Arrests at weekend protest are decried at Modesto police review board meeting
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Monica Flores.
Around two dozen people showed up at Tenth Street Plaza on Wednesday afternoon to decry arrests made during a protest Saturday in Modesto. Six people were arrested for violating local laws on public assemblies and obstruction of law enforcement, according to the Modesto Police Department.
One protest began at Tenth Street Plaza, moved to Graceada Park — where the “No Kings” demonstration took place — and ended at the Five Points intersection. Thousands of people had showed up to protest President Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration policies.
Those arrested ranged in age from 20 to 50. Some were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and obstructing officers. The majority were arrested for violating restrictions on the use of specified items during a public assembly — notably for wearing masks.
Modesto Municipal Code lists 19 items that “no person shall utilize, carry, or possess” while attending or participating in any “demonstration, rally, protest, counter-protest, picket line, march, or public assembly.” Among those include glass bottles, tactical vests, baseball bats and masks — “except for coverings worn due to religious beliefs, practices or observances or due to medical necessity.”
At the start of the protest, five police cars were stationed across from the plaza and an officer read aloud the municipal code sections that would be enforced. Around noon, the department also posted a list of applicable codes on its Facebook page. However, that post did not include the provision banning facial coverings.
Wednesday’s gathering occurred before the Community Police Review Board meeting, where the participants intended to present a list of demands including dismissal of charges for the six people arrested, a full repeal of the mask ordinance, an independent investigation into the conduct of the Modesto Police Department and “an end to targeted political repression of Black, brown, immigrant and radical voices,” according to a news release sent by the Central Valley Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Coalition (CVBIPOCC) and Valley Improvement Projects, which organized the rally.
Demonstrators on Wednesday carried signs that said, “The 1st Amendment has no dress code,” while chanting in between speakers.
Julissa Ruiz Ramirez, co-founder of CVBIPOCC, spoke first and alleged that the police had targeted the group unjustly for the masks while other masked participants in the larger No Kings rally were not detained.
“While other gatherings here in Modesto went undisturbed, ours was met with intimidation and arrest,” she said. “The police knew tensions were high, what was needed was deescalation, what they chose was provocation. Their conduct only heightened fear, anger and frustration in an already volatile political climate. The methods used — masked officers, plainclothed individuals and unmarked vehicles — mirror the very ICE tactics that we are fighting against. This is not public safety. This is repression.”
She said three of the people arrested were homeless. They were held for 12 hours in detention and missed their curfew at the shelter. She said CVBIPOCC assisted with food and lodging when they were released.
A speaker who identified himself only as Isaac was one of those arrested. He spoke of being alone in a cell for hours and said, “They treated me like an animal. They put me in shackles at least three times, and it was not needed. I repeatedly told the officers I was not a threat, yet they would not stop with their aggressiveness.”
Two other people who were arrested also spoke about their experience, including Stephen Allen. He accused the police of breaking his finger during the arrest. He said he requested medical assistance at the jail but did not receive it and was driven to the emergency room by members of CVBIPOCC after he was released.
Ralliers move in to Community Police Review Board meeting
After Wednesday’s rally, members made their way into the city-county government building, Tenth Street Place, to testify at the Community Police Review Board meeting. Between members of CVBIPOCC and the public, the CPRB meeting had about 60 people in attendance. Typically, the audience for CPRB meetings is no more than a dozen. Public comments took up a large portion of the meeting.
Many in the audience wore masks. They chanted “No justice, no peace. No racist police” after every speaker finished. Public speakers said MPD’s enforcement of the ordinance banning facial coverings at protests was excessive and the tactics officers used were frightening.
Monica Flores, one of the public speakers, said what she saw was unlike anything she’d experienced before. Flores said she witnessed two of the arrests and watched police exit their vehicles in tactical gear with weapons drawn at the beginning of the protest on 10th Street.
The firearms likely were loaded with rubber bullets, Flores said, but the effect of having them pointed at such a short range was concerning.
“This was very fast, very aggressive and it was intentional,” Flores said. “And I’m shooken up, because I just never experienced that before. ... This is very different, and it’s scary.”
Allen said he was arrested during the march from 10th Street to Graceada Park after he took pictures of the license plates of unmarked police cars. Allen said that during his arrest, his finger was broken. After being arrested, he was taken to a holding location before being transferred to the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
Allen said during his time in MPD custody, he was never told on what charges he was arrested. Eventually, after being taken to jail, he learned he was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of law enforcement.
“I and the other arrestees were just there out of love for our community, and we were the victims of political targeted arrests,” said Allen.
After the CPRB meeting, which Police Chief Brandon Gillespie attended, the Modesto Police Department released this statement: “Laws and municipal codes regarding public assemblies are designed to protect the right to protest with the need to ensure public safety. The city ordinance regulating specific conduct at public assemblies has been in place for several years. Expectations to adhere to the law were communicated clearly and consistently — through in-person warnings, PA announcements and online messaging. Enforcement actions were taken against individuals who willfully refused to abide lawful orders. Given the safety concerns of recent protests throughout the state, this approach helped maintain a safe and orderly environment for the vast majority of attendees who came to lawfully exercise their rights.”
Modesto is one of just three cities in California with a local ordinance that explicitly restricts mask-wearing at protests. The other two are Oakland and Lomita. Stockton is considering a ban on ski masks as part of a broader effort to reduce crime.
Modesto first passed the ordinance in 2019 after MPD asked for it ahead of a proposed straight-pride rally that year. Two years later, the City Council added to the list of items banned at protests, demonstrations and other public assemblies. That update included metal containers, gas masks and riot gear.
“The enforcement of the mask ban feels extremely hypocritical while our community members are being taken away by masked men with no agency identification,” said Eli Coleman, one of the protesters arrested for wearing a mask.
Many people at the protest Saturday were seen wearing masks but were not detained. Coleman said he believes he was targeted because he was one of organizers of the event.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM.
