Tri-Cities liquor agent’s home targeted by Patriot Prayer activist for protest rally

The founder of a far-right activist group led a noisy demonstration Sunday outside the home of a Tri-Cities liquor license officer.

“It is people like you that destroy this community,” said Joey Gibson, the founder of Patriot Prayer in Vancouver, Wash. Reuters reported in September that Facebook took down Gibson’s and the Patriot Prayer pages as part of its efforts to remove “violent social militias.”

Gibson’s voice, amplified with an electronic megaphone, boomed through the neighborhood of the officer with the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Gibson came to the Tri-Cities after a bar and three restaurants in the Tri-Cities were served last week with written warnings that they must shut down or risk a fine or loss of their liquor license.

They had been serving people at indoor tables after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered restaurants and bars to end indoor service from Nov. 18 to at least Dec. 14 because of the steep increase in COVID cases in the state.

A video posted by a participant of the protest outside the liquor agent’s house showed more than a dozen people, several holding American flags and one holding a Trump flag.

“If you continue to shut down these bars, to shut down these people who are trying to make money, you will not have a job eventually because there will be no more bars to shut down,” Gibson said.

Speakers called for the officer to come out and face them and to “stand down” from enforcing the governor’s order.

“It is unfortunate that these protesters would turn to protest at an officer’s home who is doing his job,” Brian Smith, spokesman for the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board, told the Herald on Monday.

Calling, texting or protesting outside an officer’s home will not deter officers from doing their job, he said. A phone number for a local officer has circulated on social media.

The board’s officers are carrying out the governor’s directive for health and safety reasons, and 99% of establishments with liquor license are following the governor’s directive, he said.

“We understand the difficulty they are all facing,” Smith said. “These are very hard times for the hospitality industry.”

Sterling’s restaurants continued to offer indoor dining after the governor’s latest order took effect, but stopped indoor dining at its Kennewick and two Richland restaurants after a state officer served a written warning.

Koko’s Bartini in Kennewick also was served with a written notice last week, but has continued indoor service of food and drink in what it calls a peaceful protest.

The next step by the Liquor and Cannabis board could be a fine or emergency suspension of the business’s liquor license.

‘Freedom and our rights’

Gibson said outside the officer’s home that politicians, judges and corporations have “screwed the people over.”

He claimed that the government wanted to drive people to only government jobs and government benefits so the government could control the people.

“Do not participate in ruining our freedom and our rights,” he said, and offered a prayer that God would give the officer the courage to fight for the community.

Gibson’s group, Patriot Prayer, has planned and promoted rallies in progressive cities like Portland, frequently engaging in violence against their political opponents, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A second speaker at the protest called for the officer to “stop being a coward” and stop taking jobs from low-wage workers.

In addition to the protest outside the officer’s home, about 50 people attended a “Small Business Protest” on Sunday afternoon at John Dam Plaza in Richland to oppose the end to indoor dining and drink service.

Restaurants and bars are not barred from outdoor dining service or delivery and takeout.

Conn Clark of Richland, who was there collecting signatures for an initiative to restrict the governor’s emergency powers including during pandemics, said he’s concerned about suicides he said were linked to shutdowns and people who are out of work as business operations are restricted.

He’s also looking for work as he lives off his savings because he did not qualify for unemployment benefits, but is finding businesses are withdrawing open positions during the pandemic, he said.

Tri-Cities protest set

Another protest is planned 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, by Benton/Franklin Let Us Work. It will be at the Franklin County Courthouse.

Scheduled speakers included Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier, Benton County Commissioner-elect Will McKay, Franklin County Commissioner-elect Rocky Mullen, Saber Sterling of Sterling’s restaurants and Ted Robbins, the Tri-Cities father of a teen who died by suicide during the pandemic.

The flier for the event questioned the health impacts of the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” regulations.

“How healthy will we be when we are homeless and jobless?” it asks.

Washington state has had more than 140,000 cases of coronavirus and 2,619 deaths from complications of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Washington state Department of Health.

As cases spike with the start of cold weather, state officials are concerned about hospitals having the capacity and specialized staff as they are treating record numbers of COVID patients in Western Washington.

This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 12:55 PM.