Mother of Four Arrested at May 1st State Capitol Protest Speaks Out
More peaceful protesters were arrested at the right-to-work Capitol protests than at Antifa riots in Sacramento
By Katy Grimes, June 2, 2020 2:21 pm
California Globe wonders how many Antifa or Black Lives Matter protesters were issued citations for violating the state health code and spreading ‘contagious, infectious or communicable diseases.’
A mother of four contacted California Globe after reading our coverage of the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots currently taking place, and the very few arrests, even with police injured, contrasted with the right-to-work protests at the State Capitol in May, and the 32 arrests at the May 1st rally alone.
The mother of four said she was arrested by the Capitol CHP May 1st while her husband and four children watched in horror.
“Thank you for the the article that you wrote and posted on Facebook about the right to work protest,” Andrea Hedstrom said. “It really spoke to me somehow. I was among the 32 arrested on Mayday at the Capitol, and somehow, these current riots feel like salt in the wound for me after a month of some of my own friends and family attacking me for standing peacefully with a sign on May Day, telling me what I had done was selfish.”
Here are some of the photos from the May 1st right-to-work rally and protest:
“Your article really spoke to me somehow, so thanks for it,” Hedstrom said. “It means a lot to me, such as these couple of specific quotes: ‘More peaceful protesters were arrested at the right-to-work Capitol protests than at Friday’s riot at the Sacramento police station,’ as well as, ‘This was a full blown riot justifying Capitol police in riot gear – not the peaceful right-to-work protests by small business owners, employees, moms, dads and kids, and college students where 32 parents were arrested.’ Anyway, the entire article/post was great, and I’m thankful for it.”
“A recently recovering liberal Democrat, I have been following your news for some time, and it has helped me enormously.”
California Globe asked Andrea Hedstrom why the CHP arrested her and what the charges were. Here is what she said:
“I believe the actual charges ended up being two misdemeanors, one for some health code violation and one because I would not leave public property? Or something like that? My husband read it more closely (he watched this happen, as did my own four children who were sort of traumatized by the entire thing). Hedstrom provided a copy of the citation notice (below). “I have a court date set for June 30th.”
“Honestly, the month of May was really hard for me…I think I went into some kind of denial or shock or something.”
“But watching these riots take place downtown is truly breaking my heart: the destruction and violence just seems so wrong,” she added. “I simply cannot understand how what I did was wrong, especially relative to what is taking place now. Thanks for listening, as well as for asking in the first place: it is really good to get this off my chest somehow.”
As for the arrests May 1st, it became quite obvious that Hedstrom and the other “arrests” was a set up. The arrests of the right-to-work protesters was a heavy handed scare tactic for daring to challenge the governor’s indefinite lockdown orders. Compare her arrest — a mother at the Capitol with her husband and four children, with the Antifa riots currently destroying entire downtown areas of cities across America, and throughout California; Antifa spreading into downtown neighborhoods, breaking into stores, restaurants, delis, clothing stores, optometrists offices, and stealing anything they could grab, smashing car windshields and spray painting graffiti on cars and buildings, and destroying private property.
Here are more of the photos from the peaceful May 1st right-to-work rally and protest:
The only spray paint the right-to-work protesters used was to make their homemade signs ahead of the protest.
What was Andrea Hedstrom’s crime? Giving her children a First Amendment civics lesson in the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?
Hedstrom was charged with violating:
§ 1861. Prohibited Conduct: (c) Present In or Upon State Property when Closed to Public. Said person is in or on state property, or area thereof, during the hours when said state property is not open to the general public, and said person does not have a permit, the authority or lawful reason to be there.
and…
California Health and Safety Code 120175:
Each health officer knowing or having reason to believe that any case of the diseases made reportable by regulation of the department, or any other contagious, infectious or communicable disease exists, or has recently existed, within the territory under his or her jurisdiction, shall take measures as may be necessary to prevent the spread of the disease or occurrence of additional cases.
The police charged Hedstrom with remaining on closed state property without a permit (remember that the CHP under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders, denied the permit request for this protest), and creating a health hazard. It took a little digging to find the second code because the police officer left a number out of the Health and safety code, and incorrectly spelled “communicable.”
California Globe wonders how many Antifa or Black Lives Matter protesters were issued citations for violating the state health code and spreading contagious, infectious or communicable diseases.
She will be in Superior Court June 30, 2020.
Here are some photos California Globe took in downtown Sacramento Monday June 1st, following three nights of Antifa riots:
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Again, a law abiding citizen takes the citation and will appear in court. An antifa thug will throw bottles and bricks at the police and never show up for the court date.
Katy, you must have left out the part where this lovely mother of four, smashed and grabbed a few rolexes and a new flat screen for the kids! (Wink,wink)
This story just illuminates the travesty being committed against true freedom loving, law abiding citizens.
Mayhem is happening night after night while Mayor after Mayor orders law enforcement to stand down.
I am so sorry that Ms. Hedstrom and her family were put through this! I hope you find a good attorney to get these charges dropped. Ms. Hedstrom did what many are afraid to do during this exploitation of the Wuhan Virus and the killing of Mr. Floyd she used her first amendment right. Ms. Hedstrom I wish you and your family well.
I would also like to know will there be justice for the Federal Security Officer, Dave Patrick Underwood who was murdered in Oakland Ca during a “peaceful” protest?
I pray for the truth to come out and for fellow citizens to awaken to take down of our country!
Time for folks to wake up from their liberal drunken stupor! The progressive democrats only give lip service to liberty!
Thank you, well said.
Absolutely outrageous and unacceptable; made worse by the terror visited upon innocent people, business people, store and property owners in cities throughout California for the past five days, unbelievably because of the inaction of the very state and city politicians who arrested and charged this mother of four May 1.
Very best wishes to Andrea Hedstrom and her family for a quick recovery from the trauma they experienced, and gratitude to her, too, for being the kind of person who would stand up and who DID stand up at the State Capitol to protest the unfair and unwarranted curtailing of our rights and freedoms, which was brought to us by our very own “elected leadership.”
This article just gets me more enraged about what is going on especially after hearing part of Newsom’s press conference yesterday. Ms. Hedstrom’s First Amendment rights were violated but Newsom said that we need to hear from the “peaceful protestors” and he repeatedly encouraged them on to civil disobedience because their message is important. He also expressed resistance to using force to repress the rioters, I mean “peaceful protestors”. I wish Ms. Hedstrom the best.
Where are 1989 Nissan trucks with truck bed mounted machine guns?
And the territorial war lords….
.
Why is it lady that every time I decide, yes, that headline is something I want to read, it’s a Grimes Column? California so needs you and your voice, glad you took up the profession.
YES
Apparently, Italians don’t care about Racism (sarcasm alert).
https://www.targetliberty.com/2020/06/heroic-italians-abandon-masks-protest.html
Those who bow and kneel to political correctness (woke) are not afraid of real peaceful protests for the right to work, but are scared to death of the militants. They have good reason to be afraid. If you stand up to the antifa / BLM types you are targeted for ruination. You lose your job, they stalk you and never give you peace. That photo about President Trump says it all, this is not about Mr. Floyd, may he rest in peace. This is a well organized, well funded and expertly orchestrated attack on the United States of America. Yes we need reform and I pray that it will be conducted by President Donald Trump.
Was she arrested or cited and released/given a ticket?