Will this man (and his sign) one day become the face of resistance to crazy Coronavirus government overreach?
While Florida is moving ahead with opening their beaches, in Emerald Isle, North Carolina the Mayors were erring on the side of safety, including restricting the use of places like beaches.
Three young surfers were arrested for not leaving the water due to town ordinance.
Some would ask what authority such a decision stems from.
Judging by the sign he brought, Command Master Chief Mathew Rife, who retired just last year, would echo that concern.
Dressed in his full Navy Service Dress Blue, he stood facing the shore in the slightly-more-than-knee-deep water, not far from his sign.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GkSFKBPubE9iJGoN2jPDywwemIDwp9sjX9og0/
The sign read, simply, ‘Land Of The Free’.
Police asked him to leave, but he did not leave in answer to their dictate. And they did not force the issue.
He left on his own terms, once his point had been made, shortly thereafter.
Longtime resident of Emerald Isle, Mike Connor, told Business Insider that Emerald Isle Police asked him to leave but the man refused. He reportedly left on his own a short time later, before Town Manager Matt Zapp announced that ocean access restrictions would be lifted on Saturday. Mayor Eddie Barber and other mayors of the Bogue Banks towns had issued the coronavirus rules on April 2.
“We’re very happy that Emerald Isle allowed access not just to us swimmers, but to everybody that uses it as a medium for their exercise,” Connor told Insider. “We don’t want our rights stomped all over.”
Earlier in the week, angry surfers in Emerald Isle had begun a petition to lift the ban and staged a protest a few days later.
“Emerald Isle residents and property owners will be able to access the Atlantic Ocean for normal activities, including swimming, surfing, kiting, kayaking, and fishing. Residents can continue to walk, jog, and sit on the beach strand. All beachgoers must adhere to the current social distancing guidelines,” Zapp wrote in a press release announcing the reopening. —BPR
Watch the fear-mongers bring up the ‘death-cult’ and ‘Nazi’ tropes they’ve been throwing around at the folks protesting to exercise their freedom without the State coming after them with a big stick.
What they WON’T want to talk about is the fact that, while the beach is open, people are still expected to exercise the usual social distancing protocols they would use in, say, the local grocery store.
It never occurred to the Mayor that citizens who could be expected to safely exercise their good judgment while buying groceries could likewise exercise good judgment while enjoying the sun and sand.
And THIS is why we don’t want the government micro-managing our lives. They’re just not any good at it.
