Letters to the Editor: Why weren’t the right-wing anti-vaxxers at Dodger Stadium arrested?

To the editor: The recent demonstration against COVID-19 vaccination at Dodger Stadium shows the legacy of the Donald Trump years in encouraging public displays of scientific ignorance.

As a physician, I have seen my senior patients struggle to find scarce appointments for the potentially lifesaving vaccine. I can only imagine the fear and frustration of those at Dodger Stadium who saw a mob bring orderly vaccine administration to a halt.

Deluded extremists have a right to demonstrate their ignorance, but they have no right to block public access to a healthcare facility. The police should arrest those who violate the healthcare rights of the public.

Daniel Stone, M.D., Los Angeles

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To the editor: I was so thrilled to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Dodger Stadium last week, I almost jumped out of my car to hug the lovely Los Angeles Fire Department employee who gave me my shot.

The line was long but superbly well organized. I had plenty of time to look at other drivers and passengers. Many were driven there by younger family members, and some were in Lyft and Uber cars.

To have this process disrupted by maskless marauders in a public health crisis is nothing less than criminal. Why weren’t they arrested? Why won’t the LAPD at least enforce the mask requirement?

Andrea Grossman, Beverly Hills

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To the editor: The protesters who disrupted operations at the Dodger Stadium vaccination site should have been cited by police.

Whether or not the protesters were physically nonviolent, they clearly blocked the progress of vaccinations, delaying and frustrating a large number of people who were patiently waiting for their shots. These fringe fanatics attempted to subvert public health efforts that are crucial now.

It’s sickening when a group of irrational and anti-science people continue to perpetuate falsehoods and stoke unwarranted fear in the community. In this case, it appears they were also allowed by the authorities to block, harass and proselytize so many people who simply wanted to protect themselves and advance the cause of public health.

This is another example of the harmful disinformation and crazy conspiracy theories flooding our country and polluting the public discourse. Whether the effect of that is risking public health or undermining our democracy, our country needs to penalize those who put us all at risk.

T.R. Jahns, Hemet

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To the editor: If I am in line to get a vaccine to combat COVID-19 virus and anti-vaxxers hinder that, they should be punished no less than someone who did not pull over when an ambulance went by.

It might even be seen as a form of kidnapping, holding me against my will from getting the medical attention I have freely chosen for myself or my family.

Caroline Brown, Sierra Madre