While May 1st or "May Day" is an international day of solidarity for workers around the world, protesters in Huntington Beach, CA gathered to express their discontent over the closure of all Orange County beaches. The protest comes in response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's order where demonstrators carried banners reading "Freedom Is Essential" and "Don't Tread on Me." Needless to say, many of the protesters were unmasked and nearly all were practicing the opposite of physical distancing.
One of the organizers of Friday's protest was Vivienne Reign who owns East Bay Health and Wellness Center and is reported to have ties to the right-wing advocacy group Freedomworks which is funded by libertarian billionaire Charles Koch. Reign denies Friday's demonstration has any ties to Freedomworks. She did tell reporters, that her group We Hae Rights merely capitalized on the outrage from residents furious about Newsom's order. “‘When that came out, people were pissed,” said Reign. “The curve has essentially been beaten, so we decided we’ve gotta go do something about this.”
Reign's assessment runs counter to the predictions put forth by public health experts who warn that a potentially more devastating wave of the coronavirus could be imminent.
Source: twitter.com
