefeld and others were critical of a near-total shutdown in the face of local cases. Bredefeld pointed out that only nine people have died in Fresno County because of COVID-19, the coronavirus. Fresno County’s Department of Public Health set a one-day reporting record Tuesday with 52 new confirmed cases. It has now seen 724 positive cases (375 in the city of Fresno); 253 have recovered, the county says.
On several occasions, chants of “Open up!” rose from the throng. Some speakers called for immediate return to the way things were pre-pandemic; most advised following Centers for Disease Control safety guidelines.
Siomiak thanked Brand for “standing up” to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and said, “Fresno, for once instead of being the butt of jokes can be the model for the safe reopening of this great country.”
One counter protester was escorted away by Fresno police after shouting out his displeasure. He had an American flag covering his mouth.
As the event continued, a parade of cars with American flags circled around City Hall, drivers honking their horns.
The event was organized by Ben Bergquam, who runs a media Facebook page called Frontline America.
Rally operated in ‘gray area’
A spokesman for the city, Mark Standriff, said there was something of a “gray area” when asked if organizers of the rally were required to have a permit for the gathering.
“If they’re blocking a public street or sidewalk, they need to get a special permit” for a demonstration, Standriff said Wednesday. “But City Hall, outside in front of City Hall, is the public’s space, so we’ve allowed any number of demonstrations to take place out there without a permit.”
Standriff said police were on hand to make sure the situation remained peaceful in the event of a counter protest. Otherwise, he said, “it’s a beautiful day to exercise our First Amendment rights.”
‘Fighting for our freedom’
Angelina Tucker drove from Tulare to attend the rally because she wanted “people to get back to work.”
“For our freedom and for our rights,” she said. “I’m fighting for our freedom. All of us, and for America. If we don’t stand up now, we’re going to lose America.”
Another of the speakers, former Fresno mayoral candidate Nickolas Wildstar, was critical of city leaders.
“I feel like our elected representatives, including the mayor-elect, Jerry Dyer, is doing nothing to speak on behalf of what we desire, and that’s to continue with our day-to-day lives.”
The two-hour rally ended just after its scheduled 1 p.m. finish with an invitation to the crowd to assemble on the steps of City Hall, where they let out one more chant of “Open up!”
There were no arrests.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
