Intense Encounter At Purge the Pedos Protest

There were multiple protests in Sonora on the Second Saturday of February 7, 2026 and a notable encounter witnessed at one of them. About 30 gathered at the four corners of Greenley and Mono Way in what the organizer of that protest says will be a weekly event every Saturday into the future. There were at least a dozen protestors on the Highway 108 overpass with "No ICE" and "U.S. is not ok" signs. There were also 20 protesters at Courthouse Park in Downtown Sonora from noon to 2 pm.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester, showing Renee Orth, the organizer of the Courthouse Park protest, holding a sign that not everyone honked to.

While the number was small, the Courthouse Park protest was called Purge the Pedos — a reference to the Epstein Files and the issue of pedophiles who are being shielded while the victims continue to be revealed and not necessarily protected.

The event's organizer, Sonora resident Renee Orth, felt the topic "needed its own thing." She wanted specifically to bring attention to the fact that "men in power perceive the rest of the world as disposable." She also saw the topic as not a Democrat or Republican issue but a unifying idea everyone could support. Doesn't every decent person want children to be protected from pedophiles? They certainly need their day in court.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. Cool dude in frog suit holding a sign at the protest in Sonora on February 7, 2026.

The Encounter

There was one very intense encounter between a female Sonora resident and protester in her 20s, who asked not be identified, and a male resident of the county and member of the public who appeared to be in his 60s. The man was walking along the sidewalk talking to protesters, noting he was just there to see what the protest was all about.

He approached the woman and read her three-foot-tall sign which read:

"Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters." — Frederick Douglass

The design of the quote is in the shape of Frederick Douglass's bust and was created by Rick Frausto, an artist who specializes in black and white pen and ink illustrations focused on themes of social justice, climate justice, and pop culture.

The man indicated he wanted to see the other side of the protester's sign, which was also a Frausto design — white text inside a silhouette of President Donald Trump's head that says:

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." — Voltaire (origin via the Cato Institute)

After reading both sides of the sign the man stated he knew who Voltaire was but he didn't know who Frederick Douglass was. The woman said, "You should know your history." The man responded he knew "quite a lot about history."

At this point the conversation took an intensely personal turn. The protester noted that the man should remember her, even indicating that the reason he approached her was because he recognized her, and she felt he was there as an agitator. The man defended his intentions to understand the nature of the protest.

To which the protester loudly and clearly, while struggling to keep composure, explained: the protest is about the newly released Epstein files, how there are pedophiles running our country, and that she, her boyfriend, and all 20 protesters are against pedophilia in general. She reminded him that her sister, at age 17, was — as recently as two years ago — dating his 25-year-old son, who cheated on her with a younger teenage girl.

The man didn't react to the woman's words and was mostly quiet for a little while. He did not confirm or deny what she said and in summary concluded he didn't mean for his presence there to agitate her so much. She said

He then said, "You know where you should be protesting? You should not be protesting at Courthouse Park — you should go to Santa Clara because there are going to be many, many pedophiles there."

Super Bowl LX, featuring Puerto Rican native Bad Bunny, was set to be held the following day.

The protester instantly retorted, exasperated, "There are many pedophiles right here in Sonora!" The situation was defused when the man sauntered away down the street.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. Lady with sign at the Courthouse Park protest in Sonora on February 7, 2026.

When the event organizer heard about the encounter she said she did not know the man and saw the encounter from a distance. There was no police presence in the area that was noted.

I had recognized the man and followed him as he verbally sparred with some of the young male protestors. As he started to take on the young lady, I stood by, watchful, as she adeptly challenged his premise and delivered her very serious message to him.

It takes courage to speak truth to power. When I was her age, I could never find the words to express what I had endured; nor would our culture "allow" women to speak of such abuse. I live and stand witness and testify to the stories, and to defend the women who tell them. Yes, abusers, predators, stalkers, and pedophiles live in this community. I stood without a sign, timid about the issue, but willing to witness the next generation expressing their outrage.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. Sign that says Chomos which is short for child molesters.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. A couple of young protesters at the Courthouse Park protest in Sonora on February 7, 2026.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. Sign depicting the drawing Donald Trump made in a birthday card for Jeffrey Epstein, which clearly shows that Trump was a very close friend of Epstein's.

Photo by Laurie Sylwester. Sign clearly depicting that Trump is a pedophile.