This is the seventh in a series of stories of people losing their jobs because they have declined to take the required Covid-19 vaccination. The identities of these workers are being kept confidential because they fear reprisal. More stories will be included in future editions of this series as it continues this week. Previous interviews in this series are listed at the bottom of this story. Send your story to [email protected].
Bethel has a chronic police shortage. The city of 6,470 souls, on a good day, has trouble finding people to serve in law enforcement. The police department, always in recruitment mode, has a women and Native preference hire policy, and it’s now requiring all officers and staff to be vaccinated for Covid-19. That narrows things in a town that is a hub community for Western Alaska.
The vaccine mandate policy went into effect for all city workers on Sept. 27, and since then, Investigator Vincent Garay has been cooling his heels back in Wasilla, where he lives when not on his two-week shift. Half of the Bethel Police force lives out of Bethel, and several live in Georgia or Minnesota.
Garay, who immigrated from the Philippines decades ago, has served in law enforcement for 27 years. Last year, he joined the Bethel police force after serving as the chief of police in Fort Yukon. Much of the work in Bethel policing consists of dealing with drunks, drugged-out people, and domestic violence, but his work covers the gambit; earlier this year he was giving a commendation award for giving rides at a carnival in town so children could see the inside of the police car.
But as a devout Roman Catholic, he is declining to get the vaccine and he filed for a religious exemption. One of his colleagues asked for a religious exemption as well and was granted one. Garay’s request was turned down. Garay thinks it is because his colleague is nondenominational, while as a practicing Roman Catholic, Garay thinks his request was denied because the Archdiocese of New York has given approval for Catholics to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
Garay says it doesn’t matter what the New York Archdiocese says on the vaccine, or what the Pope says, for that matter. Garay believes that because the development of the vaccine used aborted fetal tissue, he won’t have it injected into his body. It’s contrary to his pro-life beliefs, grounded in his faith. He basis his belief on the New Testament Revelations 13 and the “mark of the beast.”
The mandate came down a few weeks after an initial action two months ago by the police department. All employees were divided into lists of “vaccinated,” “unvaccinated,” and “declined to say.” Garay declined to say.
Those in the category of “unvaccinated” or “declined to say” were mandated to be tested for Covid every time they started their two-week rotation.
But then came the new mandate covering all city employees: Vaccinate, or be placed on administrative leave for seven days, without pay. If the employee still refuses, he or she will be placed on 30-day administrative leave. After that, they won’t be scheduled to work; essentially, they will be fired.
Garay was placed on leave; his gun and badge were taken away from him. That’s never happened to him in his entire law enforcement career.
As of the Sept. 27 deadline, six City of Bethel employees faced being fired for refusing the vaccine. Before that deadline, seven police officers were not vaccinated, but now all but two have gotten the vaccine. One got a religious exemption, but not Garay. His was denied on Sept. 29 by the city’s Human Resources director.
Garay is not quitting. He will require the City of Bethel to fire him, if it comes to that. Four other employees of the city face firing, which is 5 percent of the city’s workforce.
“It’s about conviction,” Garay said. “I was born in the Philippines. I am Filipino Roman Catholic, ultra conservative. I don’t even eat an hour before receiving Holy Communion.” Garay has also asked for a medical exemption because of a severe allergy to aspirin. Although the vaccine for Covid doesn’t contain aspirin, he is taking no chances. His doctor would not sign the form after testing him for antibodies, so he withdrew his request for a medical exemption.
In addition to its hiring preferences for women and Natives, the Bethel Police Department posts itself as an Equal Opportunity employer, respecting all aspects of religious beliefs:
“In accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Pub. L. 102-166), all applicants for employment with the City of Bethel shall be afforded equal opportunity in all aspects of employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, disability, political affiliation, genetic information, pregnancy, parenthood, veteran status, or any other status or condition protected under federal, state, or local laws.”
Read: Part 1: Nurse losing job, after her medical exemption refused
Read: Part II: Pharmacist losing job
Part III: Southcentral Foundation employee losing job Oct. 15 over shot refusal
Part V: Military man getting discharged in Alaska for not taking jab
Read: Doctor says hospitals are not in crisis, not rationing care
Does anybody in the city Bethel’s HR department see the oxymoronic position they are taking?
“ In addition to its hiring preferences for women and Natives, the Bethel Police Department posts itself as an Equal Opportunity employer, respecting all aspects of religious beliefs:”
What nonsense.
Exactly
I wish him the best and admire him for standing his ground. The shot has very limited applications and is absolutely unnecessary (and toxic) for most.
Good for you sir. I agree that humans should not be tampering with God-designed DNA. The virus leaders know this. I believe the intent is genocide. May their efforts be foiled and may you be blessed.
Disappointing that so many were weak minded and took the Trump Death Jab instead of standing up to the Commie Mandates.
I’m disappointed that your ignorance lumps a huge proportion of the population into the worthless category and you state that it’s all a communist plot. I took the Moderna vaccine as quickly as it became available which for this 72 yo was in January. Nobody coerced me and I Took it with a clear conscience even as a strong believer.
John – type the rest not in caps and I’ll run it – sd
Good for you John, you made your choice. Im happy for you . “Choice” is the issue. This man now gets to make his choice, for his body. Denying him employment for declining the jab and a chance at winning 49,000 in the State lottery is not a country I’d like to live in. Go to the Highwire with Del Bigtree and watch these world renowned doctors vanden-bossche-and-malone-covid-19-giants-unite, describing why this Bethel police officer may want to avoid the JAB.
One of these Doctors invented the MNRA technology used in the covid therapy. You may in the end, be thankful for those that choose differently than you.
Blaming Trump for practically everything is getting rather long in the tooth about now. But hey, our present president is doing it still, so knock yourself out, Mongo. When it all comes down to it, we make our own decisions who we listen to and what we do with their words.
Get in touch with attorney Randy Corporon in Denver – he was on FOX News this past week to discuss his case for police officers there including Officer Manriquez who at age 34 is now unable to walk after getting the jab. This attorney may be able to help other officers.
Comply or be removed from society.
Where have we seen this before…?
What truly annoys me aren’t the shot and mask Nazis (yes, I said it) but the sheep who bleat there’s nothing wrong here, this would never happen in Alaska, and jump straight to hypersensitivity and yelling about this is not a genocide/no mass slaughter/ect.
These people are so determined to cling to their illusions of Alaska (and America) they won’t see what is happening around them.
No sand person is claiming unvaccinated are being tossed into oven or gassed to death. That’s the Alex Jones brigade and no one takes them seriously.
What people are saying is the same mindset that eventually lead to those actions is present in Alaska right now. The same first steps towards insanity are being taken right now. By pointing it out the idea is to try to shock some sense into people BEFORE it ever gets close to that bad.
Of course no weapon formed against you will prosper. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus doesn’t lose his power to conquer and heal miraculously just because of human and demon hate infestations and foolishness at Davos.
Notice how those in control magnanimously grant us an opportunity to get down on our knees to beg them for an exemption, putting us in the subordinate position, but they and they alone retain the power to say yes or no.
By even asking for an exemption we willingly put ourselves in the inferior position. We signal that we accept their authority over us.
You have a natural right to determine what healthcare you choose to accept…period…and you don’t need to ask anyone for permission.
It’s part of the structure of authoritarianism where others exercise coercive control over you but they give you the illusion of self control by tricking you into believing that you have at least a measure of self determination but you don’t…they created the rules that you are forced to obey and they alone determine what your rights are.
This is what American government has evolved to become…our rulers.
At least in the past we could console ourselves with the belief that these people who we disagreed with had been democratically elected but after 2020 only the most ignorant could believe that.
I was taught that the U.S. Supreme Court stood between the people and the tyrannical, authoritarian urges of government to force government compliance with the Constitution…the agreement we ratified to create a government of limited power to serve our needs.
It’s obvious now that as a third branch of the very government that now oppresses us the SCOTUS is part of the problem.
We stand today at the point in history that the Founding Fathers feared and was the reason they insisted on the addition of the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution.
Where we go from here is anyone’s guess.
It’s pretty obvious by the way so many are just throwing up their hands and capitulating that the majority of Americans have been neutered, turned into exactly what our “superiors” think we are…cattle to be controlled and managed and even culled at their whim.
You are exactly correct.
I’m going to have to play devil’s advocate here. The wu-flu “vaccine” does NOT contain aborted fetal cells. Feel free to research this. The fetal cells everyone is so worked up about are ones from decades ago, and they were initially being used during testing. THERE ARE NONE IN THE VACCINES. You can come up with other reasons for not taking this EXPERIMENTAL “vaccine” that isn’t a vaccine – even if they did change the definition of the word thinking the public is stupid enough to buy it. Obviously some were.
It was developed using cell lines from babies killed in abortions. For those of us believing in the sanctity of life, this abhorrent action ranks there with Unit 731.
The same applies to the monoclonal antibodies in Regeneron, hydroxychloroquine, and ivermectin, so as long as all those with a religious exemption also refuse all those drugs, there is no logical inconsistency.
You now spread just plain uninformed BS. Ivermectin is an old veterinary medication developed in 1970 (hydroxychloroquine 1934). Today many things are tested using horrendous methods, which are unnecessary and we should stop, but the direct development of an old medication with a safe profile cannot be stopped because some use it in an evil way. You attempt to confuse the issue, which in itself is just evil for the damage that you do to legitimate debate.
Yes of course – an important distinction – as long as a drug is approved prior to testing using aborted fetal tissue, a Biblical loophole applies and God is fine with it.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE, and so because Jason wears a hockey mask everyone wearing a hockey mask is a serial killer? Very good analogy actually. There is no reason for fetal cell testing of anything any more when adult stem cells-voluntarily given-work better. Since by your morals it’s okay to kill babies for their parts if society can use them, then I guess Tuskegee Syphilis Study was okay too. Some of us oppose both actions and refuse to condone them.
Jason Voorhees, killing babies, Tuskegee Syphilis Study – I assume somewhere in this meandering nonsense you had a point. To your Jason point – a better analogy would be if you forgave all masked serial killers, as long as they donned a mask prior to their having killed. I don’t care if you refuse medicine, just make sure it’s logically consistent – even in the other article about the SouthCentral foundation employee who refused the vaccine on religious grounds – he says he sought out monoclonal antibodies, which also used HEK293 cells (and that approval did not predate its testing). Stick to your guns and refuse all medicine using fetal cell lines rather than create arbitrary criteria that you use to justify a workaround. And your suggestion that we just “use adult stem cells” indicates you don’t have a medical background (shocker) – by all means, publish your research in induced pluripotent stem cells and claim your Nobel prize.
From Stem Cell Research Facts: ‘Another type of stem cell that is proving very useful is induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells.) These can be made from any cell, such as skin, and from any person. They act like embryonic stem cells, but are made from ordinary cells and so don’t require embryo destruction, making them an ethical source for that type of cell. They have already been used to create lab models of different diseases.’
It is you who are behind the times and ignorant. But then again, some people think only of themselves with no value of the lives of others.
Lol if you don’t understand it you don’t have to pretend you do. Induced pluripotent stem cells have potential epigenetic memory of their somatic cell source ( and thus possible differentiation potentials) and are exceedingly tumorigenic when compared to HESC as a result of their use of myc… we can’t just replace our embryonic cell use. I understand you can use google (barely) but you keep edifying my point – you don’t have a medical background (nobody else commenting seems to either) and are desperately seeking information (which you don’t understand) to justify your opinions. Do you think we have functioning IPSCs and just use embryonic stem cells for the heck of it? Go get a Ph.D. in pharmacology and get back to me when you have a clue.
I can’t even, everyone wants to give their logic to not taking the vaccine but in the end, it doesn’t matter what their logic is. It’s their body, their life, their choice. That is what freedom is about. As long as your freedoms aren’t adversely effecting the lives of others, it’s your decision. Masks and vaccines are a mechanism of SELF defense not a mechanism of protection for others. Intruding on others rights of life and liberty to make yourself feel safer is irrational and selfish, especially when you have been provided a means to “protect” yourself. So who do you think you are to judge someone else’s reasoning is logically consistent? Who do you think you are to set the standard for what logically consistent is? Sounds subjective. Are your actions the standard?
You’re right PH.DUH! I never use google because I desire objective results, not the biased leftist talking points which you seem so eager to spew! The science is advanced but you’re so yesterday and there’s little point in arguing with those who refuse to see. Your feeble attempt to denigrate is pathetic. You know nothing of me nor my background, but apparently you are well versed in Alinsky tactics of ridicule and mockery of any who disagree.
Yeah your background is pretty clear – not science. You indicate we should use IPSCs over ESC without any knowledge of their limitations, and post a talking point from an anti-abortion website (without any research credentials) you found on google as a silly attempt to bolster your “science.” It’s not possible – again, we don’t use ESC because we love embryonic fetal tissue – it’s because it’s the only stable source of pluripotent cells we have. Yes the science is advanced, no we don’t have a replacement for them yet, no, my sources are not “biased leftist talking points” (lol) – they’re NIH research and a background in pharmacological research. It’s ok to be wrong (you are) but don’t pretend like your “background” qualifies you to speak to cutting edge IPSC production techniques. In the sense that this is “outside your expertise,” I guess it could count as an “Alinsky tactic.” But I’m afraid ‘outside your expertise’ is probably a pretty broad spectrum, so it’s probably unavoidable.
PH.DUH I see for you that it is all about abortion-that ‘right’ for you to kill an innocent human being. Do you bathe in their blood and brag about it? Do you hold ceremony and speak the secret words when you squeeze the life out of them? Would you kill ten thousand if it added a minute to your miserable existence? Six million? Science is hard (I know, it’s my job) but killing is easy and obviously pleasurable for some. I will likely not judge you but one day you will be judged.
Lol science isn’t your job. You have made it abundantly clear – instead of referencing pubmed you use a fringe anti abortion website with a mission statement to provide information “for those of us who are not scientists, researchers or medical professionals.” Sounds like the first place a scientist would go! Lol. It’s a shame your anonymity gives you cover to make up a background but so be it. You’re clearly off the deep end – ‘killing the innocent’ and ‘bathing in their blood’ – get a grip. Thank goodness you didn’t judge me at least! Lol
Time to stop feeding this ignorant troll too. Pray (ha ha) that you never need my (or others) services.
Good to see you know when to take the L at least. I don’t think I’ll need your services anytime soon, but if I make it out to the Wasilla Arby’s I’ll be sure to let you know.
Well, troll, you just enjoy your mommie’s basement, toking MJ to help you create more progressive fantasies. The productive of society will continue productive endeavors to keep the likes of you from freezing and starving.
Oh I thought you said you were done “feeding the troll” – I almost took you seriously (my mistake). Like I said, I’m sure you’re a very productive member of society, keeping people from starving – someone’s got to make those sandwiches. I can see it bothers you knowing some people are “toking mj” lol – tell me you’re a baby boomer without telling me you’re a baby boomer. I’m sorry to tell you you’re off the mark but if creating a straw man helps you verbalize your rage then have at it. Just steer clear of science talk – you’ll hurt yourself. I’ll keep an eye out for your paper on induced pluripotent cells. Pray for me!
Perhaps Regeneron brand, but antibody treatment goes back to 1891 when Paul Ehrlich (Nobel Prize winner), Emil von Behring and Kitasato Shibasaburō proposed use of globulins for disease treatment, and they were used as therapy during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. The drugs you mention long pre date use of fetal tissue for medical research. You merely spew false talking points trying to mislead people.
And who is the city attorney for Bethel? Asking for a friend.
A lot of the mandates in Bethel can be traced back to the city’s attorney…who has been very vocal on her support for vaccine mandates.
This. She’s really the one in charge there and has turned it into her own North Korea. And if you ask her, she’s proud of this. Hopefully her maglignant sociopathic narcissism will destroy its host before she destroys more people’s lives and the city of Bethel.
Stand your ground Vincent, these people are psychotic in their medical tyranny. The science is proving their jabs are about as effective as Methadone to a Heroine addict, 50/50 at best.
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Meanwhile, if we follow the NPR crew, they’re back at the “my body my choice” mantra reference abortion in Texas. When will this constant flip-flopping end. It is your body, and your choice, when they say so– more tyranny.
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And before you NPR/Jab authoritarians chime in. “But, you’re causing people to get sick, causing breakthrough infections.” May I point out. There is no such thing as a breakthrough Covid infection it is simply a Covid infection, you’re fully vaccinated, and you contract Covid, that’s because your vaccines is no more effective than the horse de-wormer (or is it?). More double-speak, selective reasoning?
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We see through your word salad and double speak mandate monsters. #buyersremorseyouownit
The vast majority of the millennial and X’er mask and vax fascists have never had a meaningful science course. Since the ’60s, early ’70s if you didn’t take science classes beyond the 200 level in college you are scientifically illiterate unless you’re the rare autodidact.
Until more strong men like Garay here stand up to hypocritical tyranny, I am afraid we ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Get ready. Know who you can count on. Prepare. Be glad you acquired useful skills when you could.
All these professionals are soon to be on unemployment! Mandates don’t work!
The City of Bethel describes itself using progressive democrap talking points, emotion and no common sense or logic. A good recipe for failure.
Tell me again Alaska is conservative.
I like fairy tales.
Choose life? Great job I would too! There’s an awful lot of death from heart-attacks and blood clots occurring right now and in Scotland the rash of heart issues is being called a “mystery”, lol imagine that!. I’m not clear why the left ignores information like this maybe because they were jabbed and suddenly realized their fatal mistake so they attempt to drag the rest of us down??
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