10/5/2022

I decided to start a journal or the like today. I will start if off with a “prelude,” so to speak, of what led up to today.

On Thursday September 15, I was sentenced to 180-days in Ada County Jail for an 8-minute protest outside the home of Diana Lachiondo. Me and two of my very good friends were charged with Disturbing the Peace (DTP). One took a plea bargain and got probation for one year. One took hers to trial and got five days in jail; she had no other charges in her life. Me, lol, I have been charged six or eight times for protesting, mostly CPS.

My reasons are pretty simple. Although I don’t really like house protests, they had left me no other peaceful choice. The courthouse was locked down, with no entry without masks, even for court. [Trials were postponed several times during 2020-2021.] Central District Health (CDH) had unlawfully trespassed me. I have since beat that case but had not at the time of the DTP charge. That night, CDH was trying to legislate by committee. There was going to be a big protest at the CDH building. I would have liked to have shown up for that one, but I was “trespassed.” So, I contacted one of the organizers to see what I could do to help. I was told that there was going to be a few house protests. I said I was willing to help with that. At first it was suggested that I “lead” one. I declined and asked to go to the smallest one of the night. I was given an address and a time. I showed up. One friend had brought a bucket, a bullhorn, and some airhorns. I brought chalk and a high-viz vest. The protest lasted about eight minutes. We then packed up and left. No cops ever showed up. We then went to a parking lot by some baseball fields and attempted to find the meeting online while we waited for the second part of the protest to begin. This was going to be at a different house where others were to join us.

Then we looked [online] for the meeting but could only find like a 12-14 minute upload (the meeting was supposed to be live-streamed.) Finally, we decided to watch the short upload. To our surprise, that WAS the meeting. Our protest had ended it early! Attaching criminal consequences to non-masking-wearing was not even voted on! Success!

At this point, we weren’t sure what to do. We discussed it amongst ourselves. The plan was that we would head to another house after the meeting, but the meeting was cut short. We decided to head there so that anyone else who would go there would not be alone. We went and waited 15 minutes or so. We made sure everyone was called off as the goal was accomplished. Then we left and went home.

That night, emotions went wild. The Boise mayor vowed to “hunt us down.” The next day, the cops went to Susan’s house with an “all-hours, no-knock warrant” and picked her up. When I heard about this, I went to the Ada County Jail to turn myself in. I did not want her to be alone.

When I arrived, there was already a good crowd there. I made my intentions known. I was still determined, until I saw that Susan was already out. Then I decided I would go to the protest [at Diana Lachiondo’s], assuming I would be picked up there. I talked to one cop, and like three waved at me; none even tried to arrest me. A friend talked to one of them, and they indicated they knew I was there but had agreed NOT to arrest me, so I left the protest.

I decided not to “turn myself in,” but I would not hide over the next few weeks. I went to multiple events and talked to cops and other government officials. On opening day of the legislative session, January 11, 2021, I went to the capitol building. Idaho State Police (ISP) arrested me upon arrival. David was also arrested at the Capitol that day. Now all three of us had the initial warrant out of the way.

Over the next few months, I attempted multiple times to go to Court, but they would not allow me in the building. I refused to recognize the Zoom meeting done on their tablet, on the steps, as “Court.” It was continued many times. Then on one occasion that I was in front of the courthouse for my hearing, there was a protest on the courthouse steps as I attempted to participate in their “TV Court.” The judge ordered me to stop the protest. I refused to ask others to stop, as the courthouse steps is a quintessential First Amendment area. He deemed my failure to stop the protest as me not “participating,” and called it FTA (Failure to Appear.)

Again, I did not turn myself in but also did NOT hide. I went to several events known to law enforcement, including to the courthouse. Finally, after a while (months), they did arrest me at the courthouse. This time, there was $300.00 bail, and I bailed out. At this point I stopped doing Zoom on any device as they could give me FTA anyways.

Two or three days before my next court date, which was a hearing for the unlawful arrest at CDH, I went to the courthouse and they actually let me in. I went to the 2^nd floor but they still did not let me in the courtroom [by August 2021, the Ada County Courthouse was allowing unmasked people into the building again and onto the 1st and 3rd floors. Masks were still required on the 2^nd, 4^th, and 5^th floors, which is where the courtrooms are.] While waiting in the hallway, I was accosted by multiple officers, battered, threatened with arrest, and intimidated into leaving. They attempted theft of my property.

When my next court date arrived, 2-3 days later, I asked the officers outside the building if it would be the same result if I went in again. The officer said yes. I notified the court I was there if they wanted to let me in. I got no response. Again, I did NOT turn myself in but did not hide. I continued to go to events and have regular contact with law enforcement. Six to eight months went by, with law enforcement refusing to act on the warrant. During this time, I had contact with the following agencies: Boise City, Nampa City, Ada and Canyon Counties, as well as the Ada and Canyon County Courthouses.

After six to eight months, I went to Council (Adams County) to pick up supplies for the Trucker’s Convoy. Within two minutes of putting my location on social media, the sheriff’s department made contact with me. I did not turn over my “ID,” but gave them enough to identify me. I was arrested and then bailed out on a $1000.00 bond.

By this time, the courts were mostly opened back up, so I finally had access to the courts. But the judge I had been assigned was retired, and the prosecutor I had been with was now a newly appointed judge. For my trial in the DTP charge, I had a new judge and 2-4 prosecutors against me. [At Robert’s trial, in which he represented himself, four prosecutors were present.] I was denied the First Amendment as a defense. It did not matter to them that Diana was a commissioner or had family in the prosecutor’s office. They openly lied in the court, and I was convicted. I refused their “Thinking Errors” re-programming, and so I was given the maximum sentence of 180 days.