‘No freedom, no peace,’ chants crowd at Tri-Cities protest of COVID business restrictions

About 150 people gathered outside the Franklin County Courthouse in the fog Tuesday morning, many of them calling for businesses to remain open against recent orders from Gov. Jay Inslee.

“No freedom, no peace,” the crowd chanted at the Pasco protest organized by Benton/Franklin Let Us Work.

After the rally, many of the protesters headed over to protest at the home of County Commissioner Brad Peck, concerned that he is not doing enough to fight restrictions on businesses.

Peck has said he empathizes with those affected by COVID-19 restrictions and opposes sweeping state mandates.

In the spring he supported a county resolution to keep businesses open despite restrictions but withdrew support for the resolution after learning the county lacked legal authority to challenge Inslee’s emergency order.

After 20 minutes outside Peck’s home, someone called police because the protesters were on a private road. It’s unclear if the commissioner was even home.

Rocky Mullen, who was elected by voters to join the Franklin County Commission in January, attended Tuesday’s rally at the courthouse and urged people to fight the mandates at the state level. But he got pushback from some at the protest.

They called for businesses to remain open in violation of the mandates.

Dana Slovak, of Koko’s Bartini, said to cheers from the crowd that the Kennewick bar would continue to serve food and drink indoors, despite Inslee’s ban from Nov. 18 to at least Dec. 14 because COVID infections in the state are climbing.

Koko’s Bartini complied when Inslee first banned indoor restaurant seating in the spring. But when Inslee announced the second ban on Nov. 15, the chef and other staff wanted to fight the closure, Slovak said.

The bar has received a written warning from the Liquor and Cannabis Board after opening to indoor service in what it called a peaceful protest, and next steps by state officials could be a fine or liquor license suspension.

However, Slovak said the Celski Law Firm in Kennewick, which has offered help to businesses opposed to Inslee’s mandates restricting business, has come up with a possible workaround for the latest mandate.

Saber Sterling, of Sterling’s Restaurant, also addressed the crowd, saying, “This is a giant overreach of government.”

Sterling’s, which has two Richland restaurants and a Kennewick restaurant, briefly offered indoor dining after the governor’s latest order, but agreed to comply after receiving a written warning from the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Patriot Prayer

Joey Gibson, founder of the controversial political activist group Patriot Prayer in Vancouver, Wash., told the rally that if criminal charges are filed against a business for violating state mandates, people should protest at the county prosecutor’s home. No criminal charges have been filed.

On Sunday, he led a protest in front of the Kennewick home of a state liquor control agent after warnings were given to Koko’s Bartini and Sterling’s restaurants.

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

Reuters reported in September that Facebook took down Gibson’s and the Patriot Prayer’s pages as part of its efforts to remove “violent social militias.”

He said Inslee and state leaders “are so afraid of the people pushing back. It is that fire they are afraid of.”

Election concerns

Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier also spoke at the protest, saying he was opposed to certifying Franklin County’s election results because he believes there were too many irregularities.

Didier is not on the three-person county canvassing board that was scheduled to vote Tuesday afternoon on certification of the election. Commissioner Bob Koch is representing the commission on the canvassing board.

Didier said he planned to send a letter with his concerns to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.

County Auditor Matt Beaton was not at the rally but told the Tri-City Herald he hears and reviews all concerns in his role as steward of the election process.

‘Protecting our grandparents’

Before the rally, the Latin Business Association of Tri-Cities said it did not support the event.

“We feel that protecting our grandparents, parents, children and our families from COVID-19 is far more important than putting our family and friends in jeopardy and going against the efforts of Gov. Inslee in keeping the community safe,” said David Cortinas, association president, in a statement.

The association represents 81 businesses in Franklin County and none have complained about operating at reduced capacity, but instead are taking steps to protect employees and customers from the virus, he said.

He noted that Latinos have had a disproportionate number of cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area.

Of the cases with race and ethnicity reported to the Benton Franklin Health District, 5,511 have been in Hispanic people and 2,890 have been in non-Hispanic white people.

This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 12:01 PM.