Free speech or political stunt? Video ambush of Fresno council member violates decency

A Fresno City Council member was cited for misdemeanor battery when he allegedly pushed some protesters away from the front door of his apartment Tuesday.

But the real issue is whether it is acceptable for the front porch of a local elected official to be used for a political stunt.

Make no mistake, that is all the incident was — a stunt. Organizer Ben Bergquam likes to fashion himself as a conservative reporter trying to get his partisan message out against a tide of liberalism he believes is ruining California.

But he is nothing more than a provocateur, as Tuesday’s incident shows. In no way did he set out to have a thoughtful discussion with City Council President Miguel Arias about the city’s emergency orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A debate of the merits of the emergency orders, which has led to the shutdown of many local businesses, would actually be worthwhile. But Bergquam, cell phone in hand, engaged a video ambush of Arias, and got the desired result. Arias, fearing for the safety of his children inside as Bergquam and other men approach loudly, blocks the stairs of the second-floor apartment and forces them to retreat, pushing a few times as he yells for them to leave. Arias is a strong personality who does not back down, and Bergquam must have known he’d lose his temper.

Afterward, Arias said he has received online threats in recent weeks, adding Bergquam has publicly threatened him in the past.

Arias said the ambush crossed a line of decency, and he is right. There is a proper way to make political points, and a completely unacceptable way. Bergquam’s ambush was the latter, and must not happen again.

Free speech

Members of the group with Bergquam told police they were “independent media.” Some of those demonstrating did it properly — holding signs and chanting along the sidewalk outside the apartment complex. That is public and can be used for such demonstrations.

But free speech does not allow anyone to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, nor approach the front door of a citizen’s home with what appears to be a threatening mob.

Professional reporters would have knocked on Arias’ door without cameras rolling. They would politely have asked if they could interview Arias about the emergency orders. If he had said no, they would have exited with no further fuss.

That the incident was a stunt is proved by what Bergquam said on YouTube after the confrontation. Bergquam assumed Arias’ apartment was a “front” to run for City Council and he didn’t expect the politician to be at the home.

Instead, Bergquam forced a confrontation that made his attempt to “interview” Arias more fake than the professional media he loves to tar-and-feather with that label.

Bredefeld denounces

Arias’ council colleague, Garry Bredefeld, took to Twitter shortly after learning of the incident to denounce the demonstration and said “This must NEVER happen again.” That was the right thing to do and right call.

But several Twitter followers criticized Bredefeld for not naming Bergquam in his post, especially after the council member took part in a rally that Bergquam organized downtown last week in support of reopening the local economy.

For weeks, Bredefeld has been highly critical of Mayor Lee Brand and the emergency orders that allowed essential businesses to remain open and required nonessential ones to be closed. He has repeatedly used words like “authoritarian,” “outrageous” and “unconstitutional” in his descriptions on social media to describe Brand and the steps taken by the City Council so far to limit COVID-19’s spread and protect residents from infection.

His Tweet Tuesday did not go far enough: Bredefeld should denounce Bergquam by name to show his clear opposition to political stunts that serve no useful purpose.

This is the same Ben Bergquam who donned a serape, a sombrero and a fake mustache and broke into the California governor’s mansion last year to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s immigration stance. Police handcuffed him before giving Bergquam a citation.

Bergquam uses social media to rant against undocumented immigrants and “open borders.” He has also been coy about whether he calls himself a Proud Boy, and denies that the “A-OK” symbol in photos in which he appears in is the white supremacist symbol many say it is.

Proper place

Protesters have First Amendment rights. The government is elected by the people. Fortunately, citizens have lots of proper, useful ways to take their grievances to their elected officials.

For starters, write or call the official. Use the public comment period at City Council meetings. Demonstrate peacefully in public spaces — the city can even issue a permit if the gathering is going to be large enough.

The front door of an elected official is not the right place. Showing up with a gang of supporters is obviously intimidating. When one feels threatened, bad things can happen. Tuesday’s incident was irresponsible, unfair and scary. It must not happen again.

This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 11:57 AM.