Spiffy’s advertises a peaceful protest on their billboard Wednesday night in Chehalis.
Kelli Stewart of People’s Rights Washington poses with a sign during a peaceful protest at Spiffy’s Restaurant and Bakery in South Chehalis on Wednesday.
The parking lot of Spiffy’s in Napavine was full Wednesday night — partly with customers, and partly with residents waiting for Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) officers to return to the restaurant, which reopened indoor dining Monday, flouting statewide orders meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
According to facebook posts and owner Rod Samuelson, L&I staff arrived at the restaurant earlier that afternoon, telling staffers that the restaurant had to close its doors, and that they would return in two hours. Samuelson has been vocal about his reopening of the restaurant in defiance of state COVID-19 orders — in an interview this week, he said he had a “plan b” for when L&I visited to address the restaurant’s violations.
“Our manager made a real loud statement in the restaurant. Said ‘ladies and gentlemen, L&I is here, and they want us to close,’” Samuelson said. He described customers standing up and approaching the L&I personnel, who eventually left. “I said ‘they’re not gonna be back. Not today.’”
Even so, a “call to action” soon spread through social media, one asking for “supporters to film and keep the peace” when L&I returned. Kelli Stewart said she brought 20 people from Clark County, making an hour and a half drive. Stewart got a “call to action” through the organization she works with, People’s Rights — a new organization headed by anti-government activist Ammon Bundy, who famously led a 2016 armed occupation and standoff with the federal government in Oregon.
Stewart said the plan now is to figure out which L&I employee is “targeting” Spiffy’s, to find his home, and to protest outside. It’s a tactic People’s Rights has employed before. Stewart noted that the organization also supports Mossyrock, which recently passed an ordinance stating the city “will not recognize” Gov. Jay Inslee’s newest round of COVID-19 restrictions — an ordinance local and state officials say holds no water and does not supersede state mandates.
“We’ll stand behind the city 100 percent,” she said. “It should always be up to a local jurisdiction.”
One protester, who would not give their name, expressed frustration that stores like Walmart are still open, but locally-owned restaurants are being restricted.
“We don’t believe the lie anymore,” they told The Chronicle. “The government doesn’t tell us what to do, they work for us.”
Beth Corder came with her boyfriend, who lives just down the road from Spiffy’s, to waive American flags by the road in front of the restaurant. She said she raised her kids on Spiffy’s food, and would hate to see it go under.
When L&I did not return, many people began filing out around 6:30 p.m.
According to Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza, L&I requested assistance on their way out of the situation, but the sheriff’s office hasn’t “made a determination” as to whether they will accompany L&I officers should they return. It will depend on the circumstances, Snaza said.
This “breaks with precedent,” said Mike Faulk, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, noting that it’s standard practice for L&I to request law enforcement to act as “civil standby” when carrying out enforcement actions.
Thursday morning, as more armed protesters gathered in the parking lot, Faulk said he wasn’t aware of any plan to deploy the state patrol, despite rumors that they would be visiting Spiffy’s.
