An idyllic retirement community in California has been torn apart by politics – with wild reports of fights and mishaps at the local market.
Rossmoor's gated paradise in Walnut Creek, near San Francisco Bay, is home to 10,000 seniors and offers 27 holes of golf and eight tennis courts.
But residents now found themselves in a hotbed of political tension as the divided group battled the same partisan divisions that plagued the nation.
The breakthrough came when Trump was nearly assassinated on July 13, leading to a violent fight between two retirees on a pickleball court later that day. Wall Street Journal reported.
The gated Rossmoor retirement community in Walnut Creek is home to 10,000 seniors and features 27 holes of golf and eight tennis courts.
Residents found themselves in a hotbed of political tension as they faced a divided group battle with the same partisan division plaguing the nation
The two women reportedly argued over political differences when a pro-Trump resident blamed the assassination attempt on Democratic rhetoric and a liberal resident made an inappropriate comment about the shooting.
Witnesses report a scene of chaos, with one angry elderly woman confronting players and daring everyone to celebrate Trump's assassination.
The confrontation then escalated into a fight between the woman and an elderly pickleball player, with reports of kicking, punching and hair pulling.
The retirees began pushing and shoving each other and then threw punches, leaving clumps of hair on the ground, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Walnut Creek police were called to the scene and one person was cited and released after a “pushing and shoving match” at the Tice Creek fitness center, but the district attorney declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence.
This incident is just one example of the political turmoil that has erupted in Rossmoor.
Demonstrations, dueling columns in the weekly Rossmoor News and heated arguments at the farmers market over cardboard cutouts of presidential candidates are becoming more common.
Rossmoor is a 55+ community with a median home price of $595,000.
According to the Chronicle, most of the city's residents were once at the top of their professional achievements and are accustomed to expressing their opinions.
Rossmoor's transformation from a conservative retirement haven to a politically diverse community reflects California's leftward shift over recent decades.
The influx of aging Democrats, often bringing with them an activist culture from the San Francisco Bay Area, has led to the emergence of new caucuses focused on social justice issues.
But demographic changes have left many longtime GOP residents feeling overpopulated and excluded.
“We went out to call the 2020 vote, talking to registered Republicans, and one of the first things they said was, 'Oh, it's good to meet a Republican, I'm afraid to reveal who I am,'” said Bill McConnell, a member of the Republican Caucus.
The Rossmoor News, a community newspaper, has become a focal point of ongoing tensions.
Columns on hot-button topics like guns and immigration have sparked angry reactions and even hate mail.
In an attempt to preserve civility, the newspaper's editor, Ann Peterson, limited the number of political columns, citing the difficulty of fact-checking different viewpoints.
However, this decision was met with complaints of censorship from Republican columnists.
As tensions escalated, protests on issues ranging from xenophobia to the Israel-Hamas war became more frequent.
Richard Rubin, a 71-year-old retired lawyer who helps run the local Republican Club, summed up the situation.
I think the feelings are intense and intense across the country. This is a kind of reflection on this topic,” he told the portal.
Two women reportedly argued on a pickleball court over political differences
Demonstrations, dueling columns in the weekly Rossmoor News, and heated market arguments over cardboard cutouts of presidential candidates have become the norm.
Rossmoor's transformation from a conservative retirement haven to a politically diverse community reflects California's leftward shift over recent decades (pictured: Rossmoor community in Walnut Creek, California)
The crackdown on protests to defuse tensions has sparked outrage in the senior community, who now claim their freedom of speech is being violated
In response to growing unrest, Rossmoor intervened with a number of new measures and even established a “Citizenship Taskforce”.
Since the pickleball brawl, community managers, the Golden Rain Foundation board, banned protests on one corner near Rossmoor, as well as political commentary in the local newspaper.
Under the new rules, Rossmoor groups can only hold one demonstration every fortnight, although they can petition to hold more in times of emergency.
Furthermore, demonstrations must take place on a grass strip near local clubs and must display a “Please Don't Honk” sign.
However, these measures appear to have only sparked further opposition.
Michael Goldberg, a 74-year-old retired philosophy and religion professor and protest leader, told the Wall Street Journal: “They treat us like 'we're the adults and you're the kids'.”
Rossmoor authorities said the decision to move the demonstration outside the district's entrance was for safety reasons after five incidents in which drivers claimed they caused accidents because they were distracted from signs or someone in front braked too quickly, the center said.
The board's communications director, Ann Peterson, told the Chronicle that the pickleball brawl was just one of the incidents that led to the policy changes.
Peterson said political tensions in the community have been building for months and that several residents have been confronted at the Rosmoor farmer over political columns or film screenings at meetings.
Some clubs “also received anonymous threatening letters, also because of their political beliefs and some of the speakers they were bringing to Rossmoor,” Peterson added.
But the changes have sparked outrage among the senior community, which now claims their freedom of speech is being violated.
In August, retirees organized a protest demanding the repeal of the new rules.
“They infantilize us into thinking we can't express ourselves. They know better,” resident Michael Goldberg told CBS News.
Katha Hartley, who chairs the local 1,240-member Democratic caucus, added: “We are being treated like kids in a high school cafeteria where two people had a fight over food and now everyone is suspended.”
The new rules state that Rossmoor groups can only hold one demonstration every fortnight, although they can petition to hold more demonstrations in an emergency
Resident Michael Goldberg told CBS News: “They infantilize us into thinking we can't express ourselves. They know better
Rossmoor is a 55+ community with a median home price of $595,000
Many residents on both sides of the political divide are now expressing fatigue with the division.
Some fear that Rossmoor will gain a reputation for hostility if most interactions between residents remain cordial.
Ron Kalb, an 80-year-old Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal: “Some of us worry that Rossmoor will gain a reputation as a bunch of crazy, grumpy people when we mostly get along.”
