After anti-hate event in Modesto park, straight pride rally on McHenry ends with 2 arrests
The third straight-pride rally held in Modesto was preceded Saturday morning by an anti-hate event and ended when a fight led to road closures and police dispersing the crowd and making two arrests.
About 100 people gathered at 10 a.m. Saturday in Roosevelt Park for a Modesto Stands Against Hate event. It was put on by multiple organizations including MoPride and the Stanislaus Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America to affirm the LGBTQ+ community and speak out against the Straight Pride Coalition.
“It’s the right answer for an anti-LGBT, racist group,” attendee Francis Yangat said. “There’s no oppression on the heteronormative.”
Yangat said he went two years ago to counterprotest at the first straight pride event held in Modesto. He said he is actively outspoken against the group to serve as an example for his younger family members.
“It’s important we foster a loving, more inclusive future for them,” he said.
Jupiter Dalby, an organizer with the Central California LGBTQ Collaborative, said he feels many places — including Modesto and the Central Valley as a whole — still are behind when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality. Straight pride is just a continuation of that mindset, he said.
“I think it’s quite frankly disgusting,” Dalby said.
Although his family is now supportive, Dalby was originally kicked out when he came out to his parents as transgender. He said he was homeless for some time and feels being trans and queer can make life more difficult for himself and others.
Dalby said the community, City Council and mayor need to help fight hate in Modesto. “They need to stand up for us,” he said. “They need to show up for us.”
At the same time as Roosevelt Park attendees began packing up around noon, the straight pride rally was getting started just a few blocks away in front of Modesto Planned Parenthood.
Members of the Proud Boys, a conservative pastor and other extreme right-wing supporters stood outside the McHenry Avenue building and nearby street corners while a small group of counterprotesters stood across the street from them.
They stayed mostly away from each other for the first hour, but sometime after 1 p.m., the two sides clashed.
Modesto police were called to the scene where a fight had broken out and someone had sprayed bear spray, police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said. Officers in tactical gear joined bicycle officers who already were in the area. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department also sent personnel, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse said in a Facebook post Saturday.
Police declared an unlawful assembly, told everyone to leave and blocked off McHenry between Orangeburg and Granger avenues. Bear said an aerial flash bang was deployed to assist with dispersal.
She said officers estimated150 to 200 people were in the area. About half an hour before, The Modesto Bee counted closer to 75 people, though at least some additional counterprotesters arrived before the fight began, based on Facebook Live video footage of the event.
Police arrested two people on misdemeanor charges. One person faces preliminary charges of failure to disperse and resisting arrest, and the other person faces a preliminary charge for fighting in public.
Bear said MPD was aware of both events prior to Saturday and had been monitoring them before the fight broke out.
“We try to coordinate and prep for the worst and hope that everything remains peaceful,” Bear said. “If we have events like this and we are not prepared, then we didn’t plan ahead.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
