Around 75 people gathered in front of Daniel Boone City Building on Thursday to advocate for the city and businesses to reopen.
People waved American flags and held signs reading, “Freedom over fear” and, “Wake up America.” A few people in passing cars voiced disapproval as they drove past, but many more honked in agreement, eliciting cheers from the gathered crowd.
Leanna Clayton, 77, waves her American flag at a protest to open Boone County on Thursday at the Daniel Boone City Building. “I am fighting for (my great-grandkids) freedom,” Clayton said. “As adults we can make our own decisions.”
This rally follows one that took place outside the Capitol in Jefferson City on April 21, in which over 100 people attended to protest Gov. Mike Parson’s “Stay Home Missouri” order, which expired May 3. Opponents of stay-at-home orders have organized similar rallies across the country.
The Columbia rally comes soon after group of local business owners announced they are challenging the constitutionality of the April 30 health department order, which restricts many businesses in Columbia and Boone County from reopening. The business owners asked in a letter sent by an attorney to local officials that the city rescind the order and default to the state’s more lenient guidelines.
Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Director Stephanie Browning responded to their concerns — and the concerns of those asking to reopen the city — with her own about the virus.
“It is important to remember that COVID-19 continues to pose a public health threat in our community,” Browning said in an emailed statement. “Contributors to this include that it is spread from person to person; there is no vaccine for prevention; and those with underlying health conditions can have serious medical complications. The reopening of our economy is a gradual and deliberate process to ensure the public health of our community remains safe.”
An online petition calling for Browning to be fired began May 1 and currently has 77 signatures.
The rally was organized by Gary Nolan, host of The Gary Nolan Show on 93.9 The Eagle. Nolan said it should be up to businesses to decide if they will open or not.
“In their zeal to protect you from your own decisions, they’re destroying between 15 and 40% of the small businesses in this state, and this community up here in Columbia and Boone County is suffering mightily,” Gary Nolan said on his talk show May 6.
Peggy Crabtree-Berry traveled 125 miles from near Warsaw to attend the rally.
“We want to stand by our constitutional rights,” Crabtree-Berry said.
Crabtree-Berry said life is relatively normal in Warsaw because their community is small and isolated but that she hates seeing people in Columbia not being able to live their lives.
Peggy Crabtree-Berry hugs a fellow protester Thursday at the Daniel Boone City Building. Crabtree-Berry drove to the protest from Warsaw where she is head of the Republican Committee. “We don’t do six feet,” Crabtree-Berry said.
Nolan held a microphone in front of the crowd and asked people to share what they do and how their jobs have been impacted by the closure.
Raymond Thebeau shared with the crowd that he has stage 4 cancer but that he wanted to be here with everyone to support them. Thebeau said he is not worried about contracting COVID-19 because he knows his time is limited anyway.
“This is my way of speaking my mind,” Thebeau said.
The rally lasted about 45 minutes and ended when Nolan spoke again to say he hopes the rally will inspire change.
“If this doesn’t work, we’re coming back,” Nolan said to end the rally.
"crowd" - Google News
May 08, 2020 at 04:45AM
https://ift.tt/2A9Ddh3
Crowd rallies to protest local businesses remaining closed - Columbia Missourian
"crowd" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YpUyMI
https://ift.tt/2KQD83I
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Crowd rallies to protest local businesses remaining closed - Columbia Missourian"
Post a Comment