LAKE COUNTY— A group of Lake County residents responsible for organizing a protest rally on May 1 where a caravan of trucks hauling boats during an anti-coronavirus lockdown action united with protests around the state and the country calling for legislators and public health officials to loosen restrictions meant to slow the spread of coronavirus , had a “Rally Round the Lake for Freedom” protest on Saturday, driving around the whole perimeter of Clear Lake. Turnout was significantly lower than its previous effort.
According to the organizers, which consisted mostly of a group calling itself “Reopen Our Lake Now,” the plan was to go through all the towns and cities in their vehicles to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lockdown order.
Group Administrator, J.J. Daigle said “We drew 100 cars and around 200 people, including Scott Giblin and Tamika Hamilton, candidates for the 5th and 3rd congressional districts respectively, to our protest rally on May 1 when there were only 430 members in our group. We now have close to 700 members and I expect 200 or more vehicles to show up at this event.”
He added vehicles would be displaying signs and flags while driving through most of the county. Reports from Lakeport at the old bowling alley parking lot where the group held a rally staging area and also from South County in Clearlake, Lower Lake, Middletown and Hidden Valley showed a lower level of participation this Saturday with approximately half the participants at the Lakeport rallying point. An estimated 20 vehicles were reported to have participated.
Kevin Ahajanian, one of several organizers of the protest and, until recently, a District 5 county supervisor candidate was listed on the group’s social media page as one of the organizers of Saturday’s rally. Daigle, Lani Kane, a member of the Lake County Republican Party and the Lucerne Area Town Hall, Kelseyville resident Brian Dobrowski and Randi Bussear were also listed as admins for the group’s Feacebook page.
(Photos by Coral Moseley for the Record-Bee)
