THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS THE NEWS AT FIVE. IT'S A RARE OCCASION THAT A TRESPASSING
CHARGE WILL MAKE IT ON
A LOCAL TELEVISION
NEWSCAST.
BUT WE ARE IN
UNCHARTERED TERRITORY
RIGHT NOW WITH TRYING
TO STOP A PANDEMIC.
AND YESTERDAY IN
MERIDIAN...PROBABLY THE
MOST PUBLICIZED NON-
COMPLIANCE WITH A CITY
SHUTTING OFF PUBLIC
PLACES TOOK PLACE IN A
PARK.
A 40 YEAR-OLD IDAHO
WOMAN WAS ARRESTED
FOR LETTING HER KIDS
PLAY AT THE PARK.
THAT WAS THE HEADLINE
THAT SPREAD AROUND
THE COUNTRY LIKE
WILDFIRE.
AND THERE WAS VIDEO
TOO...SEVERAL OF THEM
OUT THERE ON SOCIAL
MEDIA SHOWING SHORT
CLIPS OF SARAH BRADY
BEING LED AWAY FROM
THE PLAYGROUND IN
HANDCUFFS
AND IF YOU ARE ONLY
SEEING THOSE...YOU MAY
NOT BE GETTING THE
WHOLE STORY.
YESTERDAY THERE WAS A
PLANNED PLAYDATE AT
KLEINER PARK IN
MERIDIAN.
NORMALLY NOT A BIG
DEAL.
BUT THEN MERIDIAN
POLICE TOLD US THEY GOT
THREE SEPARATE PHONE
CALLS ABOUT KIDS
PLAYING ON THE CLOSED
PLAYGROUND.
SEEMS THE SIGNS AND
CAUTION TAPE BLOCKING
IT OFF WERE TAKEN
DOWN.
SO OFFICERS SHOWED UP
TO REMIND THEM IT WAS
CLOSED...HAS BEEN FOR
WEEKS...IN ORDER TO KEEP
KIDS FROM BEING
POTENTIAL CARRIERS OF
COVID-19.
LOTS OF SALIVA AND
SUCH AND HANDS ALL
OVER THE SLIDES AND
SWINGS.
THIS IS VIDEO POSTED ON
YOUTUBE OF THE
OFFICERS DOING THAT.
"IT'S NOT A PRIVATE PARK,
IT'S A PUBLIC PARK... IT IS A
PUBLIC PARK AND WE CAN
CLOSE IT, WE'RE CLOSING
IT...
IT...
YOU
YOU GUYS
YOU GUYS GOTTA GO...I AM SAYING THE PLAYGROUND IS CLOSED
SO GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF
THE
THE PLAYGROUND..." THERE WERE QUITE A FEW KIDS IN THE PLAYGROUND.
SARAH BRADY...THE
WOMAN IN BLACK...WAS
ONE OF SEVERAL WHO
CONTINUED TO QUESTION
WHY THE PLAYGROUND
WAS CLOSED...AND, NOT
LIKING THE
ANSWER...REFUSED TO
LEAVE.
SHE
LEAVE. SHE EVENTUALLY...PROVOKED
SHE EVENTUALLY...PROVOKED THE OFFICER TO ARREST
HER.
"I JUST TOLD YOU TO EXIT
THE PLAYGROUND
AREA...BUT WE'RE NOT
TRESPASSING ...ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT SOCIAL
DISTANCING?...MA'AM YOU
DISTANCING?...MA'AM YOU
HAVE
HAVE FIVE
HAVE FIVE SECONDS... DO IT, RECORD IT AM I BEING ARRESTED OR
DETAINED? SOMEONE
CALL IDAHO FREEDOM
FOUNDATION RIGHT NOW
AND GET THEM ON THE
PHONE."
PHONE."
THE
THE IDAHO
THE IDAHO FREEDOM FOUNDATION...A CONSERVATIVE ADVOCACY
GROUP THAT IS URGING
PEOPLE TO DISOBEY THE
GOVERNOR'S STAY AT
HOME ORDER...WAS THERE
WITHIN MINUTES.
THEY EVEN POSTED LIVE
VIDEO OF THE ORDEAL ON
THEIR FACEBOOK
PAGE...AND QUICKLY PUT
TOGETHER A PROTEST
OUTSIDE MERIDIAN CITY
HALL IN RESPONSE TO THE
ARREST JUST TWO HOURS
LATER.
BUT SARAH BRADY WAS
NOT ARRESTING FOR
VIOLATING A STAY AT
HOME ORDER.
SHE WAS ARRESTED AND
CHARGED WITH
TRESPASSING...FOR
REFUSING TO LEAVE A
CLOSED AREA OF THE
PARK...NOT THE WHOLE
PARK, JUST THAT AREA
THAT WAS CLOSED TO THE
PUBLIC.
THE SAME WAY ANYBODY
ELSE WOULD BE IF THEY
REFUSED TO LEAVE THE
PARK AFTER 10 PM..WHEN
IT CLOSES.
SO THIS THING KIND OF
TOOK OFF...WITH A
WHOLE LOT OF
SOLATICOUS HEADLINES
THAT WEREN'T
NECESSARILY ACCURATE.
OR COMPLETELY FALSE.
LIKE THIS ONE.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS
POST FLOATING AROUND
SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY,
CLAIMING TO BE A POST
FROM KTVB.
THE HEADLINE READS
"MERIDIAN WOMAN TESTS
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
AFTER PARK ARREST."
THIS ISN'T REAL.
IT'S A DOCTORED POST.
TIMING WOULD BE THE
OBVIOUS REASON TO
DOUBT IT.
ALSO, THE ADA COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE DO NOT
TEST FOR COVID-19
DURING BOOKING.
THEY SCREEN FOR IT...BUT
DON'T TEST.
SHOCKER...THE INTERNET
ISN'T ALWAYS
TRUSTWORTHY.
FROM THE BEGINNING
THERE WERE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE INTENT OF
SARAH BRADY.
WE REACHED OUT TO HER
TODAY TO ASK THAT VERY
QUESTION.
HAVEN'T HEARD BACK.
SO,
SO, WHERE
SO, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WITH JUST EIGHT DAYS
LEFT OF THE CURRENT
STAY AT HOME
ORDER...WHAT WILL
HAPPEN IF MERIDIAN SEES
MORE "PROTESTS" LIKE
THIS?
TO FIND OUT, OUR JOE
PARRIS SPOKE WITH THE
CITY'S MAYOR, ROBERT
SIMISON.
JOE?
SIMISON. JOE?
JOE?
THERE
THERE ARE
THERE ARE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
THE
THE ARREST OF SARA BRADY.
BRADY.
SOME
SOME SAY
SOME SAY POLICE WENT TOO FAR, OTHERS SAY THEY ARE JUST DOING
THEIR JOB.
MERIDIAN POLICE TELLS
ME, EVERYTHING WAS
HANDLED BY THE BOOK
ON THEIR END.
MAYOR SIMISON SAYS,.....
JOE: YESTERDAY THERE
WAS A LOT OF ACTION IN
MERIDIAN. WE DON'T
WANT TO DWELL ON IT
BUT WHAT'S YOUR
OVERALL REACTION NOW
THAT YOU'VE HAD SOME
TIME TO PROCESS WHAT
HAPPENED YESTERDAY?
MAYOR: FIRST OF ALL I
WAS GLAD THAT NO ONE
WAS HURT, AND I THINK
THAT WE CAN ALL LEARN
FROM THE SITUATION.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT
PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO
STAND UP AND DO WHAT
THEY THINK IS RIGHT,
WHETHER IT'S A BOYCOTT
A LAWFUL PROTEST, OR
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
SOMETIMES WHEN WE DO
THINGS, EVEN IF THEY ARE
WELL INTENTIONED, IT
CAN LEAD TO
CONSEQUENCES. SO, AT
THE END OF THE DAY, I
WANT THE COMMUNITY
TO KNOW THAT WE WANT
THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO
THINGS SAFELY. BUT, I
ALSO WANT THE
COMMUNITY TO KNOW
THAT WHEN THEY CALL
ON THE MERIDIAN POLICE
DEPARTMENT TO BE THERE
TO KEEP MERIDIAN SAFE,
THE MERIDIAN POLICE
DEPARTMENT WILL SHOW
UP.
JOE: A FEW WEEKS BACK
YOU AND I CHECKED IN
ABOUT HOW THINGS
WERE GOING IN MERIDIAN
ABOUT THE STAY AT HOME
RULES HOW EVERYONE
WAS RESPECTING IT. WITH
WHAT
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY, IS THERE GOING TO BE CHANGES
TO ANYTHING COMING UP
IN MERIDIAN? OR, FROM
YOUR OFFICE'S
YOUR OFFICE'S
STANDPOINT, EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME? MAYOR: WE'RE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO OPERATE
UNDER THE GOVERNOR'S
ORDER, AS A COMMUNITY,
BUT WE ARE WORKING TO
REOPEN THE CITY AND
OUR BUSINESS. I THINK
WE ARE ALL HEEDING HIS
ADVICE THAT SAID, BE
PREPARED AT THE END OF
THIS ORDER TO REOPEN
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE
TRYING TO BE FOCUSED
ON. IT'S NOT OUR
INTENTION TO HAVE OUR
COMMUNITY, OR OUR
FACILITY SHUT DOWN ANY
LONGER THAN
NECESSARY. BUT AT THE
END OF THE DAY, WE SAW
PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO
ARE IN NEED AND WE
NEED TO FOCUS ON
HELPING THEM. WHETHER
THAT'S THEY NEED TO GET
THEIR BUSINESS BACK UP
AND RUNNING, OR THEIR
EMPLOYEES, OR PEOPLE
THAT MAYBE ARE OUT OF
WORK AND EAT FOOD
FROM THE FOODBANK. WE
DON'T WANT TO BE
DISTRACTED ON THINGS
THAT ARE NOT OUR MAIN
FOCUS WHICH IS TRYING
TO GET OUR COMMUNITY
AND THE CITY REOPEN,
JOE: AS I'M SURE YOU'VE
SEEN AND HEARD THERE
ARE MORE, I GUESS,
EVENTS LIKE YESTERDAY
THAT ARE PLANNED IN
MERIDIAN AND ACROSS
THE TREASURE VALLEY.
FOR THE ONES IN
MERIDIAN IF THEY WANT
TO GO TO OTHER PARKS
TO HAVE THEIR, THEIR
PROTEST. I GUESS HOW
WILL YOU BE HANDLING
THAT MOVING FORWARD?
MAYOR I HOPE THAT IF
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO, AS
I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER,
PROTESTS WHETHER IT'S
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OR
JUST, A LAWFUL
GATHERING, WE'VE
ANSWERED THEY WOULD
WORK WITH OUR POLICE
DEPARTMENT. WE DEAL
WITH THIS ALMOST EVERY
DAY WHERE WE DO HAVE
AN ACTIVE PROTEST
GOING ON IN MERIDIAN,
AND WE JUST WANT
PEOPLE TO DO THINGS
SAFELY, WHEN THEY DO IT.
I THINK THAT'S THE
NUMBER ONE THING.
SO,
SO, HOW
SO, HOW WOULD THIS HAVE LOOKED IF WE WEREN'T IN A PANDEMIC
AND PEOPLE WERE ON A
CLOSED PLAUGROUND?
VERY SIMILAR, PARKS AND
REC CAN CLOSE PARKS. IF
THEY DO, YOU CAN'T BE
THERE.LIKE BEING THERE
AFTER DARK.
AFTER DARK.
MERIDIAN
MERIDIAN NOT THE ONLY ONE SEEING PEOPLE BREAK THE BARRIERS OF
CLOSED PLAYGROUNDS
AND PARK EQUIPMENT.
BOISE PARKS AND REC
DIRECTOR DOUG
HOLLOWAY SAYS THEY
HAVE SEEN SOME
CAUTION TAPE BEING
REMOVED FROM
PLAYGROUNDS AND
OUTDOOR GYMS...AT
SEVERAL CITY PARKS, LIKE
ANN MORRISON AND
CAMEL'S BACK.
SO YESTERDAY THEY
STARTED PUTTING UP
CHAIN LINK FENCES IN
PLACE OF THE TORN AWAY
PLASTIC TAPE.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF
WHEN PEOPLE CAN'T
FOLLOW
SUGGESTIONS...THEN A
MORE STERN APPROACH
IS OFTEN APPLIED.
AGAIN, THE PARKS ARE
NOT CLOSED...JUST THE
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.
AND SEVERAL PEOPLE
WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF THAT TODAY...PROVING
THERE IS A WAY TO
THUMB YOUR NOSE AT A
STAY AT HOME
ORDER...WITHOUT IT