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By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A panoply of liberal passions was expressed on a sunny Saturday afternoon at an Occupy Bohemian Grove protest at the Monte Rio Amphitheater.
An ensuing march to the gates of the grove resulted in the arrest of 75-year-old man later booked into county jail on suspicion of interfering with a peace officer.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office described the protest as “relatively small and peaceful.”
About 150 people, including representatives of at least 10 Occupy groups, turned out for four hours of speeches and music at the event, organized by the Bohemian Grove Action Network.
A banner over the stage said “Creation of Care,” a deliberate variation from the Cremation of Care ceremony set for Saturday night within nearby Bohemian Grove, where more than 2,000 wealthy and powerful men gathered for their annual retreat among the redwoods.
Signs posted around the amphitheater said “No (more) war for oil,” “Don’t tread on my uterus” and “FWEEDOM.”
Tom Todd of Geyserville wore black-and-white convict’s stripes with a stuffed fox on his back and three dollar bills on the front of his shirt.
“I’m crooked and sly,” said Todd, a retired Teamster who once hauled Russian River gravel. “I’m imitating a politician.”
Maggi Munat , a member of Occupy Santa Rosa, was among those participating in the "Creation of Care" event Saturday at the Monte Rio Amphitheater, a protest of the nearby Bohemian Grove encampment. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)
His sign said: “Campaign contributions are bribes.”
The Bohemian Grove protest began with drumming and singing by the Native Resistance Drum Group of Sonoma County.
“All the riches of this nation were built upon land stolen from the Indian nation,” group member Adam Villagomez of Windsor told the crowd.
Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers maintained a presence at the amphitheater and the gates to the grove about a half-mile away, where a separate protest numbered about a dozen people
Sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Lawrence said that at 4 p.m. 75 to 100 people marched from the amphitheater to the Bohemian Grove gates where they were met by deputies and CHP officers. As some of the protesters attempted to push past the deputies, one man grabbed a deputy’s baton and was arrested, he said. He was identified as Douglas Miller, 75.
Veteran activist Mary Moore of Camp Meeker said months of preparation went into the amphitheater event, which included a “signup for camping” table.
The Action Network arranged for camping at other locations so no one would pitch a tent on the amphitheater’s grassy lawn, Moore said.
Cindy Sheehan, a war protester whose soldier son died in Iraq, and the Fukushima Mothers Delegation from Japan were featured speakers.
Occupy members from Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Petaluma, San Francisco, Sacramento, Woodland, Chico, Fullerton, Los Angeles and Reno introduced themselves to the crowd, with the barechested man from L.A. doing a backflip off the stage.
Members of the San Francisco-based Bohemian Club have been retreating to their 2,700-acre Monte Rio enclave since the 1870s.
Critics say the power brokers discuss serious business in secret, while others say the all-male group, which includes artists and entertainers, mostly drinks alcohol and cavorts under the redwoods.
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Chris Smith is having a field day villifying individual protesters that he doesn’t agree with. Take Doug Millar for instance. I was there and saw exactly what happened to him. The police were forcefully shoving him backwards from their police line when he grabbed a baton to keep from falling over backwards. Then they forcefully arrested him in front of a couple hundred people. Chants from the crowd then broke out to “let Doug go”, etc. Cops don’t like Doug much because he exposes their crimes on a regular basis. “Conspiracy theorist” as Chris Smith calls him is just dead wrong. He is a hero in my book, standing up for children who have been abducted or abused. Unfortunately, the police are sometimes involved in these crimes as many years of Doug’s research has proven. Check out all the youtube videos showing Doug’s arrest, there are many. We, the people, must resist when our public servants violate the law or the Constitution.
Deborah Tavares, another local hero for her activism has been vilivfied in the PD as well. She should take heart because the press wouldn’t be attacking her if she wasn’t “carrying the ball”. How do you know who the most effective activists are? The PD slams you. Instead of buying into their rhetoric why don’t you try talking to the people the press goes after to see who’s telling the truth? Whistleblowers and truth tellers are always attacked by the people doing wrong. They are in fact heroes.
It was probably just a good excuse to smoke “medical” marijuana and socialize with other dead heads.
I attended the protest on Saturday and actually it was pretty interesting. There were protesters on the right and the left who ended up marching to the Bohemian Grove entrance together! If people would stop vilifying each other long enough they would soon realize that we are all fighting the same thing, tyranny by the powerful elites. Those opposed to UN Agenda 21 were leading the march followed by the hubbub band and a lot of peace and justice socialist activists behind them.
United Nations Agenda 21 is the “official” global plan which is itself a smokescreen for what they really have planned for us. These fake environmentalists want nothing less than total control of our lives. It’s not really about the environment, stupid. If it was they wouldn’t be bombing the crap out of countries and leaving behind environmental ruin. People need to wise up fast because they are already in the end game. Once we are all connected to the new grid, they have us. Fight to stay on your land and don’t go into their concentration villages where you will monitored and controlled.
World Domination does not require a face-to-face meeting. Have the protesters not heard of telephones?
none dare call it envy….
The little town is not the same since the Pink Elephant closed.
Mr. Kovner writes a weak, dispassionate article that makes me wonder if he was even there. It was a beautiful day under the redwoods, with great music and interesting speakers. The crowd was more like 4-500, drifting in and out The people sending in comments just don’t get that, though many of the people that attend the Grove encampment are innocent bystanders, some of the people meeting there are war criminals and also responsible for the collapse of our economy.
Some of the above comments are probably made by people who have lost jobs or homes, but they still don’t understand who is responsible.
I see the Sheriff’s Office arrested a 75 year old protestor who supposedly “grabbed an deputies baton.” There was zero violence that I’ve heard about. The deputies had no reason for their batons to be out in the first place. Particularly if the claimed “threat” to the officer was a 75 year old man.
These creepy Bohemians offered my teenage daughters money for sex. If I were still living at the River, I’d show them the door out of town … forever.
Who cares?
Waste of time. Get a job or a life. These people need to volunteer and help the homeless or something. The Bohemian Grove isn’t going away any time soon, so get over it!
A total of ten occupy groups coming from far and wide with their darling Cindy Sheehan attending, and all they could scrounge up was 75 to 100 people?
Imagine the good these people could do if they weren’t delusional communists.
Snorefest indeed! Why, what could go wrong?….
What makes a news story? 10 loons swimmining in a pond. A few misfits wondering around the entrance to a private park?
This isn’t news, it’s every day life in Monte Rio.
Snorefest.