The anti-lockdown protest is here to stay

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic this spring, as some states began to institute stay-at-home and lockdown restrictions, the immediate instinct of some Americans was to rebel. At protests that sometimes only drew a few dozen participants, people rallied at state capitols against social distancing orders and the closing of non-essential businesses.

Though such steps were recommended by public health experts to slow the pandemic’s spread, President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to rebel against them, as so capitally demonstrated with his “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” and “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” tweets.

As Trump’s days in power draw to a close, he’s been less vocal on the recent attempts by states to slow a resurgence of the virus with new lockdown orders. But anti-lockdown sentiments and protests, especially among his supporters, appear poised to outlast him.

The latest example of that happened in Staten Island last night, when a crowd of roughly 400 people rallied outside Mac’s Public House – a tavern that has been openly defying New York’s new curfew restrictions, declaring itself an “autonomous zone.” The bar’s manager was arrested this week for obstructing governmental administration, prompting yesterday’s protest. 

The rally had all the hallmarks of an early pandemic-era anti-lockdown protest: American flags in abundance, references to the “communist” attempts of the government to close businesses and a spirited sing-a-long to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” (Unlike some of those earlier protests across the country against pandemic restrictions, at least some of the attendees at Wednesday’s protest wore face masks). Local lawmakers, including City Council Member Joe Borelli and Rep.-elect Nicole Malliotakis spoke at the protest – the latter of whom was patched in by phone. “A good night and a bad circumstance, brought on by a poor governor,” Borelli tweeted from the rally. The New York Post reported that members of the far-right group Proud Boys were also in attendance.

But it’s not just Trump strongholds like Staten Island where these protests have cropped up. In Manhattan last week, around 80 people gathered in Washington Square Park for an anti-mask protest. Maskless protesters, some wearing MAGA hats, carried signs that read “Stop Covid Tyranny” and “No More Lockdowns,” the Daily News reported.

Similar demonstrations have reached upstate New York too. In Western New York – a region currently experiencing the highest COVID-19 rates in the state – a few dozen people showed up at Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz’s house last week to protest the region’s “orange zone” designation, which shutters gyms, hair salons and other non-essential businesses. 

And it’s not just lay people rebelling against attempts to slow the spread of the virus with new restrictions. Republican elected officials are openly flouting or fighting against new shutdown orders. Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw said this week that he is invoking his authority under the county charter to halt attempts by the Health Department to collect all COVID-19-related fines from businesses. Instead, such fines would be handled by the comptroller’s office, and businesses would have between 20 and 100 years to pay off those fines. Poloncarz later said that Mychajliw did not have this authority, and threatened legal action against him.

The New York Young Republican Club is also set to host an indoor event tonight where guests including Project Veritas’ James O’Keefe are scheduled to speak. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is slotted as the event’s keynote speaker, but her spokespeople later said she would not be attending. Though the organization has said it plans to follow all COVID-19 protocols, Democratic lawmakers, including state Sen. Brad Hoylman, called for the indoor event to be canceled. “Exactly a week after so many of us made the sacrifice of an in-person gathering with family and loved ones on Thanksgiving to stop the spread of COVID, the New York Young Republicans are setting the stage for a superspreader event in my district,” he said. With even more restrictions likely due to record numbers of coronavirus deaths, cases and hospitalizations falling on a daily basis, get ready to see variations on Hoylman’s outrage throughout the holiday season.