Elementary School principal Diane Vargo said the men threatened her with 'citizen's arrest' after one boy was not allowed to go on a field trip because of exposure to COVID.
September 5, 2021

We posted this story yesterday as it made national news a couple of days ago. The actual events of that day were even more menacing than the news reports let on. One of the men even live-streamed it on Instagram, saying that schools were bullying children into mask-wearing, so naturally they responded by barging into an elementary school's office, demanding to see the principal after one of their sons was told to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19, and wouldn't be allowed on a school trip. Armed with zip-ties, the three large men (one of them 6'5"-275lbs) decided that intimidation and threats were necessary.

Diane Vargo was described as the longtime principal of the school, so she's used to dealing with irate parents, a not-so-pleasant occupational hazard of her job. But this experience took things to a whole other level, one where she feared for her and her staff's safety. That's just not acceptable and there ought to be real consequences for their actions, not just a slap on the wrist.

Source: KGUN

VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN) — Mesquite Elementary School principal Diane Vargo said after trying to have a conversation with a parent about COVID-19 restrictions, things quickly escalated.

Vargo said two men, both do not have students at the school, joined the parent at her office and said they were going to arrest her. Vargo said that one of the men was carrying heavy duty zip ties.

"They were claiming that we were breaking the law," Vargo said. "They were saying that they were going to arrest us."

Vargo said the group was angry that the parent's son was unable to go on a field trip after being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

"In order for our school to remain open we have to follow Pima County Health Department," Vargo said. "I tried to explain that, but he didn't want to hear it."

Vargo said the experience was frightening.

"I felt threatened," Vargo said. "You know there were 3 large men in my office. I felt violated."

Arizona Right Wing Watch captured their clips, before they were later taken down, presumably.

Ultimately, just one of the men was charged with trespassing, refusing to leave after being asked repeatedly to do so. That will likely be dismissed or he'll pay a token fine, thereby guaranteeing such incidents will happen again. Since the police and the courts probably won't offer real consequences, some have started boycotting Kelly Walker's Viva Coffee House in Tuscon, the guy who live-streamed this deplorable event. Their website has them hosting Dinesh D'Souza on Sept. 7. It would be a crying shame if he were met by vocal protesters.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon