Protesters demand 'End the shut down now' outside Massachusetts State House - Lowell Sun

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Protesters massed in front of the State House chanting, “End the shut down now!” Monday, demanding that Gov. Charlie Baker remove restrictions on businesses and individuals in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, the crowd of about 600 people spilled onto Beacon Street as police shut down vehicle traffic. Few wore masks and many carried signs scrawled with messages like “liberty and freedom now,” “the media are the virus” and “all jobs are essential.” Some wore the signature pro-Trump “Make American Great Again” and “Keep American Great” hats.

“The country is being shut down and it’s really hurting a lot of people and causing more devastation than we realize,” said Stoneham resident Susan Dawson, 69. “They keep saying they’re doing this to keep seniors safe — I don’t want my country, my families, being devastated because of me. … We (seniors) can take care of ourselves.”

Speaking on the steps of the State House, conservative local radio host and rally organizer Jeffrey Kuhner warned of a country on the brink of “economic collapse.”

“All of this for a lousy virus?” he asked.

“King Charlie ‘Faker,’ you are not our dictator and we are not your servants. We are proud patriots letting your know — not asking, but demanding: End the shutdown now,” Kuhner said.

The demonstration was promoted by the conservative group Super Happy Fun America which also organized last year’s Straight Pride Parade.

Tuesday marks the sixth consecutive week that businesses deemed nonessential businesses have been shut down in Massachusetts — a measure public health experts and elected officials have repeatedly said is essential to slowing the spread of the pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker last week extended the state’s closure on nonessential businesses to May 18.

Baker has also banned groups of 10 or more people and issued a stay-at-home advisory. Another Baker order set to take effect Wednesday will require all residents to wear masks in public — another point of contention for protesters.

Frank Langer, a plumber from Middleboro, said he wore a flame-emblazoned bandanna around his neck “only because he thought he should have something,” but said he disagreed with the government telling people what to do.

“This is all because they want to get Trump out of there — they think if they tank the economy, they can get a Democrat back in,” Langer said.

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Protesters demand 'End the shut down now' outside Massachusetts State House - Lowell Sun
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