Protests against Covid-19 lockdowns spread to liberal bastion California [And Beyond]
A quick Round-up of significant Lockdown Protests and Events
Post by The Liberty Beacon Staff
(France 24/News Wires) Protesters marched in several cities across California on Friday demanding the easing of restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak and denouncing Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to shut down some beaches.
The protests were taking place in at least 11 cities, including the capital Sacramento as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Some of the demonstrators waved American flags and carried signs that read “Freedom is Essential,” “Trump 2020,” or “Gruesome Newsom,” while voicing anger at stay-at-home rules put in place to slow the spread of the virus.
Most of the protesters, many of them chanting “Open California” and “Freedom” or ringing cowbells, did not wear face coverings or follow social distancing guidelines.
In Huntington Beach, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, several thousand people rallied to denounce Newsom’s order to shut local beaches beginning Friday in order to avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline.
“It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” protester Monica Beilhard fumed, referring to the beach shutdown.
“It was uncalled for, unnecessary and people out here are making that known,” she added. “And we’re also very much saying enough is enough, we have the right to work… and it’s time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back to business.
‘We’re Americans’
Officials in Huntington Beach and nearby towns have vowed to fight the beach closure order by taking the matter to court.
“We believe the governor’s order is unconstitutional, vague and ambiguous,” said Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates. “He doesn’t have a rational basis for this. What he seeks is a remedy to something that wasn’t a problem in the first place.”
But a judge in Orange County, where Huntington Beach is located, late Friday refused to issue a temporary restraining order against Newsom’s decision and scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 11.
In downtown Los Angeles, tensions flared as hundreds marched in front of City Hall to demand an end to the stay-at-home order as counter protesters waved signs that said “humanity first” while insisting the lockdown was necessary to save lives.
“The virus is no worse than the flu,” Janet Gibson told AFP. “The sick need to stay quarantined. They need to take care of themselves. But let the healthy work. Let the healthy go out and be social.”
Ali Taylor, another protester, said the lockdown went against what the United States stands for.
“We’re Americans, we’re free, we know how to take care of ourselves,” she said. “We want our beaches and parks opened up, we want to be able to live free lives, and he (Newsom) is keeping us at home.”
Newsom, who like other governors across the country is facing mounting pressure to lift restrictions, especially as the weather warms up, has vowed not to bow to pressure and insists that his actions are driven by public health concerns. -France 24/News Wires
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Protesters in at least 10 states demand end to coronavirus lockdown
Demonstrators in at least 10 states across the country gathered on Friday to protest against stay-at-home orders and other emergency measures meant to blunt the coronavirus’s spread.
The protests underscored how antsy some are getting to return to a sense of normalcy after the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 1.1 million people in America [numbers derived from normal yearly Flu and cold virus. ~TLB], shuttered businesses across an array of industries and pushed more than 30 million Americans into unemployment.
Though some demonstrations were lightly attended, demonstrations occurred in state capitols and cities in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Washington. –The Hill
Getty image
Work Safety Strike, Virus Lockdown Protest Set for May Day
Essential workers [went on] strike nationwide on May Day to demand safer conditions during the coronavirus outbreak, while other groups plan[ed] rallies against tight stay-at-home orders they say are crippling the U.S. economy.
Organizers say employees of Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Fedex and other companies have become the unexpected frontline workers of the pandemic. Employees [walked] off the job or [called in] sick Friday on International Workers’ Day in cities across the U.S. to demand unpaid time off work, hazard pay, sick leave, protective gear and cleaning supplies.
They say flawed policies by employers caused some of their co-workers to contract COVID-19. -NYT
Other developments
Meanwhile, more than half of America’s governors have relaxed coronavirus-driven restrictions as protests against stay-at-home orders have spread. Efforts to reopen the country also are sparking outcries about public safety, as officials battle crowds and some public resistance to mask-wearing and social distancing measures.
Significant Developments
- An Oklahoma city walked back a requirement that people wear face masks inside reopened stores and restaurants, citing threats of violence and physical abuse directed at employees.
- Public records show a Florida county’s medical examiner begged officials to close beaches, as access to popular shores remains a social and political flash point.
- In the latest sign of a struggling economy, investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Saturday recorded a $49.7 billion loss in the first quarter of the year.
- Companies are launching vaccine trials at an unprecedented pace, but some worry about the trade-offs between speed and safety. -WaPo
Military jets fly over Washington region in salute to front-line workers, drawing crowds
The Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds jet demonstration teams crisscrossed sunny skies Saturday over the Washington region in tribute to those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the Mall and along the Georgetown waterfront, among other places, people gathered in the pleasant spring weather to watch the salute to first responders, as the 12 jets left twisting white contrails. Photos showed viewers clustered in large groups despite the District’s stay-at-home order. -WaPo
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Elsewhere
“Reopen Maryland” protesters assembled in Frederick for the start of a cross-state demonstration to increase pressure on Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to lift restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic. –Frederick News-Post
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Related from The Liberty Beacon:
Lockdowns Ending but Their Politics Still Rule
Protest or Silence of the Lambs – Protest Update for May 2, 2020
Doctors are Critical of ‘Stay-at-Home’ Order
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