Fresno police cite ‘outside agitators,’ will increase presence at Tower Theatre protests
The Fresno Police Department will increase police presence at the Tower Theatre protest starting this weekend and will erect barricades to separate protesters and agitators, city officials announced Wednesday.
Police Chief Paco Balderrama said officers on bikes will escort protesters to their vehicles and make arrests for crimes such as assault, trespassing and vandalism.
“We are there to keep the peace and to protect the rights of those who are protesting or attending,” he said during a news conference at City Hall. “Last weekend the situation was less than ideal due to the presence of outside agitators who came into the Fresno community.”
City social media pages on Wednesday posted information about protests and what activities could lead to a citation or arrest, such as blocking traffic. The fliers also defined “unlawful assembly” and “disturbing the peace.”
For 14 weeks, Fresno residents have showed up on Sunday mornings to protest the sale of the Tower Theatre to Adventure Church. Protesters worry selling the theater to the church will affect local businesses and ultimately change the Tower District’s culture since the location would require different zoning.
Plus, the Tower District is home to Fresno’s Pride parade, and the theater is the venue for Reel Pride, Fresno’s LGBT film festival. Adventure Church does not perform same-sex marriages or allow its ministers to be gay.
In more recent weeks, rezone protesters were met with counter protesters showing support for Adventure Church. Counter protesters included local far-right political agitators and others belonging to white supremacist hate groups, such as the Proud Boys.
Last week, police arrested two people who showed up with the Proud Boys. Mayor Jerry Dyer said they were wearing ballistic and tactical gear and carried exposed hunting knives and tear gas or mace.
Dyer and Councilmember Esmeralda Soria said they heard from a pregnant woman who was confronted by someone with the Proud Boys. Although she wasn’t injured, she did go to the hospital to get checked out. Dyer and Soria said that was unacceptable.
“Intimidation tactics will not be tolerated,” Dyer said. “The city of Fresno supports the right of free speech and assembly. These demonstrations will be done safely. It’s imperative that the people who participate be free of fear, be free of intimidation.”
At Tuesday’s Zoom “Meet the Mayor” meeting for Soria’s District 1, many residents expressed concern over the Proud Boys’ presence at the protest.
Soria reassured the community that city officials will do everything they can to keep residents safe.
“I denounce every bit and ounce of hate that has precipitated because of the concerning issue that started earlier this year,” she said. “There’s no room for hate in Fresno. Particularly, there’s no room for hate in the Tower District, that is known to be one of the most diverse and inclusive and safe places for families regardless of who you are.”
Councilmember Miguel Arias said he, Dyer and Balderrama will all attend this week’s protest to send a message that intimidation won’t be tolerated. Arias said city officials have been careful not to take a side on the rezone issue, but they want to send a message that they support residents’ right to protest.
“We will be standing to ensure our residents feel safe, are not threatened, are not intimidated, and that the police department keeps the peace for everyone’s safety,” he said.
First Amendment issue
Balderrama noted that for many weeks, the protest required very little, if any, police presence. Dyer also noted that the “Save the Tower” protesters were peaceful, and the situation turned threatening when the Proud Boys began attending.
One protester, Jaguar Bennett, who is a member of the Save the Tower Theatre demonstration committee, also argued that the Save the Tower protesters “are not the problem.” Many protesters felt unsafe when the Proud Boys showed up and made racist, sexist and homophobic comments, he said.
“I’d like to push back against anyone who thinks there’s a both-sides kind of argument here,” Bennett said. “We’ve been demonstrating for 14 week and not committed a single act of violence. We are not the problem. The Proud Boys don’t have any legitimate reason to be there. They’re there only to make threats and physically intimidate us. They are the cause of all the problems.”
Bennett said he’s taking a “wait and see” approach to the increased police presence since last week the police presence was not effective.
“We welcome that the city and police are taking this seriously,” Bennett said. “We will see on Sunday how these measures will work out.”
Even if not all Fresnans support the Save the Tower Theatre’s position on the rezone, they should still be concerned, Bennett said.
“This is a much bigger issue than our protest. This is a question of whether Fresnans can exercise their First Amendment rights without fear of assault,” he said. “It would be terrible if a group like the Proud Boys can dictate whether we as citizens can exercise our First Amendment rights.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 4:11 PM.