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Topic subjectDoes your town have COVID deniers protesting?
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=18&topic_id=211516&mesg_id=211719
211719, Does your town have COVID deniers protesting?
Posted by handle, Mon Apr-27-20 02:02 PM
San Deigo does - and on the coast, just not inland.

https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2020/04/26/protesters-in-pacific-beach-call-covid-19-a-lie-while-others-strike-back/

https://twitter.com/MHoffmam/status/1254566481834065920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1254575138197999617&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimesofsandiego.com%2Fpolitics%2F2020%2F04%2F26%2Fprotesters-in-pacific-beach-call-covid-19-a-lie-while-others-strike-back%2F <-pictures

4/27/2020
Protesters with signs such as “COVID is a LIE” and “PB IS OPEN” gathered Sunday near a lifeguard station in Pacific Beach to protest state and county stay-home orders and beach closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 200 people rallied with U.S. flags and protest signs next to the PB Shore Club at 4343 Ocean Blvd., most not following social distancing orders or wearing facial coverings.

Two police motorcycle officers circled the area with dozens of officers patrolling on foot, mostly keeping roadways clear.

The protest, dubbed “A Day of Liberty San Diego Freedom Rally,” was organized by Naomi Soria, who organized last week’s downtown San Diego rally. (A group chanted: “We are Naomi.”)

A protester with a sign joins hundreds of people in Pacific Beach calling for an end to stay-at-home orders.
Hundreds of people in Pacific Beach called for an end to stay-at-home orders. Photo by Chris Stone
It was not immediately known whether anyone was cited for violating the stay-at-home order or congregating on a closed beach.
The protest began at 1 p.m. and people started to leave the area near the lifeguard tower after about half an hour, gathering at the corner of Mission Boulevard and Grand Avenue.

The Rev. Shane Harris, whose call for citations led to a move to charge April 18 rally organizer Soria, reacted to a sign he saw Sunday in Pacific Beach likening stay-at-home orders to slavery.

“I’m sorry but slavery is a far reach for social distancing,” tweeted Harris, leader of the People’s Alliance for Justice. “Don’t compare your protests for a beach opening up to our fight for basic human dignity.”

Also Sunday, the group Showing Up for Racial Justice San Diego issued a statement critical of the protests.

“Make no mistake — the bulk of these people are members of extremist groups that are taking advantage of this moment to advance their political agenda,” said Blair Overstreet, a leader of the group — part of a national network “that educates and mobilizes white people in the collective fight for racial and economic justice.”

“These same organizations and participants have been the drivers behind anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Muslim, and anti-vaxx protests, both locally and statewide,” Overstreet said. “These very small, local protests have been encouraged and amplified by organizers that then bring people in from all over the state, traveling to each of these rallies, and bringing vulnerable people into their cause.”