The repressive, often petty and irrational, lockdown measures implemented in many states and localities has caused a backlash that grows daily.
Increasingly, we see hairdressers, restaurants, gyms, and other small businesses saying they are willing to risk arrest in order to reopen and save their businesses. People who normally obey the law are engaging in acts of civil disaobedience against orders and restriction that are viewed as illegitimate, both constitutionally and from a health perspective.
The movement has been mostly spontaneous, but that has not stopped the mainstream media, which clearly is hoping for lockdowns to continue, from portraying the movement as astroturf. These are the same false accusations we heard about the Tea Party movement. There may be some organizational help to it, but look at the Resistance and other movements which were highly organized in their coordinated protests around and after Trump’s election.
According to Politico, Convention of the States, which we have covered before, is helping the movement:
The Convention of States, an activist network with tea party origins, did not originate the coronavirus lockdown protests across the country. But it’s got a plan to take them to the next level.Publicly, the group claims no affiliation with the organizers agitating for state governments to lift social-distancing measures. Yet behind the scenes and on their social media channels, the group’s leaders have made no secret of their desire to boost the protests, if not elevate them to a bigger, more professionalized and media-friendly network with a more broadly appealing message….The group is also directing protesters to channel their energy into political activity, launching a website, “Open the States,” which allows users to send automated petitions to the White House, Congress, governors and state legislators. The site also links to Facebook groups across the country that are organizing protests, with the largest ones — boasting membership rates into the hundreds of thousands — targeting states run by Democrat governors.The protest organizers appear to be taking the cues. Many of these Facebook groups include rules that reflect Convention of States recommendations, like not posting coronavirus memes or conspiracy theories.
The widespread and spontaneous rebellions in various locations have had an impact. More and more states are opening up — some faster than others, and invariably blue states are the most repressive and vindictive.
OpenTheStates has declared On Friday, the lockdowns end:
It’s time.It’s time to stand up to overreaching governors, mayors, and bureaucrats. It’s time to open up our businesses while adopting responsible, common-sense safety measures. And it’s time to support those businesses by showing up to purchase their goods and services.We’re calling all Americans to Stand Up, Open Up, and Show Up this Friday, May 22.For months, we’ve complied with lockdown and “stay-at-home” orders supposedly designed to “slow the spread” of the dangerous COVID-19 virus. But even as the infection rate slowed and rural communities saw virtually zero transmission, power-hungry and terrified governors and mayors maintained the lockdown orders….We’re pushing back in the only way we know how: by empowering the American grassroots.If you will commit to Standing Up, Opening Up, or Showing Up, we want to tell your story, too. Here’s what you can do:Use your phone to record a short, 10-second video explaining why you’re Standing Up, Opening Up, or Showing Up.Click the button below.
Upload your video to the forum.We’ll use our national media reach at Convention of States to blast this message out to the entire country. We want the world to know that the American people are ready to Open the States, and you can be a part of this historic movement.
Having readers send in photos and videos. Sound familiar?
Reminds me of the hugely successful National Empty Chair Day in 2012 that stated here at Legal Insurrection and then went national. Readers send in hundreds of photos, and we even made the national news.
Will the lockdowns end Friday? Perhaps it’s the beginning of the end.
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