Clee and Mary Sealing participated in a rally on Jan. 16, 2024, in Grand Junction in support of Grand Junction TV news reporter Ja’Ronn Alex. (Sharon Sullivan for Colorado Newsline)
A dozen people stood outside the Mesa County Justice Center in sub-freezing temperatures Thursday to show their support for a Grand Junction TV news reporter who according to law enforcement was physically attacked outside KKCO 11 News last month.
The reporter, Ja’Ronn Alex, 22, is a native of Detroit, and of Pacific Islander descent. He is a recent college graduate.
Wendy Jones, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley, organized Thursday’s rally outside the courthouse, where the accused attacker was present for a bond return hearing before 21st Judicial District Court Judge JenniLynn Lawrence. It was his third court appearance.
“When we heard what happened to Ja’Ronn so many of us were outraged,” Jones said. “With this hearing we thought it would be a good opportunity to show up and support him and let him know he’s not alone.”
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Anna Rasmussen, a Mesa County family physician, is a UU member who also attended the rally.
“When you hear people say ‘This is Trump’s America’ to justify a hate crime, we want to show up to say we don’t accept that in our community — regardless of who’s in office,” Rasmussen said.
Some rallygoers said they were also there to defend press freedom.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation said it recorded 75 assaults on journalists in 2024.
The accused attacker, Patrick Egan, 39, was driving a Sunshine Rides taxi on Dec. 18 when he began following Alex from Delta to Grand Junction, a distance of approximately 50 miles, according to an arrest affidavit. Alex was driving his work vehicle, which identified him as a journalist.
The affidivt describes how after arriving in Grand Junction Alex stopped at a traffic light, where Egan pulled up alongside him. They both rolled down their windows, and Egan shouted “Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump’s America now. I’m a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you,” according to the affidavit.
Attempts to contact Egan’s defense attorney were not immediately successful.
Alex told law enforcement that he called his manager at work and was instructed to return to his office on Blichmann Avenue. In the building’s parking lot, Egan tackled Alex to the ground and put him in a headlock and began to strangle him, according to the affidavit. Employees came out of the building and pulled Egan off Alex, and they held him down until law enforcement arrived.
Egan faces charges of second-degree assault, including strangulation, bias-motivated crimes, and harassment via ethnic intimidation. He was booked into Mesa County Jail but was released after a $20,000 cash bond was posted on Jan. 2.
President-elect Donald Trump has often stoked antipathy toward the news media, calling journalists “the enemy of the people,” a “threat to democracy,” “fake,” and “crooked bastards.” He has threatened to prosecute members of the media, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.
Rallygoer Mary Sealing is part of a study group called Waging Nonviolence. She said it’s important to speak out against violence toward minorities and journalists.
“We’re not going to tolerate these kinds of attacks,” she said. “We’ve got to stand up — that’s why we’re here.”
Nick Allan is a Grand Junction community advocate who attended Thursday’s hearing. He first met Alex when he was reporting on the future of the Orchard Mesa Pool, an issue that Allan was working on.
“He was doing interviews,” Allan said. “He’s a smart, kind, genuine young man.”
Alex is on paid leave from his job, reported Inside the News in Colorado. He did not attend Thursday’s rally.
“It’s a very traumatic, scary event,” said Allan. “Any attack like that can rattle someone. But he’s a strong, brave person. We want to make sure his privacy is protected.”
Egan’s next court appearance is set for 9 a.m., Feb. 11.
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