Mayor Dyer, Fresno PD give white protesters easy treatment despite obvious dangers

We need to stop pretending that white people cannot be dangerous. Case in point; our local anti-masker/grocery store bully/Capitol terrorist and all around annoying, yet dangerous, human being (who’s name will not be mentioned here, but referred to simply as #onefresnoterrorist) is white. He and his agents of contagion have popped up locally, maskless and spewing, demanding entrance into stores because, well, freedom.

In case you are not familiar with their antics, they closed down both Trader Joe’s and Sprouts this month. In both instances, nobody was arrested or charged, although #onefresnoterrorist was detained by police for a short time. This kind of treatment by law enforcement of white protesters differs markedly from how law enforcement treats protesters of color. The result? A massive miscalculation, wherein danger is seen where there is none and ignored where it threatens our community.

It is not our intent to malign an individual, but damn, #onefresnoterrorist is a dangerous man. By his own admission he was part of the armed mob that stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the United States government, resulting in five deaths. That sounds like danger.

Yet his response to this attempted coup was, “To some degree, I think it was a healthy exercise because I think the government needs to know that the people stood up (and are fed up about) the lack of representation.” We think #onefresnoterrorist is delusional.

Unfortunately, Mayor Dyer, Fresno PD, District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, and many residents share in the delusion that whiteness absolves people from responsibility for the violence they commit, whether that violence is rioting and endangering elected leaders at the Capitol or storming a place of business and expecting that there will be zero legal consequences.

To be clear, #onefresnoterrorist and his agents of contagion should have been arrested. Their protest included trespassing. Trespassing is illegal. But they weren’t arrested. Instead, they were given yet another chance to abide by the law. This is a pattern. #onefresnoterrorist is a man who stormed the Capitol building, harassed a U.S. senator at the Washington D.C. airport, trespassed at several local businesses, and refuses to abide by mask mandates. For all this, instead of arrest, he gets a meeting with our new police chief who asked for #onefresnoterrorist’s understanding. If this white man is not seen as dangerous, then his behavior isn’t either. And that is dangerous. A very dangerous pattern.

Peaceful protesters of color, however, do not enjoy the same privilege. For instance, in 2017 four young people, only one of whom is white, protested Mayor Brand’s refusal to declare Fresno a sanctuary city by allegedly blocking a sidewalk during a peaceful protest. FPD tracked the protesters through social media and eventually issued warrants for their arrests weeks after the event. The protesters were forced to secure legal representation. The city eventually dismissed the charges under the provision that the protesters obey all laws for a year. Then-Chief Dyer said at the time, “This is not about spying on individuals. We want to make sure that people are kept safe.”

Indeed, keeping people safe is one of the reasons we have laws in the first place. The point of this is not that protesters should not be punished when their participation in protest involves breaking laws. They should. The defining feature of proper civil disobedience is the willingness to subject oneself to the consequences of the law. However, this is not something #onefresnoterrorist and his ilk seem willing to do. The expectation that legal consequences will not apply to them is one of the perks of white privilege. And this expectation is supported when law enforcement fails to act, even when the safety of others is placed in jeopardy.

The disparity in treatment by law enforcement of the alleged sidewalk blockers and a known white domestic terrorist is clear. It wasn’t until #onefresnoterrorist committed the most recent of his multiple offenses that Mayor Dyer and his handmaiden District Attorney Smittcamp announced a plan to take action.

Why should we trust that these elected officials will now protect the public’s interest in safety rather than the white privilege and exceptionalism that they have protected so far? Even #onefresnoterrorist has his doubts. According to the Jan. 27th Fresno Bee article, #onefresnoterrorist believes his actions are protected under federal law and he is “. . .excited to partner with police. . .” #onefresnoterrorist admitted to being part of the mob that tried to overturn the results of a democratic election through violence. He believes he is in “partnership” with local police. It will soon become clear if Fresno leaders share in his delusion.