Idaho Police Issued Tickets and Arrested Christians for Mask and Social Distancing Violations

Moscow, Idaho: Five people were cited at a public ‘psalm sing’, intended as a protest against the city’s mask rule, for violating Moscow’s mask and social distancing guidelines last Wednesday. Three arrests were made for resisting or obstructing an officer, including Latah County Commissioner candidate Gabriel Rench. The arrests gained national attention and second psalm sing was held on Friday, but no more citations were given or arrests made, as Moscow Police Chief James Fry is waiting for the citations that were given to go through the court process. He said police will still respond to alleged mask order violations.

There were no arrests or citations Friday in the Moscow City Hall parking lot as roughly 400 maskless Christ Church members and others sang psalms to the scattered backbeat of banging drums played by those in support of Moscow’s face mask order.

It was Christ Church’s second “psalm sing,” which was also intended as a protest against the city’s mask order.

Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said three to five officers were in the area but none could be seen in the parking lot.

Fry said the minimal police presence was to allow the situation, which has garnered national attention, to calm and to allow the citations that were given Wednesday to go through the court process. He said police will still respond to alleged mask order violations.

Five people were cited, including three arrested, for allegedly violating the city council’s mask resolution Wednesday in the City Hall parking lot. Latah County Commission candidate Gabriel Rench, R-Moscow, was one of the three taken to jail.

The parking lot was divided with singers on the east end and roughly 40 masked people who were mostly socially distanced on the west.

Brian Bedard, a masonry contractor from Lewiston, stood in between the two sides with a 10-foot tall wooden cross.

“It’s about Christ and that’s why I’m here,” Bedard said.

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