Anti-lockdown protestors breach fence at Nevada Governor’s mansion
Right-wing protestors calling for an end to the state-mandated shuttering of businesses as a public health and safety measure in the state of Nevada during the COVID-19 outbreak breached the fence surrounding the governor’s mansion in Carson City today according to a series of Twitter posts from Roitan Media.
Protesters have crossed governor's Mansions fence police have responded by forming a line. Tear gas and dogs on scene. @ThisIsReno pic.twitter.com/cLnwNhhgJu
— RoitanMedia (@roitan_media) May 2, 2020
Judging from the photos posted of the incident online, the group fighting for their freedom to be infected was relatively small and all appeared to take the pandemic casually enough to defy CDC recommendations on wearing masks to prevent the transmission of the deadly coronavirus.
The protest against the emergency orders issued by Governor Steve Sisolak (D) comes just one day after the states’s stay at home regulations were extended to May 15th with loosened restrictions that allow all businesses in Nevada to reopen and operate under curbside commerce models — similar to curbside pickup currently allowed for restaurants and eateries.
The new order also allows for drive-in church services as long as congregants remain in their vehicles and relaxed restrictions on outdoor activities such as golf and tennis as long as safety practices are followed.
As of today, Nevada has nearly 5000 cases of COVID-19 currently diagnosed and has suffered 243 deaths.
That puts the state in the bottom half of the country in the total number of infections and deaths but, on a per capita basis, the state ranks #22 in cases per million people.
Just yesterday, Nevada reported the second-highest number of newly-diagnosed cases of the virus since the outbreak began, so the state has not met the requirements for eliminating the stay at home orders recommended by federal medical officials.
None of that seemed to matter much to protestors who feel that their rights to work outweigh any responsibilities towards their fellow citizens to prevent the pandemic from growing worse.
When the line of police in front of the Governor’s mansion prevented them from emulating the storming of the Michigan capitol by armed protestors the other day, the protestors circled around the rear of the mansion to ensure that Governor Sisolak wasn’t trying to slip out the back, Jack.
Protesters believe governor is trying to leave out back. @ThisIsReno pic.twitter.com/MbML2Xwtg6
— RoitanMedia (@roitan_media) May 2, 2020
In the end, the protestors had to make a new plan, Stan, when their numbers began to dwindle.
Protest size beginning to shrink. @ThisIsReno pic.twitter.com/lAfqcpBWbQ
— RoitanMedia (@roitan_media) May 2, 2020
With protests against sensible public health orders issued in the wake of a still-growing, but unevenly distributed, outbreak of COVID-19 becoming more frequent —thanks to the urging of Donald Trump and financing by shadowy right-wing billionaire-funded groups — the frustration with the Trump administration’s failures to manage the response to the pandemic is being directed at the wrong targets.
The best and most effective response to those failures is to do everything in our power to remove Donald Trump from office at the ballot box in November, or sooner, if at all possible.
Meanwhile, stay at home and, if you absolutely have to go outside, wear a mask to protect yourself and others.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Roitan Media.
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