Sara Walton Brady is the Idaho mother arrested after police said she and others refused to leave a playground that had been closed to the public as part of the state’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Brady was arrested on April 21 for trespassing and violating city orders, according to a news release from the Meridian Police Department. She was booked into the Ada County Jail but posted $300 bond within a couple of hours.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation explained on its website that Brady and other parents had been participating in a “playdate protest” against Governor Brad Little’s stay-at-home. The statewide order went into effect on March 25 and is currently expected to last through April 30.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. An Officer Asked Brady Multiple Times to Leave the Playground Before Placing Her In Handcuffs, Police Say
Brady and other parents gathered at Kleiner Park in Ada County, Idaho, on April 21. The playground area had been closed to the public due to coronavirus concerns. According to the Meridian Police Department, the playground had been cordoned off with caution tape and there were signs instructing people not to use the equipment. But police said they observed that the signs and tape had been taken down. Officers responded to the park after receiving “several calls to Ada County Dispatch,” according to the news release.
Brady’s arrest was recorded on a cellphone and posted to Facebook Live, but the full video has since been deleted. KTVB-TV reported that on the original video, the officers were recorded telling Brady and others that they were allowed on the grass and sidewalks but that the playground set was closed. Brady repeatedly asked why they weren’t allowed to be there.
In a shorter clip that has circulated on social media, which is embedded above, an officer was seen asking Brady to leave the playground area as she insisted they were not trespassing. The officer said, “Exit the playground area now. I’m really trying to be nice about this.” Brady eventually turned her back to the officer and said, “Arrest me for being difficult. Do it! Record it!”
The person recording the video was heard saying, “Officer, you don’t want to do that.” Brady asked at least twice whether she was being arrested or detained. She then instructed her friends, “Someone call Idaho Freedom Foundation right now and get them on the phone.”
KTVB-TV also reported that a Meridian city employee asked Brady whether she had planned the confrontation with the police. “Were you guys organized to do this? So all of you just showed up at once?” Brady did not respond to the question, according to the TV station.
2. Brady Says She Never Touched the Playground Equipment & Felt ‘Singled Out’
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Mother arrested in Meridian, Idaho for letting kids play in park
This has gotten out of control
Stop arresting free Americans for being outside with their families
RT!!
Brady said she felt her arrest was unfair because she never actually touched the playground equipment at Kleiner Park. She told CBS affiliate KBOI-TV, “I feel like I was singled out because I was the only person that was arrested. I definitely wasn’t playing on the playground equipment. I wasn’t swinging, never touched them. But yeah, I do feel like I was singled out and maybe it was because I asked too many questions.”
The Meridan Police Department explained in a news release that Brady “forced” officers to arrest her because she was not cooperating. The department said in a statement, “These are very trying times and the Meridian Police Department supports the public’s right to assemble for peaceful protest, however the right does not include damaging public property or ignoring closures of City property and facilities.”
Idaho iCourt PortalSara Brady
Brady was arrested on one count of trespassing, a misdemeanor charge. According to the Idaho court records system, Brady is scheduled to appear before a judge on May 29.
3. Brady Protested at Meridian City Hall After Posting Bail
Brady was arrested around 4 p.m. on April 21. Inmate records show she was booked into jail around 5 p.m. and released two hours later. Records indicate she posted a bond.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation wrote on its website that Brady had been participating in a “playdate protest at Kleiner Park in Meridian.” The organization did not explicitly state whether the protest had been planned by a specific group or whether it was more spontaneous.
The organization also stated that after posting bond, Brady went to Meridian City Hall to continue protesting against the governor’s stay-at-home order. KBOI-TV reported that hundreds of people began demonstrating outside city hall following Brady’s arrest.
4. Brady Has Spoken Out Against State Immunization Requirements & Founded the Group ‘Idahoans For Vaccine Freedom’
Brady is a well-known figure in the Meridian community. She runs the Facebook group Idahoans for Vaccine Freedom and was previously associated with Health Freedom Idaho, a group that advocates for greater choice regarding medical decisions. (The organization’s executive director clarified that Brady has not been affiliated with Health Freedom Idaho since 2019).
Brady made headlines in 2017 in a dispute related to her decision not to vaccinate her own children. She enrolled her son at a private kindergarten that year after he was denied entry into a public school.
Brady explained to the Idaho Statesman that year that she did not want to fill out the exemption form the school required because it asked for information not required by state law. Instead, Brady wrote a statement explaining why she did not vaccinate her child. Her statement was written on a copy of the Idaho immunization statute. The school district initially insisted Brady fill out the provided exemption form before eventually reversing its decision. Brady asked for a public apology and decided to keep her son at the private school.
In August 2019, Brady spoke during a public hearing at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. She claimed that Idaho parents who chose not to vaccinate their children had been “marginalized” for their decision and called on state officials to consider feedback from all of its citizens. During the hearing, Brady told the story of a mother who said her baby girl died 48 hours after receiving vaccinations.
Shortly after addressing the Idaho Department of Health, Brady wrote an op-ed that was published by MagicValley.com. In the piece, she claimed state employees had “taken a side against parents in the vaccination debate.” Brady also expressed disappointment about claims that parents who don’t vaccinate are against science. She wrote in part:
Why is this issue being weaponized against a group of parents who are trying to do the best for their children? A parent should never have to experience such degradation after the injury or death of a child by vaccine. This type of treatment is not uncommon towards parents of vaccine-injured or deceased children, but it should be. It is especially offensive coming from public health employees whose job is to serve the citizens of Idaho, not bully or humiliate them, employees who seek to impose their extremist views on Idahoans while testifying on taxpayer dollars.
5. Idaho’s Stay-at-Home Order Prohibits Gatherings Of Any Size Unless For Essential Work
Screengrab/idahofreedom.org
At the time of writing, Brady had not posted about her arrest on Facebook, which has since been made a private account. But she expressed her opinion about the stay-at-home order imposed in Idaho with her profile photo: It reads “Disobey Idaho” and includes an image of a snake.
According to the Idaho state government, there were 1,766 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the state as of April 21, with 51 deaths.
Families in Idaho were ordered to self-isolate on March 25. The order has been extended until April 30. The director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare explained that “gatherings of individuals outside the home are prohibited.” The only exceptions are for “essential activities or essential travel or to perform work for essential businesses and government agencies or perform essential infrastructure work.”
READ NEXT: Coronavirus & Pets: Animals Help Reduce Anxiety, Studies Show