Zander Kain Garay, a 24-year-old butcher at a local supermarket, says his constitutional rights were violated after he was arrested at the Welcome Inn bar early Saturday morning on August 23, 2025 when he refused to share video footage from his phone with Fort Bragg police officers who had responded to a call.
I am concerned about the use of Tasers. In June, the Mendocino County police tased a man in Willits multiple times, which resulted in his death. Police did their jobs for many years without tasers, and I would like more training for officers in defusing situations. Also, a bunch of yahoos hanging out in front of a bar is not grounds for jail. It's grounds to tell them to go home. Give it a break.
I would wait for the facts to come out before anyone makes any assumptions of what actually occurred. Allegedly the police were requested for a fight situation, and 4 people were arrested on felony charges and an officer was sent to the hospital with a head injury. Reporting a story based solely on a drunken patrons perspective and limited video surveillance is ridiculous.
I 100% agree with waiting for all the facts to make assumptions. At the same time, I also agree with sharing specific perspectives to give people a chance to "try these on" and build empathy with all members of the community and the decisions they make at a moment in time. We all have the experience of making one decision based on our state of mind or circumstances and then thinking back and deciding that, given a do-over, a different decision would have led down an easier path.
I think the focus of this story is about what happened to Zander and not the fight and arrest itself. I am sorry Officer Frank got hurt doing his job but that doesn't detract from the serious allegations of retaliatory actions and violation of protected rights.
Just because someone wears a badge doesn’t automatically make them honest or trustworthy, the same way you labeling someone as a “drunk gang member” doesn’t automatically make them a liar or a criminal. People deserve to have their rights respected, no matter who they are. While there are certainly good officers in this town, that doesn’t mean every officer acts with integrity, and it’s important to hold them accountable when they don’t.
Well reading from the article it sounds like Officer Moore arrested him and not Frank… so why’s everyone talking about him? Doesn’t Zander have gang ties to Ukiah and Fort Bragg?
I think this was a clear violation of his rights. Especially since nobody was doing anything wrong. The crimes in question where after the fact. What a bummer. I could understand our local police giving the guy a night in the drunk tank. Until they were able to properly communicate w the persons but this crosses a line and it makes me very sad. Our local sheriff's are way good people. I wish FBPD wasn't so bored. Proper communication could have and should have been the beginning and the end of this story.
It seems like many people are missing the entire point of the article. Instead of addressing the police misconduct, some are trying to justify their actions by slandering Zander, dredging up old accusations with no real basis, and name dropping people who have nothing to do with this situation. How does that make sense?
The truth is simple…HIS RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED . Whatever mistakes someone may have made in the past does not erase their humanity or strip them of their rights. Everyone has skeletons in their closet…bringing them up as a distraction doesn’t change the fact that what happened was WRONG.
This smear campaign is transparent, it’s an attempt to silence his voice. But it won’t work. I hope none of you ever find yourself in the same position as Zander, or the many others whose rights have been trampled by those sworn to protect them.
To those who actually read the article with open eyes and recognize the injustice without passing judgment on Zander’s past or appearance…thank you. Your support matters. <3
I understand the point you’re trying to make and actually agree with some of your points. I was in no way trying to smear Zander, nor do I care about silencing him.
I was simply pointing out the fact that despite his ‘desire’ to be a butcher or previous titles he’s held, he is NOT currently employed as a BUTCHER like he’s claiming. He does NOT cut meat…he wraps, serves and cleans up. He’s not an apprentice butcher either. Correct me if I’m wrong but Zander is the one who misrepresented himself with this title. False representation of self is too far from false representation of reality.
Going up against the big guys, whether it being police departments, city’s, corporations, etc., is extremely difficult in the best of circumstances and statistics show the big guys usually win. The fact that at the age of 24 Zander is willing to go toe-to-toe with them shows a tenacity most don’t have.
With that being said your past always comes into play, like it or not, fair or not, unfortunate or not. But more importantly if you look at the current situation while it might not be illegal to be at the bar, or illegal to video an arrest, you’re fighting an uphill battle when you’re starting your story off at 1:30 in the morning and choosing to walk out of the bar and into a police situation.
Cindy, this choice of words is on me. I asked Zander if it was "ok" to call him a butcher. I meant to ask if it was accurate, and I'll be more careful in the future. But, even if he said "technically, I just wrap the meat" I may still have chosen this headline. Since newspapers have been a thing, some hyperbole has been allowed in the headlines. We clarify in the body that he works in the meat department.
Adding to that, despite his job title at work being a “meat clerk” doesn’t mean he doesn’t also cut meat … they all cut meat in that department regardless of their specific titles but aside from that, the night your comment was made, Zander had actually just gotten home from butchering an entire cow with his friend on his only day off from work so i wouldn’t say Zander was misrepresenting himself at all…. People have to be willing to go toe-to-toe with the “big guys” if we ever want to see a positive change no matter how challenging or scary that may seem .
I’ve had run ins with Zander before, not the most upstanding citizen that’s for sure. He’s been booked for domestic battery before along with previous public intoxication’s. Maybe he can get into a treatment program!
This article isn't about whether people need treatment programs. If a person's Civil Rights were violated, it should be looked into. You have a right to film the police and you do not have to turn over your phone (unless police have a valid warrant signed by a Judge).
These fake accounts keep commenting for people to go to treatment without actually knowing any of the people you’re talking about. Defending the behavior of officers violating someone’s rights by running a smear campaign trying to make it seem like the person speaking out about it is lying and needs treatment… touch some grass …
I was falsely arrested a few months back by fort bragg police. They dropped the charges , I did not even have to go to the court but the arrest was made public online. I don’t trust the fort Bragg police after they came to a false conclusion without any evidence whatsoever.
The very first sentence in your article was not fact checked and is incorrect. How insulting to the actual butcher’s when you’re only a clerk claiming to be a butcher, and how embarrassing for you when you’re claiming to be a butcher and you’re only a clerk.
There are many sides to every story. That being said, this young buck might learn one day that no sound complaint begins with an exaggerated fish story and ends in a fair shake when you’re on the inebriated end of the police.
I'll ask Zander if it is more accurate to call him an apprentice butcher, in which case we can clarify further down in the article when he started working in the meat department, ... or maybe the folks he work with will give a thumbs up on my description. People who know Zander know he made a specific choice to become a butcher. We are a small community, I personally know people who applaud him for that. I agree that inebriation and refusing to cooperate with an officer -- about anything -- will typically have poor results. Zander is just 24, and he seems to be a quick learner, and this is an important lesson. I'm going by the bar tonight to talk to the bouncer and anyone who wants to share their side of the story of what seemed to be a mostly typical Friday night (minus the tasing and two officers down on the ground wrestling with drunken people).
Would not surprise me... usually gangsters dont cooperate with the police. Does Tim Bosma know this? I'll be calling them tomorrow to ensure he knows who his employees are
I don't think there is anything wrong with protecting your rights and politely refusing a request from a police officer, with a competent and professional officer they should respect that and move on, not (allegedly) threaten a retaliatory arrest to try to strong-arm the bystander into complying with the request.
Your comment is embarrassing… last time I checked the definition of a butcher is “a person whose trade is cutting up and selling meat in a shop” … fact check that lol if he was so inebriated perhaps he should have been arrested prior to them asking for his cell phone footage but that wasn’t the case … he was arrested in retaliation as a result of exercising his rights. It doesn’t matter if he’s a butcher, a barber, a baker, or one of Santa’s elves at the North Pole … his civil rights were violated. End of story.
I was there that night and Zander was completely hammered! I even saw him try to spit on the police when being arrested.... this is obviously a one sided story!
That’s defamation… There’s no way haha !!! Best believe if Zander tried to spit on Frank or Moore they would have charged him with assault and had a field day doing it.
They don’t have to charge every crime. Officers always have discretion. Can you share pictures of Zander’s active gang participation with the editor? Thanks.
All in all you should never fight with the police. Back in the day I tried this and learned quickly… you never win and usually end up in jail but also with an ass beating lol!
Ding ding ding! correct… they do not have to charge every crime… good job! You’re catching on!!! They especially don’t have to charge a crime in retaliation when no crime was actually committed… that’s kind of the whole point genius. I actually can’t provide pictures of Zander’s “active gang participation” because well I don’t have any given that the only thing he actively participates in is going to work every day and coming home to his family… All in All … EVERYONE has rights and you actually CAN and SHOULD fight back when those rights are violated… and people should not be afraid of doing so… Thanks :)
Wasn’t Zander’s house raided with guns found not to long ago? I think you and another PD member actually lives there too if I remember correctly from police daily logs
Wowww you’re just so knowledgeable aren’t you? Actually i wasn’t going to ever shed light on this situation publicly but since you would like to bring it up. I’m actually not sure exactly what happened regarding that whole incident other than some people were at MY home without my consent while I was visiting Zander 4 hours away . Police were called and I was given zero information regarding what happened on MY property other than someone I am no longer friends with allegedly threw a party at my home while I was gone and unfortunately a certain officer disabled my ring camera and placed it in my mailbox so I could not watch back any footage. So glad you brought this up because it goes to show yet another example of the shady behavior displayed by the officers here in Fort Bragg.
Something tells me you don’t have many friends “will”. You’re a grown man with a fake username hiding behind a screen spreading lies in a lame attempt to help your cop “friend” save face to the public… i actually know the owners of cheap cigs so i will make sure to let them know that you’re putting words into their mouth that they never said and perhaps send them my lawyers phone number in case they’re interested in suing for defamation/ slander as well .
Sounds like everything got out of hand. I am thankful none of our wonderful law enforcement got injured. A night in the drunk tank should be this guys least concern!
Doesn't surprise me that people are blaming an officer that wasnt even the one who effected the arrest. Read the article people... it says Officer Moore arrested him. I wonder what his "claim" with the city says.
I am concerned about the use of Tasers. In June, the Mendocino County police tased a man in Willits multiple times, which resulted in his death. Police did their jobs for many years without tasers, and I would like more training for officers in defusing situations. Also, a bunch of yahoos hanging out in front of a bar is not grounds for jail. It's grounds to tell them to go home. Give it a break.
I would wait for the facts to come out before anyone makes any assumptions of what actually occurred. Allegedly the police were requested for a fight situation, and 4 people were arrested on felony charges and an officer was sent to the hospital with a head injury. Reporting a story based solely on a drunken patrons perspective and limited video surveillance is ridiculous.
I 100% agree with waiting for all the facts to make assumptions. At the same time, I also agree with sharing specific perspectives to give people a chance to "try these on" and build empathy with all members of the community and the decisions they make at a moment in time. We all have the experience of making one decision based on our state of mind or circumstances and then thinking back and deciding that, given a do-over, a different decision would have led down an easier path.
I think the focus of this story is about what happened to Zander and not the fight and arrest itself. I am sorry Officer Frank got hurt doing his job but that doesn't detract from the serious allegations of retaliatory actions and violation of protected rights.
Who said Frank violated anyones rights? Doesn't sound like he was the one effecting the arrest.
Amen to that, not sure why the editor is placing so much weight on a drunk gang members story over the police’s!
Just because someone wears a badge doesn’t automatically make them honest or trustworthy, the same way you labeling someone as a “drunk gang member” doesn’t automatically make them a liar or a criminal. People deserve to have their rights respected, no matter who they are. While there are certainly good officers in this town, that doesn’t mean every officer acts with integrity, and it’s important to hold them accountable when they don’t.
Well reading from the article it sounds like Officer Moore arrested him and not Frank… so why’s everyone talking about him? Doesn’t Zander have gang ties to Ukiah and Fort Bragg?
I was present this night. Frank was not the arresting officer. People just love to throw his name around 🤷🏼♂️
I think this was a clear violation of his rights. Especially since nobody was doing anything wrong. The crimes in question where after the fact. What a bummer. I could understand our local police giving the guy a night in the drunk tank. Until they were able to properly communicate w the persons but this crosses a line and it makes me very sad. Our local sheriff's are way good people. I wish FBPD wasn't so bored. Proper communication could have and should have been the beginning and the end of this story.
It seems like many people are missing the entire point of the article. Instead of addressing the police misconduct, some are trying to justify their actions by slandering Zander, dredging up old accusations with no real basis, and name dropping people who have nothing to do with this situation. How does that make sense?
The truth is simple…HIS RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED . Whatever mistakes someone may have made in the past does not erase their humanity or strip them of their rights. Everyone has skeletons in their closet…bringing them up as a distraction doesn’t change the fact that what happened was WRONG.
This smear campaign is transparent, it’s an attempt to silence his voice. But it won’t work. I hope none of you ever find yourself in the same position as Zander, or the many others whose rights have been trampled by those sworn to protect them.
To those who actually read the article with open eyes and recognize the injustice without passing judgment on Zander’s past or appearance…thank you. Your support matters. <3
I understand the point you’re trying to make and actually agree with some of your points. I was in no way trying to smear Zander, nor do I care about silencing him.
I was simply pointing out the fact that despite his ‘desire’ to be a butcher or previous titles he’s held, he is NOT currently employed as a BUTCHER like he’s claiming. He does NOT cut meat…he wraps, serves and cleans up. He’s not an apprentice butcher either. Correct me if I’m wrong but Zander is the one who misrepresented himself with this title. False representation of self is too far from false representation of reality.
Going up against the big guys, whether it being police departments, city’s, corporations, etc., is extremely difficult in the best of circumstances and statistics show the big guys usually win. The fact that at the age of 24 Zander is willing to go toe-to-toe with them shows a tenacity most don’t have.
With that being said your past always comes into play, like it or not, fair or not, unfortunate or not. But more importantly if you look at the current situation while it might not be illegal to be at the bar, or illegal to video an arrest, you’re fighting an uphill battle when you’re starting your story off at 1:30 in the morning and choosing to walk out of the bar and into a police situation.
Cindy, this choice of words is on me. I asked Zander if it was "ok" to call him a butcher. I meant to ask if it was accurate, and I'll be more careful in the future. But, even if he said "technically, I just wrap the meat" I may still have chosen this headline. Since newspapers have been a thing, some hyperbole has been allowed in the headlines. We clarify in the body that he works in the meat department.
Adding to that, despite his job title at work being a “meat clerk” doesn’t mean he doesn’t also cut meat … they all cut meat in that department regardless of their specific titles but aside from that, the night your comment was made, Zander had actually just gotten home from butchering an entire cow with his friend on his only day off from work so i wouldn’t say Zander was misrepresenting himself at all…. People have to be willing to go toe-to-toe with the “big guys” if we ever want to see a positive change no matter how challenging or scary that may seem .
Has he gotten his gang tattoos removed or covered up yet?
I’ve had run ins with Zander before, not the most upstanding citizen that’s for sure. He’s been booked for domestic battery before along with previous public intoxication’s. Maybe he can get into a treatment program!
This article isn't about whether people need treatment programs. If a person's Civil Rights were violated, it should be looked into. You have a right to film the police and you do not have to turn over your phone (unless police have a valid warrant signed by a Judge).
He doesn’t need a treatment program thanks for your concern
Lol is this, Isabella Canady? You need to go to a treatment center too at the bar every weekend LOL bring Keyona and Jenny with you too
These fake accounts keep commenting for people to go to treatment without actually knowing any of the people you’re talking about. Defending the behavior of officers violating someone’s rights by running a smear campaign trying to make it seem like the person speaking out about it is lying and needs treatment… touch some grass …
I was falsely arrested a few months back by fort bragg police. They dropped the charges , I did not even have to go to the court but the arrest was made public online. I don’t trust the fort Bragg police after they came to a false conclusion without any evidence whatsoever.
Lu, let me know if you'd like to talk about this editor@mendolocal.news.
The very first sentence in your article was not fact checked and is incorrect. How insulting to the actual butcher’s when you’re only a clerk claiming to be a butcher, and how embarrassing for you when you’re claiming to be a butcher and you’re only a clerk.
There are many sides to every story. That being said, this young buck might learn one day that no sound complaint begins with an exaggerated fish story and ends in a fair shake when you’re on the inebriated end of the police.
I'll ask Zander if it is more accurate to call him an apprentice butcher, in which case we can clarify further down in the article when he started working in the meat department, ... or maybe the folks he work with will give a thumbs up on my description. People who know Zander know he made a specific choice to become a butcher. We are a small community, I personally know people who applaud him for that. I agree that inebriation and refusing to cooperate with an officer -- about anything -- will typically have poor results. Zander is just 24, and he seems to be a quick learner, and this is an important lesson. I'm going by the bar tonight to talk to the bouncer and anyone who wants to share their side of the story of what seemed to be a mostly typical Friday night (minus the tasing and two officers down on the ground wrestling with drunken people).
U know Zander is an active norteno gang member with tattoos right? I wonder if his employers know this
I’ve actually heard this before. He used to live in Ukiah before dating one of the drunk Malagons in this town lol.
Would not surprise me... usually gangsters dont cooperate with the police. Does Tim Bosma know this? I'll be calling them tomorrow to ensure he knows who his employees are
I bet if the Bosma's knew this they wouldnt have hired him. I can email Jen too
He did cooperate… can you not read?
lol it’s so funny to see what people come up with… also wrong
I don't think there is anything wrong with protecting your rights and politely refusing a request from a police officer, with a competent and professional officer they should respect that and move on, not (allegedly) threaten a retaliatory arrest to try to strong-arm the bystander into complying with the request.
Your comment is embarrassing… last time I checked the definition of a butcher is “a person whose trade is cutting up and selling meat in a shop” … fact check that lol if he was so inebriated perhaps he should have been arrested prior to them asking for his cell phone footage but that wasn’t the case … he was arrested in retaliation as a result of exercising his rights. It doesn’t matter if he’s a butcher, a barber, a baker, or one of Santa’s elves at the North Pole … his civil rights were violated. End of story.
I was there that night and Zander was completely hammered! I even saw him try to spit on the police when being arrested.... this is obviously a one sided story!
That’s defamation… There’s no way haha !!! Best believe if Zander tried to spit on Frank or Moore they would have charged him with assault and had a field day doing it.
They don’t have to charge every crime. Officers always have discretion. Can you share pictures of Zander’s active gang participation with the editor? Thanks.
All in all you should never fight with the police. Back in the day I tried this and learned quickly… you never win and usually end up in jail but also with an ass beating lol!
Fighting with cops is never the answer!
He didn’t fight a cop if you actually opened your eyes and read the article @anonymousnancy or Bella? Cute fake page.
Ding ding ding! correct… they do not have to charge every crime… good job! You’re catching on!!! They especially don’t have to charge a crime in retaliation when no crime was actually committed… that’s kind of the whole point genius. I actually can’t provide pictures of Zander’s “active gang participation” because well I don’t have any given that the only thing he actively participates in is going to work every day and coming home to his family… All in All … EVERYONE has rights and you actually CAN and SHOULD fight back when those rights are violated… and people should not be afraid of doing so… Thanks :)
Wasn’t Zander’s house raided with guns found not to long ago? I think you and another PD member actually lives there too if I remember correctly from police daily logs
Wowww you’re just so knowledgeable aren’t you? Actually i wasn’t going to ever shed light on this situation publicly but since you would like to bring it up. I’m actually not sure exactly what happened regarding that whole incident other than some people were at MY home without my consent while I was visiting Zander 4 hours away . Police were called and I was given zero information regarding what happened on MY property other than someone I am no longer friends with allegedly threw a party at my home while I was gone and unfortunately a certain officer disabled my ring camera and placed it in my mailbox so I could not watch back any footage. So glad you brought this up because it goes to show yet another example of the shady behavior displayed by the officers here in Fort Bragg.
Lets not forget about the time Zander got arrested for huffing nitrous LOL! #tweak
https://mendofever.com/2022/02/19/male-subject-yelling-and-screaming-stain-is-from-berries-fort-bragg-police-logs-02-18-2022/
Calling someone a tweak yet here you are at 4 in the morning running a smear campaign. Get a life .
3 year old link . Goodbye.
Might be 3 years old but my friend at cheap cigs say he still buy canisters to huff to this day lol
Something tells me you don’t have many friends “will”. You’re a grown man with a fake username hiding behind a screen spreading lies in a lame attempt to help your cop “friend” save face to the public… i actually know the owners of cheap cigs so i will make sure to let them know that you’re putting words into their mouth that they never said and perhaps send them my lawyers phone number in case they’re interested in suing for defamation/ slander as well .
Sounds like everything got out of hand. I am thankful none of our wonderful law enforcement got injured. A night in the drunk tank should be this guys least concern!
Doesn't surprise me that people are blaming an officer that wasnt even the one who effected the arrest. Read the article people... it says Officer Moore arrested him. I wonder what his "claim" with the city says.
You re- read the article