Fresno agitator got the attention he craves — and Garry Bredefeld helped
During my 28 years in the news business, I’ve had occasion to knock on someone’s door for a story. Maybe four or five times.
But never without having made numerous attempts to contact the source by phone, text and email over a period of days or weeks.
Never with a cell phone or microphone in hand filming video and capturing sound without the person’s consent.
And certainly never while accompanied by a mob of 15 associates intent on making a viral scene.
For any reporter with a shred of ethics or scruples, showing up at someone’s dwelling and knocking on their front door is a last resort — never an initial strategy.
It’s the difference between journalistic pursuit and orchestrated stunt. Lines that have become increasingly blurred in this age of ideology over truth.
The ugly incident that took place outside the apartment of Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias on Tuesday afternoon is just the latest example of this bad-actor theater.
Until now, these fingers have never typed the name Ben Bergquam.
Why give such an obvious publicity hound exactly what he craves? That’s been my policy. Which is why Bergquam’s name didn’t appear in last week’s column about the Fresno Freedom Rally — even though he was paid to organize it.
One week later, Bergquam has lots of folks in the central San Joaquin Valley, and elsewhere, talking about him and his deeds. Which is what he’s wanted all along.
I’ve seen Bergquam and his cohorts call themselves “independent media” and Fresno TV stations identify him as a “conservative activist.”
Bergquam is neither of those things. He’s a far right-wing agitator, firebrand and provocateur.
The Tollhouse resident (at least until 2017) and ardent Donald Trump supporter may or may not be a racial bigot. Bergquam vehemently denies this, but he’s also been a self-identified member of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center called an extremist group “known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric.”
I don’t know what lurks inside Bergquam’s heart. Nor do I really care to know. But when someone “protests” undocumented immigration by trespassing at the governor’s mansion while wearing a Mexican poncho, sombrero and fake moustache, as Bergquam did last year, they more or less tell us by their actions.
Bergquam is a fringe operator who, until recently, didn’t get much mainstream media attention or hold political sway. But now he’s starting to feel emboldened — and for that we have one local politician, in particular, to thank.
Take a bow, Garry Bredefeld.
Just a week ago, Bredefeld and Bergquam shared a protest stage outside Fresno City Hall. They acted like comrades-in-arms, shaking hands and praising each other while falsely comparing state and local shelter-in-place policies designed to slow the spread of coronavirus to fascist regimes that killed millions.
Additional speeches by Fresno County Supervisors Steve Brandau and Nathan Magsig, along with the sight of Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall posing for photos while not wearing a mask (every other cop wore one), only further served to legitimize Bergquam and his cause.
Little wonder that band of zealots showed up on Arias’ doorstep — and later in front of Mayor Lee Brand’s house. They were practically encouraged to do so by Bredefeld’s angry rhetoric.
Bredefeld, predictably, tried to sidestep any responsibility by decrying Bergquam’s home visit.
“I can’t even begin to express the outrage I feel regarding this incident,” he wrote on Facebook. “This is completely unacceptable and should never happen. …”
Not so fast, Garry. No one gets to help light a fire and then point fingers when things start to burn. This is partially on you.
It’s true that Arias could’ve handled the situation better. The moment he saw Bergquam’s mug, he should’ve slammed the door without a word. Arias’ angry reaction gave that social media mob the attention it was seeking.
But how many of us would’ve reacted exactly as Arias did or even worse, especially with young children at home?
Most of us, I’m betting. In particular those Second Amendment zealots who go on and on about the right to protect themselves and their property from unwanted intrusion.
That a bunch of far right-wingers masquerading as media would do that very thing exposes them for the frauds they are.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
