Annie Bukacek Concerns from Cherilyn DeVriesFrom:Cherilyn DeVries
To:Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]
Date:Monday, April 20, 2020 3:43:13 PM
Dear Kalispell City Council members,
I am writing to inform you that I am asking Flathead County Commissioners to remove Dr.
Annie Bukacek from the board of the Flathead City-County Health Department.
Early this month, Dr. Bukacek released a video claiming that the CDC was encouraging
hospitals and physicians to over-report deaths from COVID-19 and then organized a
protest in front of Kalispell City Hall claiming that the city council’s vote to declare a state of
emergency was an attempt to declare martial law. I will let medical professionals speak to
the exact reasons that her claims about the CDC were incorrect, but this misinformation
has traveled through the Flathead Valley, creating animosity toward local officials, the
health department, and the hospitals for supporting recommendations on social distancing
and staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The reason that Love Lives Here is speaking out about this issue is that Dr. Bukacek is
using the attention from her actions to promote anti-government, sovereign citizen talking
points that are promoted by extremists like Ammon Bundy, militias like Oath Keepers and
Three Percenters, and others. Instead of promoting solutions that would preserve public
health and calm fears, Dr. Bukacek is spreading information that strategies that the public
department is recommending to contain the virus are actually harming them. For example,
she shared this meme with the comment “TRUTH!”: “Quarantine is when you restrict the
movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people.”
The problem here is not opinions or speech, it is deliberate actions.
Dr. Bukacek has organized and attended local meetings that repeat sovereign citizen
talking points. Leaders discussed ways that they could convince local business owners to
defy health department orders to close non-essential businesses. Her comments are
creating animosity in the community that are leading to threats of local officials and, like her
meme, suggest that armed resistance is a legitimate option to preserve freedom.
Love Lives Here is also concerned by claims by County Commissioner Phil Mitchell that
County Commissioners Pam Holmquist and Randy Brodehl are refusing to approve the
topic of Dr. Bukacek’s actions as an agenda item in the future. We need to have a public
discussion of the ways that public health and public safety are being threatened by Dr.
Bukacek’s actions.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share the perspective of Love Lives Here and
many concerned citizens in Kalispell and the Flathead Valley.
Cherilyn DeVries
Community Organizer, Love Lives Here in the Flathead
Sources
MHRN report
http://mhrn.org/2020/04/09/bukacek/
Rolling Stone article
Sovereign citizens
Dr. Bukacek admits to being a sovereign citizen here
https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2020/apr/19/an-interview-with-dr-ann-bukacek-who-
claims-10/
More information on sovereign citizens
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-
movement
Sovereign citizens -- patriot groups/anti-government extremists
The Oregon standoff
https://www.njhomelandsecurity.gov/analysis/oregonstandoff
Local activity
Extremists in Whitefish, October 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/14/ammon-bundy-republicans-far-right-
figures-montana-anti-government-event
MHRN report on speakers at This West is Our West event
https://mhrn.org/2018/09/25/codeofwest/
--
Cherilyn DeVries
Organizer/media relations
Love Lives Here in the FlatheadPronouns: she/her/hers
info@loveliveshereflathead406-209-3457