“We modeled our Ashli Babbitt statue after a classical depiction of Athena, the patron goddess of heroic endeavor,” says Hippy. “And it seemed fitting to place her in Veteran’s Park, where the OB community bravely rallied against the mask mandates and social lockdowns that the Man tried to use to break up our drum circles. It’s true that there probably aren’t a lot of Trump fans at our gatherings, but Ashli was one of us in spirit, a rebel against a system designed by the Powers that Be to silence the minority viewpoint and keep everyone in line so they can do Business as Usual. The same system that rammed Starbucks down our throats when we were perfectly happy with our local coffee shops.”

“Ocean Beach has a long, proud history of political protest, peaceful and otherwise,” says Fred Hippy, publisher of the OB Fishwrap. “We threw rocks at cops during the Easter and Labor Day riots of 1968. And remember the jetty riots of 1970? The city tried to turn us into another marina/hotel district, and we fought back. First, we organized nightly digs to undo the work being done by the Army Corps of Engineers. Then we occupied the Corps’ crane and threw rocks and bottles at the pigs who tried to drive us back. When they posted guards on their tractor, we firebombed it. Then we smashed up cop cars and fought in the streets long enough to buy time for our legal efforts to block the project, which were ultimately successful. And of course, we burned a cop car and fought the riot police to a standstill during the Collier Park riot of 1971. Sometimes, when you want to speak truth to power, you have to use force as part of your effort. Ashli Babbitt understood that. Like so many OB misfits before her, she knew that the system is rigged in favor of the status quo, and that while power ultimately lies with the people in a democracy, sometimes, the people have to rise up and make that clear from outside the normal democratic process. She died fighting for a cause, trying to defend democracy from those who would hijack it. We may disagree about the particulars, but we definitely understand the principle, and we are honoring her accordingly.”