Las Vegas Tribune’s Victoria Giampa’s exclusive interviews with ‘The People’s Convoy’ truckers
‘The People’s Convoy’ stops in Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway
(Part one of a six-part series)
Victoria Giampa shares her conversations with some of the truckers, co-organizers, rally speakers, and attendees gathered in a peaceful protest against government mandates and restrictions. And they all thanked her for the chance to speak out.
(March 4-5)
Brian Brase, a co-organizer, demands government accountability and an end to vaccine mandates.
JOE SAUNDERS:
Where are you from, Joe?
Hagerstown
What brings you here?
What brings me here is ‘this’: …get rid of that guy we got in Washington and that whole bunch. I served this country for over 25 years and I want it back! Not where we’re going…we’re going to be just like they are over there today if we don’t get rid of some of ‘em. And we got to protect ‘this’ country and do it now!
ORLANDO CANALES, HD Paving & Seal Coating:
I’m not against…I mean, that Trump, he wants to protect this country. I mean, he got the right to do it — 100 percent. I wish every country the same way that he thinks, you know. And I also — again, about immigrants, they want a better future, you know, they like made it; so their job is to…you know, to get somewhere, to get like…I mean, to find ways to get somewhere in life. And Trump was…his job was to protect his borders, you know, that’s how I see it, but other than that, like I say…
And what do you think about this Freedom Convoy?
Oh, man, freedom country for me is like, in a lot of countries they don’t have freedom. If this country doesn’t have…if this country loses their freedoms, the whole world is going to be a problem. So, our last hope is God first of all, and then, God chose this country to spread the Gospel around the world. If you go in socialist, this country sends a lot of missionaries to different countries, that they have a good life; they don’t have to be in other countries; but you know what? This country…they sacrifice their people to send to different places, you know, to fight for their freedom.
So, I think in my opinion, that’s why I’m here today, you know, that I want to show people there’s always a way…I mean, to fight for freedom, you know. Everyone that should do their own part and no matter how…the military, they’re doing their part, they’re fighting for your freedom, for my freedom, and for everyone’s freedom. So, we’re doing our part today, showing up, spending money on diesel fuel…I mean, not going to work. This is one form to show the world that we care, that United States people, they’re together to fight for freedom. So, that makes Biden…that makes Biden think that United States of America is not going to take over…I mean, Republicans or Democrats, they got to know one thing, that when the people of the United States got together, they’re powerful; you know, and they’re going to see it, either tomorrow or Sunday; they’re going to see how powerful that…this country, when they got together.
AARON HART:
My name is Aaron Hart, and I’m here with Blue Skies for Good Guys and Gals, a foundation that supports wounded soldiers and fallen heroes. You know, and through all this, one thing we can’t forget is these people that died for our country, for our freedoms, and our freedoms to be taken away…I’m not going to let that go in vain.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to changes in this country; that’s what we need right now.
What kind of changes specifically?
I mean all kinds. I want to get back to pre-COVID, you know, where we could live our lives in freedom and just enjoy life instead of having to deal with mandates, bare shelves, and…stay away from our kids! No kids need a jab.
Where did you start the Convoy?
Michigan…well, Detroit. I hooked up with the Convoy coming from California and Ohio and then I came on down here this morning so I can get set up because I want to watch when they come in. They are a huge convoy coming this way; I’m telling you what…
And what time are they expected?
About six hours out. They are going slow, roll down the highway about 40 miles per hour; so, they’re three and a half, four hours away.
And are you in contact with them right now?
No, no. I know a couple of people that are in the convoy that I have on Facebook; they’re all getting fueled up right now, so they should be hitting the road right now actually. I think they said … yeah they’re just now rollin’ out.
SALLY TURNER:
What brought you here?
I just think everyone should stand up for their freedom. I have a whole team. We come out of Florida together…they’re 17 of us total . Well, 17 vehicles, 24 people. We all traveled together.
And do you intend to travel to Washington, D.C.?
We’re not going into D.C.; we’re going to stay on the outskirts of it. We’re going to obey all laws. We’re not going to cause no issues, no ruckus, anything like that; that’s not what we’re about.
How long have you been driving a truck?
Almost twenty years.
And your husband?
He’s been driving since 2010.
What would you like to see be the outcome of this Convoy?
I’d like to see us get our freedom back. I want our country back the way it was.
PAULA:
What brings you here?
To make a change. To make a change. It’s not just for us; it’s basically for the future of our kids and grandkids; so that’s why we’re doing all of this, you know, because people are losing their jobs, their homes, and all that, and at the end of the day they have no way to feed their families. So, if it’s not us, who else is going to go ahead and do it? You know, so we’re basically being the voice for those that can’t stand up. So, yeah, so that’s pretty much it. So, hopefully, it gets through, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones that provide everything to the grocery stores, and the markets, and the…anything, anything you order online…a trucker brings it.
How long have you been a truck driver?
It’s going to be two years.
What were you doing before being a truck driver?
…I was home taking care of the kids, studying and whatnot.
BILL CLARK, OREGON:
You’ve been traveling on your motorcycle?
I’ve been traveling on my motorcycle from the beginning, yeah.
What brought you here?
To be able to make a difference; I followed all the Canadian truckers and decided it was…I wanted to join The Convoy and so I did, and they liked me, so it turned out good.
Even though you’re riding a motorcycle they still like you?
They love me. Maybe, I might even be their mascot. It’s been good. We need to do something about the government.
So what can we do about it?
What can we do about the government?
…We can fire them, that would be good, but they need to be investigated, and there needs to be people going to jail. They’ve been lying to us. They’ve been lying to us for two years. This is not about a virus. It’s not about a mask. This is not about a shot. This is about control. That’s all they’re trying to do.
And money, greed and power.
Pfizer and government-owned patents, some of the patents on some of these drugs, and a lot of people are making a lot of money. The government has killed people by not allowing them to get hydroxychloroquine or get—I can’t think of the name — anyways, my doctor, he would have [had] his license taken away if he prescribed it to me in Oregon; that’s what they did.
There’s a mass psychosis going on; people wearing a mask…it isn’t real. Put a red dot on your forehead, that’ll protect you as much as a mask. I’m in the process of suing my — some businesses—over mask mandates, and you know, it’s wrong.
What do you do in Oregon?
I was in the hotel business and restaurant businesses, and now I’m not anymore.
So you’re about to sue someone?
I am. They need to flood the courts and get retribution for these things because it’s a lie. And anybody that doesn’t believe that, they’re not looking. You know, you can only help somebody if they want help. There has to be ‘a want.’ And all these mandates that they’ve done, where’s the proof of that? The science deniers are some of these educated people that won’t accept…that won’t look any further than the newspaper. And you know, if the janitor yells fire, do you have to make sure that it’s the manager and not the janitor before you accept it? You know, it’s a lie. We’ve been lied to.
Yes, we have. And it’s amazing that people have accepted it!
That’s right— and allowed their children to be masked also. It’s child abuse. …I believe now there’s more problems with people being vaccinated than not. The VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) reports, if they would look at those. You know, the media to me is mostly silent on anything that’s negative; it’s as if they’re the Pravda for the Soviets like they were. You know, our government — our media is hand-in-hand with the government; whatever they want, whatever they ask. I mean, it’s bizarre. Like, there’s nothing in the media; there’s very little in the media about this Convoy; it’s as if it’s not there, so they don’t report on it; so people don’t know. I call people and say, “Ask them about it,” and they go, “Oh, I haven’t heard about it.” It’s nuts! There’s tens and tens of thousands of people from Albuquerque, New Mexico, all the way to here. Every single bridge is full. There’s tens of thousands of people that showed up for these rallies: fire departments, police, escorts. It’s just nuts that they’re not — it’s really un-American. They’re not news organizations; they’re…they have an agenda and they don’t want ‘this’ to be heard because if people know about it, people ask about it, and there’s more people that want to participate. It’s incredible the people that are out here — the trucks. I talked to a guy in a restroom today at a rest stop so I could catch up with The Convoy ‘cause I have to get ahead of them, and then gas up, and then I got to get back to them, and I was talking to him. He said he had to get ahead of The Convoy and I thought he was part of it. I go, “Oh, well, they’re back there.” He said, “No, I gotta get ahead of them.” He goes, “I just got ahead of them a little while ago; I had to drive 160 miles — he counted 161 miles to get around them.
Incredible!
Yeah, and that’s right out of the blue he told me that.
What a great story!
Yeah, it is.
Do you think the truckers are getting their message across the country?
Well, we’ll see. There needs to be more reporting on it. I know there’s a lot going on in Ukraine and that’s a horrible thing.
But don’t you think that’s just a distraction, taking away from The Convoy story?
If you follow… you know, we’re looking at… it could be World War III. I mean, there’s some… Putin’s not a good guy. I have relatives in Ukraine there and they just got out. They went into Monrovia, so it’s … I’m not using the right words, so…
Well, it was very nice talking to you and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Next week in part two the interviews continue
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