Protesters converge on Raleigh for a fourth week, medical professionals stand opposed
A smaller crowd of protesters assembled in downtown Raleigh for a fourth ReOpenNC rally Tuesday, announcing they would form a nonprofit and launch a legal battle against Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order.
Gathered near the Legislative Building, roughly 200 people took turns with a microphone, sharing personal stories of hardship under the state’s COVID-19 response. Few wore masks.
The crowd was noticeably smaller than previous Tuesday protests, down from recent weeks in which marchers appeared to top 1,000. They did not march until the rally’s end, when roughly 30 people walked to the Governor’s Mansion, which had its brick sidewalk barricaded and guarded by police officers wearing masks.
ReOpenNC leader Ashley Smith said the group will become a nonprofit and begin a fundraising campaign. She said upcoming legal fights require funds. The group had wanted to file a class-action writ of habeas corpus, but doing so required a filing fee of $200 a person.
“We’re going to move this thing forward,” Smith said.
As in previous weeks, about a dozen counter-protesters in scrubs and lab coats also demonstrated near the legislature, saying the measures designed to keep North Carolinians safe from the coronavirus are essential. They advocate following Cooper’s order and describe the ReOpenNC movement as unsafe.
“I’m here to convey a message that we are reopening too soon,” said Luis Mejia Cruz, a medical lab tech who works in the Triangle.
“The ReOpen protesters are putting all of us at risk,” Cruz said. “We have front row seats to what’s going on. There must be more testing. We’re still not where we need to be.”
‘We’re just losing everything’
Protester Robert Scott, who runs a charter boat business in Nags Head, stood with two friends beside a minivan with signs on the windshield that read “Small business is essential” and “Re-open N.C. NOW!”
Scott said he thinks people are responsible enough to socially distance themselves and make their own decisions about how to stay safe. He said the shutdown shouldn’t apply to everyone.
“We can’t go into certain businesses and can’t open anything, so we’re losing money left and right,” Scott said. “We’re just losing everything.”
Apex tattoo artist Matthew “Jax” Myers, who was arrested a week ago after he defied Cooper’s order by opening his shop, told the protesters Tuesday, “What I did, I did for all of you.”
N.C. House Rep. Keith Kidwell, a Republican from Beaufort County, told protesters he will introduce a bill to require that the American and state flags be flown at the governor’s mansion. Flags were taken down before last Tuesday’s protest out of fear they would be damaged.
Later Tuesday, police approached Kidwell to ask whether he was armed. He was not carrying a gun.
“I usually do so it was a safe bet,” he told people nearby.
‘Dangerous to open prematurely’
The counter-protesters said they support a reopening only when it is safe to do so.
“It is dangerous to open prematurely,” said Carrie Shropshire, a second-year medical student at Campbell University, who has attended previous protesters. “We need to stand together to prevent the deaths of thousands of North Carolinians.”
The counter-protestors followed social distancing rules and wore face masks. Among them, someone was dressed as the grim reaper, with a sign that said “Thank you for your business.”
Lisa Matthews, a nurse at a birthing center in Winston-Salem, said she understands the financial struggles that many people are enduring with businesses closed. But she wants to make sure the state doesn’t ease restrictions too early.
”“I don’t want to be here, but at the same time I feel that I need to be here,” she said. “We are physical distancing. We are wearing our masks. Our voices need to be heard.”
‘Time to make a stand’
Smith said she is proud for getting arrested at last week’s protest and said the group has continued to attract members despite defections over tactics.
She added that Cooper’s phased reopening rollout, which could begin as early as Saturday, will change little and lead to economic downfall.
“It’s time to make a stand,” she said. “I think I’ve shown willingness to put skin in the game in a tactile way.”
At least one person was arrested Tuesday after a member of a documentary photography crew from California clashed with a parking attendant. Last Tuesday, four protesters, including Smith, were arrested when they stepped onto the sidewalk outside the governor’s mansion, violating police instructions.
Speakers took turns at the microphone for nearly an hour. They prayed, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and made references to those killed at Waco and Ruby Ridge.
Tracy Philbeck, a county commissioner from Gaston County, near Charlotte, said moving to Phase 1 of reopening for North Carolina would be a mark of victory, but he described the state’s response to unemployment as disastrous.
“Small business pays better than the government,” he said.
One of ReopenNC’s leaders left the group last week, citing disagreements with Smith. Kristin Elizabeth said she had a different idea of what constitutes civil disobedience. Smith said Tuesday that some membership has fallen off since then but the group has attracted new people.
Cooper is expected to announce Tuesday whether North Carolina will move into Phase 1 of its reopen plans later this week.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Protesters converge on Raleigh for a fourth week, medical professionals stand opposed."
