Fresno Women in Black Members Threatened with Arrest

Fresno Women in Black Members Threatened with Arrest
By Mike Rhodes

On Wednesday (May 6) several Women in Black members were holding signs of peace in the breeze way of the Fresno County Courthouse when they were confronted by armed Sheriff Deputies and threatened with arrest. One of the shotgun toting guards was quoted as saying "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

The group, Women in Black, have been holding their silent protest at the County Courthouse for seven years, without any incidents. Jean Hays, one of the participants with WIB, said “a woman deputy came out of the Courthouse and told us we had to leave until we obtained a permit because the Courthouse was now under the jurisdiction of the state.”

WIB members did not move out of the breeze way and the deputy called for back up. Within minutes there were ten armed deputies facing down the peaceful protestors. A representative from WIB was told that they lacked the required permit to protest in the breeze way. When asked where one could obtain the permit, the deputies admitted that they did not know.

Hays says a deputy asked for all of the protestors ID’s and her social security number. Another deputy brought out a video camera and filmed the WIB members. Hays took a photo of the deputy and his camera.

In the last two days it has been determined that the state does not now own Courthouse Park and one WIB member is working with the Sheriff’s office and the County Permit Department to be allowed to hold a peace sign in a public space.