Fresno police officer placed on leave after seen with Proud Boys at Tower Theatre protest
The Fresno Police Department is investigating one of its own officers after he joined the Proud Boys on Sunday morning to counter protest the sale of the iconic Tower Theatre to a church.
Officer Rick Fitzgerald was spotted in the YouTube footage posted by Eddie Block, a Madera man who is a former Proud Boy. Block’s home was raided by the FBI in late January.
After police became aware of the footage, Chief Paco Balderrama launched an internal affairs investigation, according to a statement released by the department Sunday night. The statement did not identify Fitzgerald by name. The California Peace Officer Bill of Rights prohibits police from naming the officer.
Lt. Rob Beckwith later said the officer in question was placed on paid administrative leave, and his police officer powers were temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Although at this point these are merely allegations, and the matter will be fully investigated, it is important to maintain the integrity and legitimacy of our police department,” Balderrama said in the statement. “Any allegations of actions unbecoming of a police officer or the affiliation with any alleged criminal or hate group will always be investigated and addressed. Fair and impartial policing are extremely important in our society. There is no place in our police ranks for any biased, racists, or anti-Semitic views.”
Fitzgerald was one of eight officers who fired a total of 63 rounds and killed a 23-year-old Fresno Pacific University student in the Tower District in 2010, Bee archives show. The student was reportedly under the influence and holding a rifle, but no evidence showed he ever fired the gun.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who was the Fresno police chief for 18 years, also weighed in on the issue.
“These images are extremely disturbing and are being taken very seriously,” Dyer said in a statement posted to Twitter. “As the mayor of this city, I will not tolerate any city of Fresno employee belonging to organizations that promote views of supremacy, racism or criminal conduct. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken to address any misconduct.”
LATEST: Fresno leaders want public findings of investigation into officer’s Proud Boy involvement
Tower Theatre counter protest
Block live-streamed himself showing up to the Tower Theatre protest Sunday morning and showed Fitzgerald in the video. Fitzgerald wore clothing identifying himself as “Sheepdog” with a group called “Sons of ‘76.” Twitter users identified Fitzgerald as the same man who wore Proud Boy clothing at a Sacramento protest.
Block and Fitzgerald joined the counter protest to the Tower Theatre sale. Counter protesters included Proud Boys and other known local far-right people who have expressed white supremacist views online. Tower District bicycle patrol officers are seen in Block’s video monitoring the situation but generally standing by.
While Block confronts people protesting the sale of the theater, it’s not clear if Fitzgerald does.
Protesters have been out for weeks opposing the sale of the theater to a church believed to be anti-LGBTQ. Tower business owners also worry the sale to a church will hamper business operations in the area such as bars or future marijuana dispensaries.
Proud Boys showed up to counter protest last week, as well, and later in the day residents found swastika graffiti on Tower buildings.
Proud Boy involvement
Fitzgerald in online posts says he’s the president of “Sons of ‘76,” a local “patriotic fraternity” focused on community service and charity. But Fitzgerald said he previously was part of the Proud Boys and encourages others to join that group along with the “Three Percenters,” both fascist, white supremacist groups that engage in violent clashes at political rallies.
In a podcast episode, Fitzgerald said he was part of the local Proud Boys group for about a year and reached the third degree and leadership level of membership before he left.
Fitzgerald said he wasn’t a fan of going to protests but instead wanted to focus on local issues and community service to promote the values of honor, integrity, faith and patriotism. He called the Sons of ’76 “gentlemen combatants.”
“We’re gentlemen until it’s time to not be a gentleman anymore, and then we fight,” he said. “And when we fight, we do it in an honorable way, and we do it in an efficient way, and we win. We finish the fight when it’s brought to us.”
In other online posts, Fitzgerald talks about fitness and being ready to fight. Fitzgerald often references his line of work in his posts, as well.
In one Instagram photo from 2019, Fitzgerald posted a photo of himself wearing a “Punisher” mask and pointing a gun with the caption “Shit is a lot easier when you can kill people.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 7:14 PM.