⚰️ RIP Club Legends + Business Opening in Protests
Beloved LGBT club closes down, blue lives matter apparently and Coronavirus cases reaches over 10k. Here's what happened in Fresno the week of July 20.
☀️ Hello, Fresno! It is Sunday, July 26, 2020.
July is really almost over. This year has simultaneously been the slowest and fastest year. I’m going to be honest, most of this week’s stories are bummers. Just bummers. No good news. But that seems on par with how 2020 is going. We are stacking the Ls left and right. Welp, here goes.
-Ram 🧡
Here’s what the heck happened in Fresno this week
Fresno By Five
⚰️ RIP Club Legends
Off-top, we want to pay respects to Legends, the club beloved by The Gays. Its closure was unceremoniously announced on Club Legends’ Facebook page with a photo of a “FOR SALE” sign in front of their building. It’s actually just the photo. No words. Just pain. Pain.
The only formal statement of the owner, Jeff Ho, was a reply to a rude comment. Here is the baller exchange on Facebook:
ID: Facebook screenshot. Danette Wilkerson says “Good riddance to overpriced entry and drinks” to which Jeff Ho, Legends owner, replies “on behalf of my staff and myself, we will be so happy, not having to deal with people like you. Have a nice day.”
And now for a few words commemorating Legends’ passing. We reached out to one of Legends’ frequent denizens, Zenaido Zamora, to say a few words.
Saying goodbye is hard. It is even harder to do when forced to without warning. Today, I say goodbye to Club Legends, a space special not only to me, but to the queer community in the Central Valley.
Am I being dramatic? Maybe, but I truly am saddened by the news of the club’s closure. The COVID-19 Pandemic has seen the fall of many establishments, and Club Legends was sadly not immune. It is easy to disregard a nightclub as a space for pure entertainment, but that was not the case here.
Gay clubs throughout history have been places of communion for the queer community. Here we got to actually see our community out in the open, not living stealthily out of fear of rejection or violence. It is hard enough for queer BIPOC in the Central Valley to find a space where they feel comfortable to be themselves. At least in the confines of a hot, sweaty nightclub blasting all kinds of music, one can feel free to be as the winds on a beach.
I will never forget riding a mechanical bull during Fresno Pride, jumping into the swimming pool wearing only a speedo, seeing my friends perform in drag, or just the joy I would feel when the DJ would play “1 Thing” by Amerie or some other throwback banger.
Since turning 21, I have been to plenty of gay nightclubs and parties, all with varying degrees of enjoyment. I was hoping that after all of this is over, I would celebrate with my loved ones by getting trashed on that open dancefloor once again at my first gay club. Unfortunately that is not the case. One thing is certain. I will miss Club Legends.
-Zenaido Zamora
🚓 The Very-Not-So-Political Blue Lives Matter Protest
200 people gathered and marched in downtown Fresno to claim “Blue Lives Matter” on Thursday, July 23. The event organizer, one Tom Hardin, made it explicitly clear that it wasn’t political. He asked: “Do you see any Black Lives Matter stuff or anything around here?" The protesters held up very non-political signs such as, “Defund politicians. Support our police,” and “vote MAGA.” Very not political. Not a smidge of politics on those signs. None at all.
Extended reading on this topic: https://www.whybluelivesmatter.com
🛐 ‘Let Us Worship’
In the spirit of gatherings in the COVID Era, another hundred people were just vibing out to God in front of City Hall yesterday in downtown Fresno. The protest/worship service was a part of musician and activist Sean Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour that protests the silencing of Christianity. Fresno was the latest stop with the tour continuing to San Diego then further east into Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
💔 Another BLM Mural Defaced
Another Black Lives Matter mural has been defaced, this time in northwest Fresno. The muralist Le’Voghn “Levi” Hills discovered the damage early Monday morning, July 20: the word “Black” was blacked out. The mural has been complete since July 11 on West and Shaw. Hills wrote a message to the vandals on the very wall they defaced: “We forgive you. Your hate won’t stop our persistence.”
💇 Haircut… but outside
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that hair and nail salons can operate outside. The new guidelines state that “outdoor operations may be conducted under a tent, canopy, or other sun shelter as long as no more than one side is closed, allowing sufficient outdoor air movement.”
Tye Featherstone, the founder of the Great American Barbershop, claims that operating his barbershop outside is a “protest” against Gov. Newsom. I do not understand how that is a protest. The rule is that you CAN operate outside. How is it a protest if you are just following the rules? It would be a protest if he did operate inside. But then again this is from the same man who claimed that barbers are first responders. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
💪 Do you even lift? Fit Republic Opens
Onto a real business that is “protesting,” Fit Republic opened its doors despite the state-mandated order to close gyms. Christopher Montoya, owner of Fit Republic, says there was popular demand to open up and cites that if Walmart can open, so can they. Fit Republic was promptly cited of their violation of the governor’s orders from the Fresno City Attorney’s Office.
🛑 Restaurant Closures due to COVID-19
A couple of Fresno eateries have closed down due to an employee contracting COVID-19. First, the Ampersand Ice Cream at Herndon and Marks closed its doors on Monday, July 20. Second, Castillo’s Mexican Food in southeast Fresno also had an employee test positive according to their Facebook post on July 21.
💪 Who’s Running For Office in Fresno?
Election season is fast approaching and it’s not just congressional seats at play. There are also seats open on school and community college boards in Fresno and Clovis. The folks over at The Fresno Tea have created this master list of all the candidates running. Some notable candidates are Dary Rezvani, former congressional candidate for the 22nd Congressional District, and Chris Milton, Clovis businessman and community activist. Both are running for seats on the State Center Community College board. There are still seats open for Clovis Unified and Central Unified. If you are interested in running, the filing date closes on August 7. For more information on running check out: https://runforsomething.net/
😷 The Coronavirus Section: We broke 10k Positive Cases
As of July 25, the most recent data available at the time of writing, there have been a total of 12,564 (+2,619 from last week) total confirmed cases and 112 (+12) deaths in Fresno County. Since Fiveby has started tracking these numbers, this week sets a new record for most positive cases in a week. A total of 3,314 (+982) people have recovered.
Community Regional Medical center reported that 104 of its workers tested positive for COVID-19 and another 219 were already in isolation.
More children are contracting Covid says Valley Children’s Healthcare CEO, Todd Suntrapak, despite popular belief children do not get it. 12% of all COVID-19 cases are kids 0-17. Dr. David Christensen, senior vice president of medical affairs and chief physician for Valley Children’s, says he will only be comfortable sending kids back to school once a vaccine has been developed.
The Latino Legislative Caucus sent a letter to Gov. Newsom this week to require businesses to report infection rates and how relief funds are being used. They specifically mentioned Fresno County and they alleged they had failed to meet the needs of rural communities, disproportionately affecting Latino workers in the process.
A longer but essential read: Yesenia Amaro of the Fresno Bee details the emails from Fresno businesses pushing for reopening during early-late May.