Free Republic

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The first person to be charged for rioting Saturday night into Sunday morning in downtown Grand Rapids has been charged but he certainly will not be the last. On Monday morning, 18-year-old Adrian Baker of Gobles was charged with the 10-year felony in Grand Rapids District Court. Judge Michael Distel explained the charge to the teen. “You did while in concert with five or more other persons wrongfully engage in violent conduct and thereby recklessly cause or create a serious risk of causing public terror or alarm,” Distel told Baker, who was appearing via video...

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s proud of his daughter after she was arrested over the weekend for participating in the New York City protests over George Floyd’s killing last week. Chiara de Blasio, 25, was arrested Saturday evening after police declared an unlawful assembly in the area around 10:30 p.m. A source told the New York Post she was blocking traffic during the protest. “That was a real hot spot. Police cars were getting burned there. People were throwing and yelling, fighting with cops. There were thousands of people in that area at that time,” the source said. Her...

A Michigan sheriff compared the governor's stay-at-home order to a mass arrest of the state's residents while speaking at a rally this week opposing the coronavirus restrictions. Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf told the gathering in Grand Rapids, Mich., that by definition the governor's measure was placing people of the state under arrest, according to MLive.com. “What’s the definition of an arrest? It’s basically taking away your free will, your right to move about,” Leaf said, adding that "an unlawful arrest is when you do it unlawfully." "So when you are ordered to your home, are you under arrest? Yeah,...

The mother of the man who was beaten to the ground by an NYPD cop during a social distancing tussle in the East Village said Monday that her son suffered “physical damage” as a result of the “horrific” encounter.

AUSTIN, Texas - Police say 22 people are behind bars after a group of over 30 cars drove onto I35 at a speed of 5 miles per hour to demand rent relief. “It's frustrating to see us working so hard for justice and to bring like these things to light, and then to be silenced like this by APD is expected, but still disappointing,” said one protester. A rent strike organized by Rent Strike ATX brought traffic to a near standstill after multiple cars protested rent on the interstate. “We were fighting no rent while we can't work during this...

They came with babies strapped to their chests, flags waving and even a speedboat parked at the curb to symbolize California's closed beaches. Hundreds of people — likely more than 1,000 — crowded around the California State Capitol on Friday to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's social distancing orders amid a pandemic that has now killed more than 2,000 Californians. With nary a mask in sight, protesters called Newsom a tyrant and showed their support for President Trump, evidenced by Trump 2020 gear everywhere, including for sale. But despite the president's back-and-forth support of social distancing, most were quick to absolve...

A house church pastor in China’s Hunan province has been arrested for “inciting subversion of state power” after he refused to join the ruling Chinese Communist Party's Three-Self Patriotic Association. Radio Free Asia reports that pastor Zhao Huaiguo, the founder of Bethel Church, was arrested on April 2 in China’s Hunan province, after being criminally detained since March 14 for inciting subversion of state power. His whereabouts are unknown. His wife, Zhang Xinghong, told the outlet that after her husband was criminally detained, the state security personnel told her that the reason for his arrest was due to his re-posting...

On April 23, Police arrested a Meridian, Idaho mom while she was allowing her kids on a playdate at a local park for violating Coronavirus restrictions. While the kids were playing on a swing set, officers approached the mother who they inevitably handcuffed and walked to a police car. Other parents who congregated in a grassy area flanking the swingset gasped and asked the officers for explanations. Many of them filmed the incident. Now, Idahoans are taking matters into their own hands and protesting the cop’s home.

You’re going to just LOVE the new America.Where business owners will be arrested and fined for working.And mothers will be arrested for bringing their children to a park.Winslow, Arizona police recently released body camera footage of the arrest of a hardened criminal business owner.“We don’t want you to feel like we’re harassing you.” – Winslow police.“If you’re open for business we have that right.” – Winslow police.Arizona, a state of 7 million, has had 208 coronavirus deaths this year.This is an shocking video!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPxlmrhKAJc&feature=emb_title Gov. Doug Ducey had declared a public health emergency because of the coronavirus outbreak in March. Later that month, he issued a stay-at-home...

Comrades, after the Meridian cornavirus enforcement police received several calls from compliant citizens, a dangerous group of subversive moms were identified engaging in non-approved playground activity against the interests of the state. Local authorities activated an emergency response task force & arrested the lead scofflaw mom at the park. According to video smuggled from the park by an underground network of rebellious female breeders, Mrs. Sarah Brady was instructed by the COVID-19 compliance officers to vacate the playground. Ms. Brady refused to comply with the order and was subsequently handcuffed and arrested for violations of the state lock-down, ie. misdemeanor...

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr launched a vicious Twitter thread response against Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Thursday night, listing off several Chinese whistleblowers who were reportedly silenced by the communist government after speaking out about the coronavirus. “Could you un-disappear them so we could speak?” Carr blasted as he listed off the various whistleblowers in the thread, which included doctors Ai Fen and Li Wenliang and journalists Li Zehua and Ren Zhiqiang.

Scientific research suggests that prayer has the power to calm the mind, increase resistance to temptation and make people happier. One thing prayer can’t do, however, is stop the coronavirus. So far, two members of one Sacramento church have died from COVID-19. Four other members of the church are infected. It’s important to note that these infections took place before Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials issued stay-in-place orders on March 19.

A man was arrested in Malibu on Thursday for paddleboarding in the ocean alone. Local authorities claim that he was violating social distancing rules, despite being all alone.In a Facebook post about the incident, the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said that “deputies were flagged down by lifeguards regarding a male adult in the water, disobeying lifeguard orders to exit the water.”The post continued on to claim that the man “remained in the water paddle boarding for approximately 30-40 minutes. LASD boat was brought in from Marina Del Rey Station, once the Sheriff’s boat arrived on scene, the suspect complied and swam to...

While I initially wasn’t sure how this could work in terms of actual prosecutions, arrests of people who violate shelter in place orders or bans on larger gatherings have been taking place. It started with hosts of parties in New Jersey and Maryland being hauled in by the cops over the weekend. Yesterday we received a bit of foreshadowing that houses of worship were under scrutiny when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to start shutting down churches and synagogues, perhaps permanently. And now, in Florida, we’ve seen what may be the clearest sign of these dystopian...

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (CBS) — Police in Ocean County have arrested a homeowner for hosting a pop-up wedding with more than 50 people in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in the week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy banned gatherings of 50 or more people in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. Lakewood police have charged 49-year-old Eliyohu Zaks with maintaining a nuisance for hosting the wedding at a home on Spruce Street. “The Lakewood Police is asking that its citizens be responsible and obey the directives set forth by the State of New Jersey for the safety and...

A high-ranking official from Turkey’s second-largest state-owned bank was arrested in New York City March 27. On the orders of the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon H. Kim, FBI agents arrested Mehmet Hakan Atilla, Halkbank’s vice president for international banking, for violating the US-led sanctions against Iran. The press release from Kim’s office accused Atilla with participating “in a years-long scheme to violate American sanctions laws by helping Reza Zarrab, a major gold trader, use U.S. financial institutions to engage in prohibited financial transactions that illegally funneled millions of dollars to Iran.” Zarrab, a Turkish citizen...

No one injured; vehicle attack draws nationwide response JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police are looking for an older brown Chevrolet van the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said drove through a tent in a Walmart parking lot Saturday where Republican volunteers were registering people to vote. According to Lt. Larry Gayle, the vehicle attack happened about 3:50 p.m. at Atlantic and Kernan boulevards where members of the Republican Party were in the tent registering voters. The driver of the van pulled up, drove through the tent and struck their table. “It happened so quickly,” said Nina Williams, a volunteer. “I just barely got...

Two students are dead and four are seriously injured after a driver reportedly hopped a curb outside of Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, and struck members of the cross-country and track team as they were starting their practice run after school. Moore Police stated that they responded to the scene around 3:30 p.m. on Monday. There, students and staff were administering life-saving care, including CPR. The driver of the truck, Max Townsend, allegedly fled the scene and was taken into custody by Moore Police three blocks away. All six students were rushed to the hospital. One of the students,...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Over two dozen people stormed into former Vice President Joe Biden's Des Moines headquarters looking for answers on health care Monday night. Their singing and demanding action led to the arrests of five people, including John Reardon and William Floyd. "We have seen some of our members die because they didn't have access to health care and so we wanted to bring that urgency that we face every day," said Floyd. Both 22-year-olds live in the metro and were among those arrested and charged with trespassing in their attempt to speak with Biden about his opposing...

Police arrested a man Wednesday morning for Sunday's fatal hit-and-run in Sherman Heights. At this time, police have not released his identity, but confirm that the driver is in custody. On Tuesday, the San Diego Police Department released photos of a male suspect believed to be the driver of an SUV that fled east on Market Street after hitting and killing 41-year-old Jason Gordon early Sunday morning. According to SDPD, the male suspect then drove to Humberto’s Taco Shop at the corner of Broadway and 25th Street where he ordered food. As he drove away from the taco shop, he...