'Reopen Mississippi' Protesters Demand Governor to Reopen State Amid Pandemic
Dozens of cars bearing hand-painted messages and signs, American flags, the Mississippi state flag, the Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and other insignia, encircled the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Jackson Saturday, April 25, to demand that Gov. Tate Reeves fully re-open the state amid the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The “Reopen Mississippi” protest came just two days before Reeves’ order to partially reopen Mississippi went into effect. Similar protests have occurred throughout the rest of the country, notably in Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. Reeves’ new order, effective until May 11, allows some non-essential businesses, such as retail, to reopen in Mississippi. The governor is limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people and encouraging Mississippians to stay at home as much as they can.
Reopen Mississippi, the group that organized the protest, questions the legitimacy of the pandemic. Protesters and the group’s spokespeople denounced the state's approach to dealing with the viral outbreak, as well the struggling economy amid business closures. They described Reeves’ April 1 shelter-in-place order and other measures to curb the spread of infection as infringements on their constitutional rights and their God-given right to work.
Don Hartness, one of the lead organizers of the protest who recently moved from Rankin County to Ellisville, Miss., emphasized what several other attendees had told the Jackson Free Press: that the decision to practice social distancing should be left up to individuals and that all businesses should fully reopen.
Read more: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2020/apr/27/protesters-demand-mississippi-fully-reopen-amid-pa/