The support of freedom | Hartsville
Honk for Freedom and the Patriot Cowboy Coffee Time Show (podcast) sponsored a freedom rally on Saturday and Sunday at Trey Park in Hartsville.
The organization, Honk for Freedom, was created during the COVID pandemic when it connected with truckers who participated in the American Freedom Convoy protests, believing that governmental restrictions during the pandemic had become far overreaching, resulting in a divided country.
“We want Americans to understand that the only way to have the country we used to have — we the people, for the people, and by the people — is for hate to stop,” said Alabama resident and rally co-organizer Randell Griesenbeck. “We don’t want any more hate narratives. We are here to show everybody that we are not what is being promoted by a lot of the mainstream media. We are standing up for people’s rights. We are not violent. We are not aggressive, we are not going to go out and burn down a city. We are here to love one another. Today is not about blue or red, black or white. It’s not about what religion you are.”
Although local attendance at the rally was low, which resulted in a smaller-than-expected crowd, the message was conveyed with conviction.
“We have people from Nebraska, Utah, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Texas … we have people from everywhere,” said Hartsville resident and rally co-organizer Melisha Morgan D’Arias. “But I’m really disappointed in Hartsville for not showing up. Don’t tell me you support what I’m doing and not show up in Hartsville, Tennessee, your hometown, to support your children’s freedom.”
D’Arias and Griesenbeck first connected through Honk for Freedom when Griesenbeck viewed a video of D’Arias on social media. It was then that the two decided to collaborate.
“We both wanted unity,” said D’Arias. “He (Griesenbeck) was going to do a rally in Alabama, and I was going to do one here. So we said, ‘Let’s just join forces.’ ”
In joining forces for the Hartsville rally, the duo decided to invite several well-known freedom fighters as special guests.
“The reason we picked a lot of these (people) is because we get a lot of bad spots in the media as to who we are as Americans,” said Griesenbeck. “(For example), Lady Maga USA is a drag queen artist that speaks against the grooming (of children) and the promotion of things that are being taught to children today. He’s a great speaker and is loved throughout America. We also have Joey Gibson, the founder of Patriot Prayer, out of Portland, Oregon.”
In 2019, Gibson was accused of being a terrorist and inciting a riot in Portland and was arrested. However, after a three-year pursuit, a Portland judge acquitted Gibson of the charges.
“I’m here from Vancouver, Washington, about five minutes from Portland, Oregon,” said Gibson. “They wanted to bring me out here to tell my story about what it’s like to be an outspoken follower of Christ and a conservative near Portland … and how they slandered my name. (They want to know) what it’s like to be outspoken in some of these areas of the country.
“It is absolutely insane what I went through, being called a white supremacist, being charged with a riot. For three years, they lied saying I was violent and never was. I finally just got acquitted…thank God.”
But Gibson’s message sent a warning to the more conservative states throughout the US
“I know down in the South — in Tennessee and in other places — they forget what is coming towards them,” said Gibson. “I am fine when people protest. What’s more American than that? But (in places like Portland), they take over the streets. (During one protest), I remember seeing a pregnant woman in a car driving and just being bombarded by all these (protesters). She was crying because people were blocking her, and a guy took a bat to her windshield. But in that culture, in Portland, they find that acceptable. That upset me. I was right there. I saw the whole thing happen.”
In addition to Gibson and Lady Maga USA, other special guests at the freedom rally included: musician Steve Spurgeon; 2022 gubernatorial candidate from Georgia Jonathan Garcia; and Curtis Carney, who attempted to throw his hat into the ring as a Tennessee gubernatorial candidate.
Nevertheless, although the number of attendees at the rally was not as high as expected, D’Arias and Griesenbeck are not deterred. They plan to continue their work by organizing future rallies throughout the country.