'Grandpa Brigade' rallies to defend judicial independence

Alarmed by political attacks on judges and threats to judicial independence, a group of senior citizens has formed the "Grandpa Brigade." Led by 76-year-old Laguna Beach organizer Denny Freidenrich, they plan to rally at the Santa Ana courthouse to defend the courts and safeguard the rule of law for future generations.

Freidenrich launched the "Grandpa Brigade" with retired Santa Monica attorney Gary Brustin, 75; retired Orange County Superior Court judge Geoff Glass, 70; Laguna Beach businessman Bob Mister, 82; and Newport Beach home loan financier Cort Kloke, 78.

"In the last two weeks we've got 30 plus members, and it looks like we've got 17 more who say they're going to be at the rally," Freidenrich said in a phone interview Friday. "I feel very good about it. We're older guys and we're very concerned about the attacks on judges. More importantly, we worry about the world and the nation our grandkids are going to inherit, so it's a pretty simple message."

Freidenrich said he was inspired in March by a protest held by a group calling themselves the "Grandma Brigade" in front of a Tesla showroom in Costa Mesa. That demonstration targeted the White House's engagement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency in federal decision-making.

"A friend in Spokane, Washington, told me about 'Raging Grannies' several years ago. Little did I know an offshoot group would end up protesting in Costa Mesa," Freidenrich wrote in an email to the Daily Journal. "That's when I reached out to three of my senior friends and launched the Grandpa Brigade."

Though Freidenrich comes from a family of legal professionals--his grandfather practiced law in San Francisco in the 1870s, and his father and brother co-founded the M&A firm Ware & Freidenrich, now part of DLA Piper--he pursued a career in education.

The Grandpa Brigade's focus is firmly on defending the rule of law.

"What kind of a world will our grandchildren inherit if there is no independent court system to defend their basic rights?" Judge Glass asked. "Will they remember a time when checks and balances truly meant something?"

Brustin added that he initially wondered whether Freidenrich's outreach meant the group would be picketing a Tesla showroom, too. On a more serious note, he warned: "Frankly, I am afraid that, left unchecked, independents, Republicans and Democrats alike will be at risk of losing many of their Constitutional rights."

Eighty-year-old former Santa Ana Mayor Dan Griset cited his six grandchildren as his motivation for joining the Brigade. He said he plans to participate in the May 10 rally at 11:00 a.m. on the steps of the historic Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana.

"I'm worried that White House attacks on judges and law firms threaten our system of justice," said Mister.

Interested seniors may join the Grandpa Brigade by contacting Freidenrich at first.strategies@verizon.net.