Two Saturday events organized by Mendocino Patriots
By Justine Frederiksen, Mercury News, 12/14/21
A group calling itself Mendocino Patriots is organizing protests against local mask mandates, sending packs of shoppers into several Ukiah businesses who reportedly refuse to wear face coverings and disrupt other customers by blocking aisles and access to registers.
According to a post on the Mendocino Patriots website, the first “maskless shopping experience” was held on Nov. 27 and began with 17 members of the group meeting in a parking lot “to decide what Ukiah stores they wanted to shop mask-less at. We came together with the goal of making a point to the businesses and shoppers in Mendocino County that we are fed up with being told that we must cover our faces and constrict our breathing.”
According to the post, the group went to Michaels and another store on Airport Park Boulevard. At the first store, the group was reportedly “escorted” through the business by an employee and allowed to make purchases before leaving.
However, the group was reportedly denied service at Michaels and a call was made to the Ukiah Police Department around 12:15 p.m. Nov. 27 reporting that a group of 20 people was refusing to either wear masks or leave the store. An officer responded and reported that the people left.
According to the group’s post, when members told the officer they believed that businesses cannot legally require shoppers to wear masks, “the officers stated that the business had a right to refuse us service and that we were trespassing. We told them we were not finished shopping in town and that we would most likely see them again very soon.”
At 3:45 p.m. Nov. 27, a caller at Ukiah Natural Foods on South State Street reported that a large group of people in the business were all refusing to either wear masks or exit the store and were blocking aisles. An officer responded and reported that the people went outside.
According to the Mendocino Patriots’ post, the treatment of the group by the employees and other customers “felt very reminiscent of the 1950s when black people walked into a ‘whites only’ business looking to be served and (were) turned away. All because we did not conform to the societal norm of covering our airways with a piece of cloth.”
The end of the post notes that another event was scheduled for Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. According to the UPD press logs, a caller at Ukiah Natural Foods reported at 2:49 p.m. that day that “several subjects were blocking the aisles and refusing to wear masks.” The officer notes that he “counseled all parties” and that no crime had been committed.
According to the UPD, the group then visited Black Oak Coffee on North State Street and an officer responded to that business after a call was made at 4:06 p.m. reporting that “several people were blocking the register.” The officer reported that the people left after he showed up.
When asked Monday if Mendocino County mask mandates are indeed enforceable by law, UPD Chief Noble Waidelich said the group’s motive appears to be finding a venue in which to fight such mandates in court, and he therefore was very purposely and carefully choosing to only cite people for trespassing if needed.
Waidelich said someone can be charged with trespassing if they are disrupting the operation of a business or refusing to leave when asked, and that so far the group’s members had left when UPD officers responded.
When asked about the assertion reported by KZYX News that it took several phone calls and an hour for officers to respond to the store, Waidelich said an officer called the store shortly after the initial report for more details about the incident, and that officers were on-scene 20 minutes after the first call.
When asked if the protesters had indeed destroyed merchandise, reportedly opening chip bags and pulling food out of the bulk bins at Ukiah Natural Foods, Waidelich said he spoke with store manager Lori Rosenberg about the incident Monday, and his understanding is that the group had offered to pay for the merchandise, but the employees had refused to conduct business with them.
“It is not my practice to charge people with shoplifting if they are willing to pay for the items,” Waidelich said.
According to the group’s website, they are planning a protest at the Ukiah Unified School District’s meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14, and Waidleich said he has spoken with UUSD Superintendent Deb Kubin about the district’s plan.
“If people show up without a mask, they will be asked to leave, and the meeting will be closed if needed,” he said, explaining that officers will also “be on stand-by” and ready to respond if needed.
Waidelich said that while the protests had been relatively peaceful so far, he did find the group and their actions concerning.
“If you have large crowds of people gathering who are emotionally-charged, it only takes one thing to change (the situation for the worse),” he said. “I really encourage them, that if they do want to support local businesses, then support these hard-working folks by abiding by their rules.”
