'Liberate Minnesota' protest organizer: 'We want our rights restored,' despite coronavirus threat

"Liberate Minnesota" protesters are calling for Gov. Tim Walz to reopen businesses and end a stay-at-home order aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus, organizer Michele Even said Saturday.

Appearing on "Fox & Friends Weekend," Even said the demonstrators want their "rights restored."

"We want to get back to work. We want to support our families. We don't want to depend on government to take care of us," she said. "And we want that [stay-at-home restriction] to end now. We don't want a slow trickle into this. We are perfectly capable of opening our own businesses and running those again and being safe in doing that."

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Walz’s residence Friday, demanding an end to the lockdown.

At least 400 protesters honked horns, waved American flags and donned Trump 2020 gear. Some held placards declaring "Stop the Shutdown," "We Do Not Consent" and "Walz is the Virus," according to reports from KMSP-TV/FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The protests -- which started with demonstrations in North Carolina and Michigan -- has spread to New York, Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky, with more protests slated for coming days, even as federal and state officials warn that rolling back virus mitigation efforts too soon will lead to even more coronavirus cases.

President Trump has voiced his support of the groups, tweeting Friday, "LIBERATE MINNESOTA"

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

LIBERATE MINNESOTA!

171K

10:21 AM - Apr 17, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

66K people are talking about this

Read and see more: https://www.foxnews.com/media/liberate-minnesota-organizer-we-want-our-rights-restored

Hundreds protest Evers' extension of stay at home order in Brookfield

From JSOnline:

Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Demonstrators wave flags and hold signs for passing motorists on West Bluemound Rd. in front of Brookfield Square shopping mall on Saturday, The gathering was a protest of Gov. Tony Evers' decision to extend the stay-at-home order through May 26. Scott Ash/Now News Group

BROOKFIELD – Nearly a thousand people packed the sidewalk adjacent Bluemound  . road in Brookfield on Saturday afternoon to protest Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to extended Wisconsin’s stay at home order through May 26. Some wore masks and elected to participate in the parking lots while the majority stood shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalk waving and cheering at passing cars who honked or displayed signs in solidarity.

Occasionally Brookfield Police slowly drove by to remind people to stay off the street and police and Brookfield Square security vehicles were present in the parking lots, but groups of children, teenagers and adults was peaceful.

Many in the protest brought American and Gadsden flags along with homemade signs, with the bulk calling for the reopening of churches, the parks and the state economy. There were signs and T-shirts protesting Gov. Evers directly, along with Donald Trump and Mike Pence 2020 campaign signs, flags and bumper stickers.

Former Wisconsin State assemblyman Don Pridemore had a campaign vehicle on site, as he is running for State Senate in the 13th district. Brookfield Party Rental stationed three trucks along the sidewalk in one parking lot in support of the protest, with signs on one truck dashboard calling for the recall of Gov. Evers and the opening of the state.

For Paul Matson of Menomonee Falls, that was why he was at the protest.

“It’s time to open something,” he said. “This isn’t common throughout the state. It’s common in Milwaukee. It’s common in Madison. Lock them down. I don’t need to be locked down. I can be respectful. I have a mask in my car. If I go shopping I’m wearing it. I have hand sanitizer. I’m washing my hands. No reason for all this over-reaction.”

Matson was one of the protesters who chose to participate by staying off the sidewalk and was without facial protection but did feel there has been an over-reporting of the disease to hurt the President.

Most signage predominantly called for a re-opening of businesses, though others did question the validity of the pandemic and the lack of testing and medicine.

“My concern is about the cost of the precautions that the government’s dictating, that it’s out of proportion with the threat of the virus,” said Lawrence Sullivan of Juneau. “I think the threat of people catching the virus and getting sick here is something they can make a determination on, as to what the level of risk they’re willing to take is.”

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2020/04/18/brookfield-protest-hundreds-protest-evers-extension-stay-home/5159475002/

Wild animals are reclaiming cities and streets during coronavirus lockdown

From New York Post:

With no human visitors, a pride of lions took to an empty road in the popular Kruger National Park to nap.Kruger National Park

Afoot and light-hearted, they’re taking to the open road.

Amid the global lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, striking images taken in South Africa’s popular Kruger National Park — which has remained shut since March 25 — show a pride of some 15 lions napping in the middle of an empty paved road.

CNN reports that on any typical day, this area would be packed with tourists on safari excursions. But that doesn’t mean that the travelers would get to experience this sight.

“This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see,” the park tweeted Wednesday. “This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.”

That isn’t the only atypical sight.

“Lying on the road during the daytime is unusual because under normal circumstances there would be traffic and that pushes them into the bush,” Kruger spokesman Isaac Phaahla tells CNN. “They just occupy places they would normally shun when there are tourists … People should remember that [Kruger] is still a largely wild area and in the absence of humans, wildlife is more active.”

It isn’t just Kruger that’s shut down. Despite initially announcing a 21-day lockdown for the country, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in early April that he would extend the quarantine at least until the end of the month.

Monkeys in India sit outside during quarantine.

This isn’t just a sight limited to South Africa. Worldwide, with the coronavirus keeping humans inside, wild animals have taken to the streets to have their own play — even in cities. People in New Delhi have spotted monkeys looking for food in an alleyway lined with closed shops. In Venice, Italy, clear blue canals have lured swans and fish before tourists return in gondolas.

Here’s a look at some more.

You goat to be kidding me

Mountain goats roamed Llandudno, Wales, as people remained inside under coronavirus-related lockdown.Getty Images

In the north of Wales, herds of wild mountain goats have claimed the empty streets of Llandudno as their own. Known as the Great Orme Kashmiri goats, they typically live on a nearby hill that looks over the town, rarely heading into it. North Wales police reportedly said the agency received a call about the wandering herd — which had been grazing on people’s hedges and gardens — but there was no need to intervene.

“We are not aware of officers attending to them as they usually make their own way back,” the police said.

Read more: https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/wild-animals-are-reclaiming-cities-during-coronavirus-lockdown/

Florida man encases arms in concrete in protest of prison conditions during pandemic

"Today’s demonstration happened after other avenues were exhausted, and after infection rates have been climbing daily in Florida’s prisons, jails, and detention centers," advocates said.

Protester Jordan Mazurek, 28, who cemented his hands in two 55-gallon plastic drums filled with concrete in the driveway of the Governor's Mansion, sits on the pavement while his vitals are checked by first responders, on April 17, 2020, in Tallahasssee, Fla.Alicia Devine / Tallahassee Democrat via AP

April 18, 2020, 10:13 AM CDT

By Phil McCausland

A man in Florida encased his arms in barrels full of concrete outside the governor's mansion in Tallahassee on Friday in protest of the state's continuing to hold prisoners amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Tallahassee police arrested Jordan Mazurek, 28, around 10:30 a.m. after they cut him out of two 55-gallon drums of concrete that were connected by PVC pipe. Mazurek was first seen outside the mansion, where Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, a Republican, lives, at 6 a.m.

Mazurek wore a surgical mask and sat between the two black drums painted in white letters — one said "stop the massacre," while the other read "free prisoners now" — in protest of the living conditions of those who remain imprisoned amid the pandemic. At least four Florida inmates have died and thousands have been quarantined by the state, the News Service of Florida reported.

Tallahassee police officers attempted to talk Mazurek out of the protest because he had the power to remove himself from the barrels, but ultimately authorities brought in a jackhammer to break the concrete that surrounded his hands over a period of two hours, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

Three others helped Mazurek place the barrels for his protest and were spotted at the scene. Karen Smith, 45, tried to escape on foot, police said, and was arrested for fleeing the scene.

Mazurek, who was released after police arrested him for resisting arrest and obstructing justice, was not immediately available for comment, but the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons, a group he helped found, said in a statement that the act highlighted the need for the governor to release inmates to protect against the spread of the coronavirus among the prison population.

"Today’s demonstration happened after other avenues were exhausted, and after infection rates have been climbing daily in Florida’s prisons, jails, and detention centers," the group said. "Infection rates are over 10 times higher inside than outside, and this will only worsen if nothing is done."

The campaign said Mazurek's act was not taken on behalf of any individual or organization, but added that protests would "continue to escalate until action is taken to stop this preventable disaster from worsening."

From: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-man-encases-arms-concrete-protest-prison-conditions-during-pandemic-n1186886

Most Americans doubt the coronavirus crisis will end soon, poll says

From New York Post:

A billboard in Times Square thanks health workers on Thursday.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Image

More Americans are pessimistic about when life will return to normal amid the coronavirus crisis, according to a poll released Friday.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll said that among Americans who said their daily routine had changed due to the coronavirus, just 31 percent believed life would be back to normal by June 1, compared to 44 percent who felt that way in a poll earlier this month.

The new poll also showed a partisan divide in the way people felt, with 51 percent of Republicans and only 17 percent of Democrats believing they will be back to normal by June 1.

Roughly 75 percent of those surveyed believed they would resume their regular routine by the end of the summer, down from 84 percent who said the same in an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on April 3.

President Trump released guidelines prepared by his Coronavirus Task Force on Thursday that set benchmarks for states that want to end stay-at-home orders and other preventive measures, and said he hoped many states could “reopen” by May 1 or even sooner.

Meanwhile, most of the country is taking steps to protect themselves and their families from the pandemic, the poll showed.

Over 66 percent of Americans who went out in public this week said they wore a face covering, up from 55 percent last week, while 31 percent said they had not, according to the survey.

Both more Democrats and Republicans are wearing face coverings in public in the last week.

But the partisan divide exists in this case as well, with 80 percent of Democrats wearing masks compared to 64 percent of Republicans.

And for the third week in a row, the commander-in-chief’s approval rating for his handling of the pandemic was in the mid-40s, putting him underwater for four of the five weeks that ABC News/Ipsos has surveyed the coronavirus crisis.

Ninety-two percent of Democrats disapprove of his response compared to only 14 percent of Republicans.

This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted April 15-16, 2020, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.3 points.

From: https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/most-americans-doubt-coronavirus-crisis-will-end-soon-poll/

Plato's Warning

From Racine County Corruption:

Plato's Warning

 If You Don't Vote, You Will Be Governed by Idiots ...... 

for refusing to participate in politics, is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.


What Plato didn't warn you about is if you vote for idiots, criminals or pimps, you will be governed by such.

CASE IN POINT

Judge Lisa Neubauer

aka 
LEGAL WHORE

Judge Lisa Neubauer was reelected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the hotly contested 2020 April elections.

Neubauer was reelected despite her committing ethical and felony criminal violations of court misconduct in the case of 
Sandy Weidner vs. City of Racine. 

 Neubauer should be in prison, but because of derelict and feckless oversight agencies like the Wisconsin Judicial Commission and the Attorney General's office, Neubauer remains chief judge of all the Court of Appeals districts within Wisconsin.

After the election, Neubauer reached out on social media with the following message:

“It has been, and now will remain, the greatest privilege and pleasure of my professional life to serve as a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ,  I care so deeply about, and we have fought so hard for, the rule of law and the critical role that fair, impartial, independent, and competent courts play in preserving and protecting our liberties and our democracy.”

Neubauer talks about the rule of law as if she really gives a shit about it. 
Facts are she is a constitutional infidel.

 Neubauer is not fair, nor impartial, nor independent, nor competent.

Neubauer has the audacity to note the importance our courts play preserving and protecting our liberties and our democracy as she trashed the rights of 5.7 million Wisconsin residence as she conducted illegal secret court.

Think about this, when you stand before a judge, 
chances are that judge is a criminal.

We have criminals conducting court in Wisconsin because of feckless governmental agencies !

Help us clean the trash out of government.

Support HOT Government.

From: https://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2020/04/platos-warning-if-you-dont-vote-you.html

'Experience of a lifetime': Truck driver reacts to being saluted by Trump at White House

A truck driver appeared on “Fox & Friends” Friday to talk about a White House event the day before in which President Trump recognized and applauded the industry for keeping America supplied during the coronavirus.

“It was definitely an experience of a lifetime,” Stephen Richardson told “Fox & Friends.”

Trump described truck drivers as the “lifeblood of our economy” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the war against the virus, American truckers are the foot soldiers who are carrying us to victory,” Trump said at the event, whose theme was “Thank God for truckers.”

Trump spoke on the White House lawn, where trucks were displayed in the background of the speaking podium.

“Getting the honor and respect that I think the 3.5 million truck drivers deserve was just heartwarming because it was not personally me, it's all of us doing our jobs,” Richardson said.

Richardson drives for Big-G Express trucking company in Shelbyville, Tenn. He said he notices the police officers, firefighters and medical first responders out on the roads helping people during the pandemic.

The event’s attendees included truck drivers for FedEx, DHL and UPS, as well as an executive and a driver from the American Trucking Associations.

As previously reported by FOX Business, the public attention truckers have received has been a positive for the industry – which has had some success reaching the federal government as well as state governments when it comes to easing certain regulations and restrictions.

From: https://www.foxnews.com/media/truck-driver-reacts-to-being-saluted-trump

Racine County sheriff will not enforce stay-at-home order, says it will have 'dire lifetime consequences'

From JSOnline:

Jim Owczarski and Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling (Photo: Colin Boyle/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling issued a statement Friday saying his department would not enforce Gov. Tony Evers' safer-at-home order and said the "overreaching measures" would have dire consequences.

Evers on Thursday extended the safer-at-home order until May 26 in an effort to continue to slow the spread of the coronavirus throughout the state. The decision was met with opposition from Republican leadership in the state Legislature.

"The overreaching measures taken by State government will have dire lifetime consequences for businesses, homeowners, and families," Schmaling's statement reads.

"I took an oath to uphold the constitutional rights of our citizens and I can not in good faith participate in the destruction of Racine County businesses or interfere in the freedoms granted to all of us by our Constitution," he continued.

The city of Racine on Friday reported it reached a new peak in daily cases, with 11 new cases and one death on Thursday.

The city had 77 confirmed cases and three deaths, and the county reported 163 cases and eight total deaths — including two new deaths Friday.

Nearby Milwaukee County reported more than 2,000 cases and 111 deaths from the virus.

Schmaling said his department “will continue to concentrate our resources and efforts at keeping our roads safe and protecting our citizens from criminal activity” but will leave the investigating and enforcement of public health orders to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Schmaling said he believes Racine County businesses can individually make the “appropriate adjustments in the way they operate” to ensure the safety of workers and patrons. 

“I understand the seriousness of the current health situation and I urge all Racine County citizens to continue to be responsible and to follow the social distancing, mask and hygiene recommendations of the CDC and the Wisconsin DHS,” he said.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2020/04/17/coronavirus-wisconsin-racine-county-sheriff-schmaling-says-evers-order-overreaching-dire-consequence/5157229002/

Jacksonville beach packed as Florida coronavirus cases hit record

Crowds were spotted on a beach in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday.Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Floridians didn’t waste any time getting back to the sun and surf when beaches and parks were reopened in Jacksonville — the same day the state clocked a record number of coronavirus cases.

Crowds were seen cheering and rushing the beach as police removed the barriers around 5 p.m. Friday, CNN reported.

Aerial photos show hundreds of people packing the sand to swim, stroll, surf and fish. Many were without masks.

“We all live on it, so it has been torture looking at it and not being able to be out here,” one beachgoer told CNN.

Jacksonville opened beaches from 6-11 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. daily, with some restrictions including no sunbathing or lounging in chairs or on blankets.

“This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life,” Mayor Lenny Curry reportedly said.

Curry made the call after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the green light for some municipalities to begin reopening beaches.

Police were seen warning people who didn’t adhere to the no-sunbathing rule, according to photos posted to social media, while a flyover sign warned people: “Do your part. Stay 6 feet apart. Help keep beaches open.”

Florida announced 1,400 new cases Friday, the highest 24-hour toll since the pandemic began.

From: https://nypost.com/2020/04/18/hundreds-flood-florida-beach-as-florida-reopens-some-parks/

China Pushing Coronavirus Disinformation, U.S. Intelligence Officials Say | NBC Nightly News

Trump outlines three phases for reopening economy

Putting the economy back to work: Who has the power, states or Trump?

Republican lawmakers are planning to ask the Supreme Court to block Evers' stay-at-home order extension

From JSOnline:

Patrick Marley and Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos explains proposed legislation Tuesday as the Assembly meets to vote on a bill that would give the unemployed more benefits, provide insurance protections for those infected with coronavirus and shield health care providers from liability. (Photo: Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

MADISON - Republican legislative leaders are planning to ask the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court to block Gov. Tony Evers' latest order to shut down the economy until late May — deepening the partisan divide over how to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills, co-chairwoman of the Legislature's finance committee, told FOX 6 that legislative Republicans plan to ask the state's highest court to step in and block Evers' order extending stay-at-home until May 26. 

"We are going to the Supreme Court," she said. "We have to get Wisconsin back to work."

Darling announced the plan after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos signaled Friday morning he was considering legal action to either curb or block Evers' power to act unilaterally during the coronavirus outbreak. 

"We’re angry, we’re frustrated and we’re trying to push back in every way that we can," Vos of Rochester said on WISN-AM (1130).

He said lawmakers would likely have a legal strategy by next week. They want to be sure any lawsuit they bring is legally sound so it doesn't result in a court decision that upholds Evers or increases his powers, Vos said.

"One potential for us would be to say, 'Where in the statutes does it allow the government and especially the people at WEDC or the people at DHS to pick and choose how businesses operate?' That is not part of an order to contain a spread. You cannot say it’s legal for you to buy flowers at a Walmart but it’s not legal for you to buy flowers at a flower shop," he said, referring to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the state Department of Health Services.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/17/coronavirus-wisconsin-robin-vos-threatens-lawsuit-over-tony-evers-stay-home-order/5151846002/

Gov. Ron DeSantis gives some Florida beaches green light to reopen

Florida’s governor on Friday gave the green light for some beaches and parks to reopen if it can be done safely, and north Florida beaches became among the first to allow people to return since closures because of the coronavirus.

Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County beaches were reopening Friday afternoon with restricted hours, and they can only be used for walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming, taking care of pets and surfing.

The beaches will be open from 6 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., Curry said in a video posted to social media. Gatherings of 50 or more people are prohibited and people must still practice social distancing.

“Folks, this could be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life, but please respect and follow these limitations,” Curry said. “We’ll get back to life as we know it, but we must be patient.”

Florida officials were criticized for leaving beaches open during part of the spring break period last month. Most counties closed their beaches in response or kept them open under very restrictive conditions. Other more high-profile beaches in South Florida — including Miami Beach — were closed by state order.

At a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Gov. Ron DeSantis said some municipalities should feel free to start opening up parks and beaches, if that can be done safely, with distancing guidelines remaining in place.

The governor said it was important for people to have outlets for getting exercise, sunshine and fresh air.

“Do it in a good way. Do it in a safe way,” DeSantis said.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/17/gov-ron-desantis-gives-some-florida-beaches-green-light-to-reopen.html