After a protestor was arrested for bringing her children to a closed park and disobeying social distancing regulations, far right protestors further exacerbated the issue by gathering to protest outside the arresting officer's home.
Looks like "blue lives matter" only when people of a... different complexion are involved.
On Tuesday, April 21, a video of 40-year-old Sara Walton Brady being arrested went viral among far-right Facebook users.
The video, however, failed to capture many key elements of Brady's story. She was not a random, innocent woman simply looking for a place her kids could play.
Brady is an anti-vaccination activist with well known ties to Idaho's far right.
@phenleyj Sara Walton Brady staged this protest and wanted to get arrested. She is a founder of Health Freedom Idah… https://t.co/lS42iLAepP— Meemers Garibay (@Meemers Garibay)1587594029.0
Brady's presence at the playground was part of a staged protest designed to provoke law enforcement.
Prior to the police's arrival, a group of people had to tear down police caution tape to gain entrance. Before arresting her, the officers requested she leave multiple times.
When she repeatedly refused, they arrested her.
@MeganFoxWriter Nah. Less than 24 hours after it happened she’s been exposed for setting this event up and framing… https://t.co/QX48wINigq— Mrs Genghis Khan (@Mrs Genghis Khan)1587647867.0
Brady, who knew exactly what she was doing when she participated in the staged event, told her supporters after her release:
"I didn't wake up today thinking, I'm taking my kids to the park to get arrested — but when tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty! We have a duty to stand up to tyranny, or we're gonna lose our republic."
Mini thread: So the playdate lady, Sara Walton Brady was a rabbit hole I fell in last night, I thought it was just… https://t.co/AeReZpJcD5— Mayor of Pandemicville (@Mayor of Pandemicville)1587655133.0
Though Brady was only charged with misdemeanor trespassing and released later that same day, many far-right organizations have rallied behind her.
InfoWars picked up her story and it quickly spread among extremists on social media. Before long, another protest was organized outside the home of the police officer who arrested Brady.
Four armed officers had to stand watch outside their colleagues home.
Just as we suspected, Sara Walton Brady, the Idaho playground woman is a well known anti vaxxer. Raise your hand if you're shocked— Sure, Jan (@Sure, Jan)1587590777.0
Brady has also compared stay-at-home orders to Nazi Germany, saying online:
"That's no different than Nazi Germany where you had government telling people, 'You are an essential worker or a nonessential worker,' and the nonessential workers got put on a train."
@DLoesch Sara Walton Brady, an Idaho anti-vaccination activist, was non-compliant and refused to leave after being… https://t.co/lpelSxdUGa— 🏳️🌈Matthew Waltz🔥🌈🐰 (@🏳️🌈Matthew Waltz🔥🌈🐰)1587576957.0
This comparison is, of course, ridiculous and intentionally controversial.
Brady has a long history of distorting facts and manipulating the media to get attention.
In 2017, she was part of a lengthy public battle with the state over her son's "right" to attend public school without vaccinations.
This lady uses her religious freedom to call the media everytime her antivaxx ways cause her issues, including when… https://t.co/FC1vtdT5ts— Mayor of Pandemicville (@Mayor of Pandemicville)1587655270.0
In that case, her local school was prepared to let her son attend classes if she would simply fill out the form claiming he was exempt from vaccinations for religious reasons.
Brady would not fill it out, however, because she claimed she had moral qualms with two of the forms optional questions.
That I thought was normal antivaxx stuff, then I see Ammon Bundy leading a protest at a cops house in her name, the… https://t.co/DWCSzFZ4BN— Mayor of Pandemicville (@Mayor of Pandemicville)1587655455.0
10x the childhood mortality rate of children in the same state, she even testified against her own sister who has b… https://t.co/aS1O1nOBJe— Mayor of Pandemicville (@Mayor of Pandemicville)1587655571.0
She is also one of the favorites of the Idaho Freedom foundation that is ultra conservative and religious. They bul… https://t.co/2FtjNHFztT— Mayor of Pandemicville (@Mayor of Pandemicville)1587655764.0
Brady seems more intent on getting camera time than accomplishing her supposed goals.
@Hayley__Harding Maybe this will help people understand. #idpol #idleg #IdahoCovid19 https://t.co/Kvcmyzl611— Sam Sandmire (@Sam Sandmire)1587585064.0
Meanwhile, as Brady and her supporters continue gathering to protest, their county, Blaine, has one of the highest mortality rates in the country.
With testing incredibly difficult to secure in the area, it's likely there are even more cases than officials are aware of.
@Hayley__Harding @IdahoStatesman That officer deserves an award! She needs a psych evaluation!— Cory Stokesberry (@Cory Stokesberry)1587580493.0
Though cases seem to be declining, another outbreak could be on the horizon if the state follows Brady's advice and reopens early.
The book The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution is available here.
"The Federalist Papers are a collection of eighty-five articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution. First appearing in 1787 as a series of letters to New York newspapers, this collective body of work is widely considered to be among the most important historical collections of all time."