More than 200 people gathered outside Redmond City Hall April 17, demonstrating against Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. They’ll be back again this Friday. This week, we talked with the organizer of that Redmond demonstration.
(We also recorded our interview with Soper as a podcast, which you can access below.)
Redmond Police officers attended in plain clothes and made no arrests. Aside of the obvious danger of exacerbating the spread of COVID-19, the crowd was peaceful. Dozens shared stories of economic devastation since Brown put the state on lockdown over a month ago.
A few wore masks. Most stood close together and exchanged warm greetings and hugs.
Their primary demand? Re-open the economy. Similar protests erupted throughout the U.S. last weekend and will likely continue in the weeks and months ahead.
B.J. Soper, a Redmond resident since 2005 and a former professional rodeo rider, organized the demonstration. The week before the protest, he began posting the event on Facebook, going door-to-door to businesses in downtown Redmond to invite them to come down to Redmond City Hall to send a message to their elected officials, he told the Source.
Yes the lockdown is too extreme, and the bigger issue is that the ‘rules’ coming down are from a singular voice, not from a representation of the people as a whole. – BJ Soper
“I feel that we are being misled by inaccurate information and numbers,” Soper told us. “I feel like it’s become a political issue, and in the meantime our neighbors are suffering.
“Yes the lockdown is too extreme, and the bigger issue is that the ‘rules’ coming down are from a singular voice, not from a representation of the people as a whole… our republican form of government has failed to exist at the most critical of moments,” Soper said.
A report from KTVZ highlighted statements from various speakers at the event:
Most shared personal stories of financial ruin: one couple described paying rent for an empty hair salon. A bar owner talked about depression and social isolation. A massage therapist said she had no business and no unemployment insurance yet.
Mark Moore, owner of Rimrock Taphouse near downtown Redmond, is one of the many business owners and independent contractors who attended the April 17 demonstration. His business is down 60% compared with April 2019, he said. Instead of applying for the Paycheck Protection Program from the federal government, he’s trying to keep expenses down by working all the time. As he comes to the phone for an interview, glasses clank in the background. He addresses his customers by name before handing the reins to his wife, Laura.
“I hope elected officials will recognize that one size doesn’t fit all,” Mark said. “According to the Governor, if there’s outbreaks and shutdowns on one side of the Cascades, every part is shut down. St. Charles had zero patients the other day. We’ve mitigated as much as we can. We can still do social distancing and do business.”
For one day, April 21, St. Charles Bend had zero COVID-positive patients at the hospital, according to Lisa Goodman, public information officer for St. Charles Health System. While Deschutes County has a total of 66 COVID-positive cases (the fifth highest in the state), Jefferson County has two and Crook County has one. Moving east, Grant County has one, Harney County as zero and Malheur County has five, according to April 22 data from the Oregon Health Authority.
But what about the risks of another outbreak of COVID-19 if the Governor eases restrictions too fast? Even rural areas could experience a major outbreak that overwhelms their hospitals.
“Do I think it’s dangerous, yes, 49,000 people have died [in the U.S.],” Moore said. “To me life is a risk… At some point it is worth the risk to me to go back to work and make a living, as much as it is to stay home and worry about it.”
Moore plans to attend the second rally in Redmond Friday.
Soper’s movement
While a few hundred gathered at the real-life protest in Redmond last Friday, Soper has 1,422 friends on Facebook and 1,026 followers who watch his announcements and speeches in real time on live streams. (Facebook announced Monday it would take down some event pages promoting the anti-stay-at-home protests across the U.S.)
Soper is the head of the Central Oregon Constitutional Guard (507 followers), which has been described as part of a national movement grounded in distrust of the federal government, as described by The Washington Post.
Soper lived in an RV near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the standoff between law enforcement and an armed group of far-right extremists who were illegally occupying the headquarters in 2016. Soper told the Source his intention was to act as a moderator and talk the occupiers into standing down.
Redmond Mayor George Endicott wrote in an email to the Source, “Unfortunately, the protesters who organized the event on April 17 have a history of disregarding government authority, and some have a history of hoping for conflict with authorities.
“The police were present at the rally, however they were in plain clothes and went unnoticed (we also wanted to protect them from people who would not have regard for police officer safety from COVID). Other regional and federal law enforcement were also involved/aware of the tactics,” Endicott said.
Hear our interview, featuring Source Weekly Publisher Aaron Switzer and Reporter Laurel Brauns chatting with BJ Soper, organizer of the Redmond demonstrations:
The national picture
Soper denied any connection to other anti-quarantine protests that have erupted around the country. President Trump supported some of these, tweeting “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!,” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN,” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege.”
This has led some to believe the demonstrations nationwide are supported and funded by Washington, D.C.-based conservative organizations.
But Soper says the local town hall was organized through local Facebook connections and face-to-face conversations with people in Redmond. Soper said he couldn’t speak for the whole group, but that many of the people there are struggling financially as a result of complying with the lockdowns and are angry because “they were promised help that had failed to materialize,” he said.
Soper said he reached out to elected officials in Redmond and Deschutes County commissioners, asking them to come to “Town hall 2” on Friday. County Commissioner Phil Henderson told Soper he would attend, Soper said.
“I know all our neighbors are suffering… That was my pure intention, was to find a process to getting our families back to work, getting our people back to work,” he said. The last thing he wants is to escalate violent conflict, he said. Soper is married, has two kids and raises farm animals for a living.
Over 10,000 people have filed unemployment claims in Deschutes County over the last four weeks, according to the Oregon Employment Department.
But what about the virus?
“This particular virus has become politicized, fear mongered, and presented with arbitrary data that doesn’t provide a full view of the dangers it actually presents,” Soper said. “How can a true assessment be presented when the very vast majority infected never get tested, rarely go to the doctor and usually recover without any outside intervention?”
Like Moore, the owner of Rimrock Taphouse, Soper says he never denied COVID-19 was real or dangerous. Their view is that people who are potentially vulnerable should remain in quarantine, while everyone else goes back to work.
According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans, including 51% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats, are worried that social distancing restrictions will be lifted too soon.
Researchers from Harvard University found that the best way to ensure there’s no resurgence in COVID-19 cases after relaxing restrictions is to conduct widespread, robust testing.
The Oregon Health Authority has reported under 2,000 tests so far in Deschutes County, with a population of almost 200,000 people. Currently the only people who can be approved for a test in this region are those who talk to their doctor and show symptoms. St. Charles Bend may offer tests for those without symptoms as part of a long-term strategy in the future.
As for this Friday’s “Town hall 2,” Soper was not issued a permit by the City of Redmond, but he doesn’t need permission from the government as a general rule, he said.
“This is not a protest,” Soper said. “It’s the community coming together insistent on finding a solution to our problems with or without the blessing or help of the governing bodies. It’s a statement from our community that we still understand the concept of a self-governing society. It’s a statement from our community that when issues arise we will look to the elected we hired to solve the problem, but that we are not afraid to work towards a solution when they fail at their duty.”
This article appears in Mar 25 – May 20, 2020.
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We need testing and robust testing. Our government has failed to protect us. Without proper testing our health and economy will suffer greatly.
Save lives or make money? Tough choice for these business owners.
Regarding the headline, Soper is neither a “hero” nor an “outlaw.” He is just another fringe character on the extreme right who is making the most of his 15 minutes in the sunlight. Which, according to the Covidiot in the White House, should protect him from getting the virus. Soper offers no evidence to back up his claim of “inaccurate information.” Sixty percent of Oregonians strongly support the temporary shutdown. Six percent strongly oppose it. Soper is part of a fringe minority.
Your local healthcare workers – – your friends and family, neighbors, and community members – – DO NOT support or condone these protests. I suppose that all of the people protesting today still expect to get treated when they become ill. Which puts the lives of your healthcare workers at risk. Your doctors, nurses, first responders, and hospital employees have to go to work to keep the community safe. Please stay home in respect to that.
The ringleader of this movement kept repeating that the numbers were wrong. That misinformation is being spread. But conveniently did not provide the false numbers or misinformation. Research (not the news) has shown that if we open too early, the numbers will quickly rise. We do not have a high number of cases locally (which, with the highly restrictive testing requirements, arent even truly representative of the infection rate here) BECAUSE of the stay at home orders. The numbers are low BECAUSE the quarantine is working. Not because this infection isnt as highly communicable as once thought (it is) or that has somehow passed over Central Oregon (it hasnt).
Historically, we have the Spanish Flu of 1918 to look towards for what has and has not worked in keeping a highly infectious disease from spreading. Those cities that kept the social distancing measures in place longer had fewer deaths overall. Simple as that. Currently research is showing that at the time of the first positive test in New York, there were 10,000 infected people that were either asymptomatic or hadnt been tested. So for every number here, we may reasonably multiply that by at least 10 (being conservative).
I am also highly disappointed in The Source for giving this movement a voice and a platform. Hero or Outlaw – depending on your viewpoint, either may be positive. I would argue hes neither. I think the editors also need to look at the why. Why did Facebook decide to take down some of these protest websites? Because it is spreading false and deadly information. This publication is just as implicit. But go ahead, keep publishing these articles. At least it gives us a list of business willing to risk our lives as healthcare workers. Now I personally know what businesses I wont be supporting from here on out.
My advice to all of you out there? Refer to the CDC for instructions, or if you are still unsure get ahold of your physician’s office. St Charles has been offering clear advice on its website. Get off the 24-hour news cycles that just feeds into the disinformation and fear-mongering. Stay at home. Be respectful to those of us that have to go to work. If we all lay low at a little longer, the curve will continue to be flat. If we open up too soon it will spike. Either way, whether it is now or later, it has to happen. Its all in the science, not the politics.
**For some reason, this posting platform removes certain portions of this letter (such as quotes and apostrophes) when published. I have attempted to edit this to reflect that, but there are a few grammatical errors that I cannot fix.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2016/05/21/armed-with-guns-and-constitutions-the-patriot-movement-sees-america-under-threat/?utm_term=.abab816d5809
This is who you are promoting… He is not doing this because he cares about his community or the people in it. He is doing this because this is what he does. Shame on you for giving this man free advertising for his campaign of hate.
People mingling may spread COVID-19 virus. The virus makes sick some who are exposed to it. For this reason, “some people getting sick”, and a small percentage of them may die, the government has passed temporary laws against mingling.
Tobacco smoke, alcohol, automobiles, sugar, salt, are known to kill more people than COVID-19. Adults are given a choice of whether to risk dying from smoking. And the public health system pays for the consequences of those choices.
I don’t want laws to prevent others from eating too much salt, or riding a motorcycle. I don’t want to be prevented from earning money I need to pay for my life.
COVID-19 is spread by a virus with an R-naught value of around 2 (range of 1.4 to 5), making it at least as contagious as the virus responsible for the 1918-1920 flu pandemic.
Fortunately, we can act to reduce the COVID-19 virus R-naught value to less than 1 and end the pandemic, but only through mitigation measures.
The graphical simulations found through this link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/20…
compare the efficacy of 4 different public responses. Note that even an isolated Alaskan town can quickly be overrun with the virus if nothing is done to stop it. Deschutes County is no longer the remote region of yore; we are as susceptible as anyone anywhere.
The current economic slowdown is a necessary result of efforts to allow for social distancing, which–until we finally have the vaccine–is our best hope to slow the spread, save lives, and avoid inundating hospitals.
Unfortunately, the well-intentioned legislation to protect small businesses has been undermined by corruption and cronyism.
I fully support dissent and protest, but, in this case, the cause is reckless. And, I believe, the bizarre injection of Confederate flags and open display of weapons has kept public support for the protests at the 20% level.
Soper said:
-This … virus has been … presented with arbitrary data that doesnt provide a full view of the dangers it actually presents.-
Doesnt that imply that the virus is MORE dangerous than it is being portrayed, and that Soper is admitting he is ready to underestimate the dangers it poses?
Then there is the discouragement of masks and distancing. Take the virus seriously, we will take the protests seriously.
As a retired Oregonian over 70, my response is this: “Sacrificing your grandparents is not a family value.” (And I’m not even a grandparent.)
The headline of this story represents both extremes of a value. The lesson to learn here is balance….
🐜 The ant worked hard during the fall to store his food for the winter. Other ants laughed at him and played. When winter came the playful ants who did not prepare for winter begged the responsible ant for food. As annoyed as the ant was, he did provide them food and asked for their help next next.
This is where we are at, in this country. We need to teach people to prepare better. If this is a precursor to a much bigger disaster, be thankful for this lesson, and learn to build a stronger community with all participants now.
I think it’s laughable that they quote Mark Moore as saying the economy can remain open while employing social distancing, meanwhile they don’t employ social distancing during the protests. Instead according to the article they seemed to intentionally choose to disregard all social distancing measures. One would think the way to go would be to protest while social distancing to prove to our local leaders it can be done and they do take this seriously.
If this is inappropriate as a comment for this particular article, then please expunge. However, this parody–alternately hilarious and heartbreaking–offered by folk satirist Roy Zimmerman (who performed in Bend several years ago) might offer some comfort and hope. Already 3.8 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkU1ob_lHC…
For John Foote
Your data is incorrect, but your logic is sound. ” And the public health system pays for the consequences of those choices.”
Also, ” I don’t want to be prevented from earning money I need to pay for my life.” Well then, grocery stores are hiring, restaurants are looking for delivery drivers, Mc Donald’s is hiring. If you really want to earn money, jobs are available.
He should be protesting the abysmal lack of medical supplies. He’ll want doctors and nurses who treat him and his family to be well protected when they end up in the emergency room due to his warped beliefs that increase his exposure. We need more articles are medical workers and caregivers – they are the true heroes.
The Source has done our community a disservice by giving this Covidiot free publicity. Yes, there are two sides to this story. But you can say that about the Civil War too. I’m sure there’s a Klansman out there somewhere hoping to tell us all about the positive aspects of slavery.
If I had to make a truthfully honest opinion between Outlaw or Hero when describing Stoper. I would say Stopee is clearly uneducated and doesn’t have any information to back up his theories and has no facts either. Stoper is purely just rambling stiring up drama, anamosity and negative rhetoric which is only making problems worse. Stoper should be caged for these reasons. It doesn’t serve a purpose. We need to trust our Governor, Public Health Officials and Medical Staff across the entire state to make the best decisions based on our safety and health. It’s not freedom of speech when your making stuff up based on no evidence and no facts. Stoper is just sounding like a stupid conservative redneck with no information.
If I had to make a truthfully honest opinion between Outlaw or Hero when describing Stoper. I would say Stoper is clearly uneducated and doesn’t have any information to back up his theories and has no facts either. Stoper is purely just rambling stiring up drama, animosity and negative rhetoric which is only making problems worse. Stoper should be caged for these reasons. It doesn’t serve a purpose. We need to trust our Governor, Public Health Officials and Medical Staff across the entire state to make the best decisions based on our safety and health. It’s not freedom of speech when your making stuff up based on no evidence, being a hypocrite and with no real facts. Stoper is just sounding like a stupid conservative redneck with no information.
Okay, the KKK interview suggestion was probably over the top. But, really, this guy is unworthy.
I nominate Mr Soper to be village idiot of the week.
“…the bigger issue is that the ‘rules’ coming down are from a singular voice, not from a representation of the people as a whole… our republican form of government has failed to exist at the most critical of moments,” Soper said.
Says the man who’s “movement” of 200 people represents 1/10th of 1% of the population of Deschutes County.
It is very, very hard to take serious something that one does not see. We have a small number of cases all over the state and this is because our Governor made a good call to tighten the state down. I did a comparison:
Louisiana pop. 4.6 million
Oregon pop. 4.2 million
LA-24,854 cases of COVID with 1,405 deaths
OR- 2,002 cases of COVID with 78 deaths
Both have Democratic Governors (so it isn’t a political thing), it is simply that one did the right thing and one did the wrong thing.
Also, this IS NOT over, the results will be close to final about this time next year.
Hopefully we can circulate Do Not Resuscitate documents for participants to sign waiving future medical assistance if their exercise of personal liberty leads to Coronavirus. This would be a responsible action on their part to not put medical personnel at unnecessary risk.
Hero? Outlaw? Buttplug…
Just another inbred redneck. Surprised they weren’t all carrying AR15s and shouting go home (input minority here).
Duck this guy. When a spike in C19 comes, I’ll look away from rodeos.
So we all get to suffer when those 200 people increase the spread of COVID and overwhelm the healthcare system? I don’t really get the mentality and it feels incredibly selfish. There are so many ways we can work together as a community. Increasing risk to the population and dragging this out longer seems like a bad approach.
Here’s what Cornelius Peeples, a local physician who is working to save people in NYC, had to say to the Redmond protesters: “Get ready, because you’re going to get sick. Some of you are going to get sick and not even know it, spread it to other people, so that’s dangerous, and a little bit selfish. Some of you are going to get sick and hospitalized, and some of you are going to die.” Does Soper care? I doubt it.
Stop talking about this guy. Redmond is a disgrace now. He is not a local.
Freedom is never free, but requires decision making with consequences, regardless if you understand all the variables at play, no one has granted anyone permission to intentionally ruin lives or property of others (this would be unconstitutional), violating unconstitutional laws does not mean illegal intention is established especially when tied to unconstitutional law making, innocent untill proven guilty in America, remember this always we are a country of laws FIRST.. My or your assessment of risk and ability to navigate risk will be different. Live free and make good choices. I cant and wont live my life for everyone because I’ll never make everyone happy all the time, I’ll be lucky to make some of the people happy some of the time. So that is how I live my life. Stop the political agenda… honestly as a simple American and family man, I see the agenda and the slippery slope that comes with safety and security. Sheeple everywhere. Sheeple will hate my comment. Live free, make good decisions.
Public safety outweighs your personal feelings about “liberty” and our founding fathers would certainly NOT have condoned dangerous behavior regardless of it’s expression of your “freedoms”. You cannot drive drunk, carry on an airline flight, or pour toxic chemicals into a river. But what about your constitutional rights to do all these things?? BooHoo. If you were informed, you’d know that we don’t have the necessary testing ability to know who is contagious and who is not. Is your barber a typhoid Mary? Maybe it’s you. Both of you please stay away from my grocery store.
If you have an infectious outbreak at your farm, you’ll certainly quarantine, right? Not that it needs a partisan analysis, but 98% of democrats and 80% of republicans across the nation SUPPORT the social distancing we’re trying to practice. You selfish b***ards are sabotaging the decrease in contagion that’s just apt to save your life or that of a loved one, much less me and mine, because of an inferior ability to think outside yourselves and be good citizens; I know, you think the rest of us are “sheep”, but the days of the wild west are over and it’s time to grow up. When you show me a degree in infection science, you can have the microphone; until then, please let the medical experts call the shots, and they are saying to stay home. Period. The (socialist) programs we have in place will minimize the economic suffering we all must endure, while adhering to the constitution.
I’m pretty sure that most of the people on here with the rude comments are not being financially affected and or are on some sort of welfare…the most selfish self centered generation in the History of the united States is being witnessed as I type this .. so just screw those guys so what if they lose their lives works? Right! .. but Burger King is hiring?
Who the hell do you people think are? people to who bring nothing to society to sit here judge these other people?
If your so scared then stay home! it’s that easy ..but dont deny others a living or a means to feed their children!
If you even payed attention a huge percentage of people have not gotten the so called “Stimulus” money especially from the SBA for businesses without employees, a large percentage of Sub-Contractors, small businesses that contract their labor do fit into this category..295 people in the state have recived economic aid out of 11,000 applicants as of last week? Go look it up! it’s right there on the SBAs website as a pdf file.
https://kristenfmartins.wordpress.com/2020/04/21/running-out-of-outlets/?fbclid=IwAR2_NBfD-yf7XvSF_rphROmFlKZ3WS_XC2C6SAG_BQjkYhVePO898Wp2izc
I don’t know this guy. Just heard of him. On this particular subject he’s right on. Quit watching the tell-a-vision where the ‘news’ anchors tell you ‘everything’ you need to know. When the news first started I’m sure it was more of a bulletin- they actually gave you just the facts. Hard to know though- Fake news isn’t new. It’s called propaganda. Long ago, they even gave you diverse opinions on the news, from different sides of the story to assist the reader’s critical thinking. Now, the News is where you go to be told what to think and how to act. It seems the Source has gone that way too.
Do your own research, be aware that the big media platforms are censoring information, and remember: Think! It’s not illegal yet. Fear is in your mind and Danger is real.
What’s truly dangerous about this situation?
P.s This topic is about Health Freedom and sovereignty. You have constitutionally protected rights- to work and live how you want as long as you aren’t hurting your neighbor. Breathing is not criminal, no matter what the top docs tell you. The mask is not a muzzle. Build your immune system and you’ll likely be fine. Cultivate a flexible mindset. Question the absurdity of shutting down the economy here and worldwide- for the 1st time ever. Ever.
P.p.s Take this time to reflect and decide how you want to live and improve your life. This could be a blessing.
They took errrr jobs ! hahahah
I met Mr. Soper in 2016.
And had brief contact with him a few weeks ago.
Unknown to most is that he was asked to help ensure the recent protests in Prineville were peaceful – in lieu of a very articulate video cast he made on his FB page. He met with the appropriate City leaders and his voice was heard among those he is thought well of.
BJ has increasingly become a Peace Maker in Central Oregon. We need more of that.