Rossmoor retirees rail against property management restricting residents' free speech
A retirement community in Walnut Creek might be the last place you'd expect a political protest to play out, but people living in Rossmoor say management is silencing their right to free speech.
On Wednesday, senior citizens from the Rossmoor community hit the streets to fight against the new policies they say restrict their free speech. For many of them, it seemed like old times.
More than 9,000 seniors live in Rossmoor, and they enjoy a peaceful, bucolic lifestyle. But that doesn't mean they're unaware of the problems of the rest of the world.
"What do we want? Free speech! When do we want it? Now!" chanted a group of about 40 residents gathered outside the East Bay retirement community's front gate.
They were protesting a new set of policies for the development, intended to promote safety and civility.
One of them prohibits any demonstrations at the corner of Rossmoor Parkway and Golden Rain Road. That is the same location where resident Mary Ellen Ratcliff spent two hours a day, five days a week, for four years quietly holding signs promoting various social justice issues like "Black Lives Matter" and "No Racism, No White Privilege."
She said she never meant to provoke anyone.
"It wasn't as if I decided, 'I'm going to stay out there for four years, look how brave I am.' It was more like, well, it's another week and things look pretty horrible in the world. I better go out on my corner and get the happy smiles," said Ratcliff.
A few weeks ago, a pair of women with differing political views, got into a fight at the pickle ball courts. It caused an uproar in the normally peaceful community. In response, the managers -- a group called Golden Rain Foundation -- drew up new rules limiting the times, location and frequency of demonstrations, prohibiting gatherings entirely at Mary Ellen Ratcliff's corner.
They also banned political commentaries in the community newspaper and will censor provocative words from any of the articles, according to the protestors.
"We try to submit articles about Gaza and they say, 'Well, you can't...' -- this was a couple months back -- 'You can't even use the word Gaza, because it's controversial,'" said resident and pro-Palestinian activist Nancy Castille.
"They don't want any unpleasantness," said Marilyn McEwen, one of the banned political columnists. "Lots of people riding around in golf carts, going to the club meetings, not taking things like our civil liberties seriously."
Under the new policy, protestors must get a permit and are confined to one area with a maximum of two demonstrations per month. Signs displaying "inflammatory" content can be excluded. In a written statement, GRF General Manager Jeff Matheson said, "the policy is meant to provide structure to the process, rather than limit residents ability to conduct demonstrations."
But protest organizer Michael Goldberg said what they're really doing is treating the senior residents like children.
"They're infantilizing u, with the idea that we can't express ourselves. They know better," said Goldberg.
But these aren't just any senior citizens. This is the generation that hit the streets to protest the war in Vietnam and social injustice for women and minorities. These people remember what it was like to change the world.
"Many people here were involved in protests in the Bay Area in the past, and they certainly haven't forgotten," said 80-year-old Ron Kalb. "Although I think the GRF would hope that we have."
It's ironic. 50 years, ago they were considered young radicals. Now, in their 70s and 80s, they're still being told to "get off our lawn."
Rossmoor isn't the only place in Contra Costa County where there's been recent conflict over political speech.
Political groups have used the El Curtola overpass in Lafayette to share their message with drivers on Highway 24. There were heated confrontations after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last month.
Caltrans has posted a sign on the overpass saying it is unlawful to post flags and signs without a permit.