The priorities these days, they seem skewed.

It has become something of a recognizable punchline from media outlets reporting on the riots and social disturbances that they stress desperately to point out the peaceful nature of most of the protestors. Ignore the government building going up in flames, hundreds more people held signs and used the 1st Amendment peacefully, goes the narrative. Well in the unfortunately named Moscow, Idaho there was in fact a legitimately peaceful protest.

And arrests were made as a result. Media outrage is nowhere to be found. In fact, hardly any media at all covered this activity.

In the town of Moscow residents have become increasingly frustrated with the lockdown mandates. Beginning in the summer there have been protests against the political orders, and another was staged this week outside of the City Hall. A local church and other figures from the community gathered in the streets and sang hymns, and recited passages from the book of Psalms. This dire event led to 5 people being cited and three arrests.

While Idaho has not been as militant over the pandemic restrictions the town of Moscow has been stricter. There is a mandate that masks be worn at all times indoors and outside in public areas. The city council recently extended this order to remain in effect until into January 2021. Three arrested were booked after refusing to show the police proper identification. One of those taken into custody was Gabriel Rench, who is running this November for one of the commission seats.

This scene is in stark contrast to those we have seen the past months with angry marchers, violent looting, and other social crimes being defended by many. Here you have a gathering that was by every identifiable measure peaceful, and brief — the organizers intended for the singing and brief invocation to last 30 minutes or so. But because they were in defiance of local political orders — not laws, mind you — arrests were involved.

“You guys should not be doing this,” Wrench, who is a local radio personality, is heard saying to the officers as he is escorted to a squad car. “And doing this kind of crap for the mayor, this is embarrassing. You guys are stronger than this.”

It is quite the juxtaposition of what a peaceful gathering leads to and how we have been sold the images of rampant and persistent violence taking place in numerous other cities across the country.