‘We’ll take our chances.’ 150 people protest coronavirus rules at Biloxi freedom rally.
About 100 people crowded under the Biloxi Lighthouse Pavilion on Saturday to protest government-imposed restrictions during the new coronavirus pandemic, with about 50 more people participating from a distance.
With Biloxi police watching from the edge of the crowd, people gathered in groups of more than the 20 allowed outdoors while others social distanced. Few wore face masks. They shook hands. They brought their young children.
Those driving past on U.S. 90 beeped in support or shouted “you’re crazy.”
“This is scary stuff,” Ocean Springs Mayor Shea Dobson said to the crowd of mostly white, primarily middle-aged people at the Mississippi Freedom Rally. Most were from the Coast, but one group drove more than five hours to attend.
Ocean Springs adopted guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the safety of residents, he said, but then came the conflicting reports and information that he said wasn’t exactly sound.
“We will not accept our rights being trampled on any longer,” he said.
Dobson — who has said he leans toward Libertarian but doesn’t like labels — told the crowd it’s important to protect the freedoms of the Bill of Rights and not give an inch. The mayor of Jackson tried to ban the open carry laws, and Dobson said, “I’ll be damned if anyone’s going to take our guns.”
Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel said America was founded by revolutionaries, and told the crowd they shouldn’t be ashamed of that legacy.
“They didn’t let the fear of dying stop them from living,” McDaniel said. “You and you alone are ultimately responsible for your safety.”
The audience cheered when McDaniel said, “We’ll take our chances because we’d rather be free.”
E. Brian Rose, president of the Jackson County Republican Club, and Dan Carr, who heads the Harrison County Republican Club, organized the event. When asked why, Rose said, “Because somebody told me I couldn’t.”
Biloxi City Council President Robert Deming III spoke of the uneven regulations under the coronavirus guidelines. A friend of his couldn’t be in the doctor’s office with his pregnant wife, Deming said.
He went to the dentist, Deming said, “but if I get my hair cut . . .” The rest of his comment was cut off by laughs from the crowd.
“These provisions were put in place to save lives,” said state Sen. Jeremy England, a new Republican senator from Jackson County. Now, he said, it’s time to get back to work for the same reason.
Protests against shelter-in-place orders have been ongoing for a few weeks across the country. McDaniel also spoke at one outside the state Capitol in Jackson on May 1.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves initially restricted outdoor groups to 10, but upped it to 20 on May 4, saying the change would allow children’s sports teams to practice outdoors.
Health experts say available evidence shows the virus can spread in respiratory droplets, such as sneezing or talking, when people are within 6-8 feet of each other. Studies also have shown the virus can linger in the air in crowded spaces or rooms that aren’t well-ventilated.
That’s why healthcare professionals and federal, state and local officials ask that everyone wear masks in public.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
