Redding resident Benjamin Nowain stands with fellow citizens asking law enforcement to maintain peace and order.
In the wake of nearly two years of civil unrest, anti-government sentiment, and recent threats of violence from fringe groups in Shasta County, one of several local groups of citizens is stepping up in support of local government re-establishing order and decorum in local county government. The group will be holding a press conference at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at the front of the parking lot at the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Administrative Building, at 300 Park Marina Circle, Redding.
An affiliation of local people calling themselves CITIZENS FOR CIVIL DISCOURSE, a diverse group of friends and acquaintances from both real life and local online forums, plans to speak in support of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors returning to a meeting format which both allows for public comment and efficiency in conducting county business.
“I have been regularly attending the local board of supervisors meetings for well over a year now, and the amount of business being accomplished is on the verge of inadequate due to the repeated chaos occurring during public comment periods at the meetings,” said Benjamin Nowain, a local concerned citizen.
“This has been cast by some as an either/or proposition— either the Board conducts business, or they receive repetitive public comment, and it doesn’t have to be that way. The Board can hear public comment, including in ways other than at the meetings, and business can be conducted timely. Having rules to conduct business does not equal tyranny.”
On the issue of public safety and the hundreds of threats which have been made against local leaders and citizens in the community, this group seeks to support the newly-appointed Sheriff Michael Johnson in his bid to quash civil unrest and extremist behavior in Shasta County.
“In his first week on the job, Sheriff Johnson said it was a priority for him to tamp down on the people threatening violence as part of his tenure as sheriff,” said Jenny O’Connell, a local mother, wife, and social justice activist. “We want to support him in his efforts to restore order to the community. No one should have to feel unsafe for holding their own opinion on community affairs.”
The group believes their opinion is not a marginalized one in the community. “We’ve all been through a lot in the past couple years. No one wants to continue the division. Our local government is on the verge of collapse with minority opinions and extremism prevailing over common sense and decency,” commented Susanne Baremore. “I grew up in Shingletown and raised my family in Redding, rarely giving a thought to safety, or whether my teenaged kids would make it home unscathed at night. That’s no longer the case in much of Shasta County
right now. This isn’t the Northstate we all love and cherish,” she said.
The group will be providing statements at the Tuesday event and will be available for questions as well.
