If you care to, check out the first page of links on Google related to Reopen America. If you sense that once you click that link, no information will be exactly trustworthy, keep reading. This is a brief attempt to shed some light on one of the most pressing current issues in global perception, as well as to provide some information biased in the direction against framing statists and news reels to benefit those in power. The novel Coronavirus, alleged to have emerged from an open-air wet market in Wuhan China in late December 2019, has caused no less than uproar and pandemonium. Human psychology is at an all time malleable high. Vast percentages of the developed world have infinite-scrolled into a fog penetrable only by sheer will—Hope! I fear the aloofness with which people follow the herd, and fear even more the violent side of those lost in the swamps of complacency. This account is not in anyway a statement about the validity of the suffering caused by Covid 19, but a window into other noteworthy outcomes. Provided in this link is summary of a bit of the local economic fallout due to the virus and attempts to subdue it.

“On April 7, 2020, a peaceful action group called #ReopenNC was formed. Two weeks later, this grassroots movement has grown to 68,000 North Carolina Patriots. We stand for The Constitution. We are mostly business owners and employees that are losing our income and denied our right to provide for our families. We have come together to demand action from their elected officials.”

— Description of Reopen NC group, Facebook page

Described by nearly all major media sources as an illegitimate astroturfing group, the group is attempting to spread word about their concerns thus far with our government’s assessment of Covid 19. The groups are almost always played up to be crazy conservatives, ignoring science and utterly lacking any sense of empathy. What I saw here was not that. The crowd for the most part looked very patriotic, but the speakers spoke mostly on non partisan terms. They wholly encapsulated issues handed down through history—of and through humanity.

“WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(c)(iv), the undersigned has
determined that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection of lives
and property of North Carolinians because the scale of the emergency is so great that it exceeds
the capability of local authorities to cope with it; and

WHEREAS, N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A-19.30(c) in conjunction with N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A19.31 (b)(1) authorizes the undersigned to prohibit and restrict the movement of people in public
places; and ”

— North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper

Ironically enough, the only people creating an atmosphere of ignorance were the two people in the masks above. Contributing nothing to the speakers but shouts of “Fuck you!” and “Fuck the Constitution!" The more the word on stage approached the heart of the issue and why we were all there, the more boisterous they became. No one reacted, save one lady. But no one could blame here because she had at least three younger children in tow, just that I could tell.

“The people trying to tell us what to do are lost in a mental illness. They are lost! And we can’t let them do this. We are here to prove that no law, no Governor can tell us what to do. We are doing no harm here. We are exercising our rights as a free people and we must continue to do so. We must get noisier; we must get better organized, and we must risk jail and death to preserve the freedom for our posterity.”

— Eric McCool

The gentleman above blew the crowd away with his unabashed passion for our rights as not only American Citizen, but as human beings. He touched on the issues with all administrations and government officials, worldwide. Before ending his speech by saying that he has two kids growing up in an uncertain world, he challenged the masked individuals yelling obscenities to come up and speak on their behalf. Needless to say they stayed where they were.

The man above came up to speak about the lack of discretion in the officers of the law in this country. He spoke on abuses of power, racism, and how the media is no help in any of it.

“Our primary Purpose today is to exercise our First Amendment Rights of freedom of speech and peaceable assembly, and to honor our fallen heroes. ”

— Kim Gant, first speaker

One of the things I gathered from the crowd was a strange, yet predictable, sameness all embedded in the politics of the Republicans and the renegading of the Libertarians. Many of the ideals spoken about reflected a much deeper issue at the heart of the way the Coronavirus is being handled, domestically and abroad. Below, are some members of the march with signs commenting on that loss of freedom. Many spoke about the fear mongering, arbitrariness, and deceit—the lynch pin of American Government. A poem titled The New Reawakening (I think that was the title I heard, read by a rally attendee) citied everything from the first transgressions committed by settlers to the emerging New World Order that our greedy nation has ushered into view.

Our Freedom Doesn’t End Where Your Fear Begins

The lady to the left works at the breakfast restaurant Rise N Shine on Merrimon Ave. For more information on the restaurant and their saga with the law, check out their Facebook page. She commented on how Governor Cooper’s regulations (Executive Order 141) have made it much harder for small business owners to operate, and more importantly how some regulations violate the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Although Cooper’s latest Executive Order does specify that religious gatherings are exempt from these regulations, some of the speakers had other experiences. Some just wanted to comment on the overall trend of certain states to lockdown on religious freedoms more tightly. After being reported for opening without strictly adhering to Gov. Cooper’s regulations, they were issued a citation which formally charged the owners. Although ordered to shut down on May 20-21, they remained open and did not adhere to the specific regulations they felt were a violation of First Amendment rights of customers and staff.

Purchase a shirt here to help support and fundraise for Rise N Shine. They are expecting upcoming legal fees as well as fines due to their choice to stay open on the days Gov. Cooper prohibited them from opening. Whether you support what these people were saying or not, I hope this at least reminds some of the importance of sacrifice for your beliefs. If you followed along to the end, thank you thank you thank you.

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