Protesters who want NC to reopen converge on Raleigh. Expert urges caution in lifting rules.

Protesters crowded into downtown Raleigh again on Tuesday, insisting that North Carolina lift restrictions on businesses during the coronavirus pandemic even as health officials say stay-at-home rules nationwide are helping to stem the spread of the virus.

Numbering about 1,000 people at its peak, Tuesday’s rally turned more political than a similar and smaller protest last week.

Several politicians joined the group, including U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina’s Ninth District. Bishop, a Republican, attended wearing a protective mask which he sometimes removed, and carried a bottle of hand sanitizer and pocket-sized editions of the Constitution.

“I’m definitely going to deliver this to Roy Cooper because he’s forgotten what it’s about,” Bishop said.

Protesters say they oppose Cooper’s executive orders that have kept North Carolinians at home and shut down much of the state’s economy. Similar efforts urging the lifting of stay-at-home orders have emerged in other states, and President Donald Trump has tweeted his support of them. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday was among the first to lift some of the state’s restrictions.

Support for Trump, Forest

Cars rode down Raleigh’s Jones Street blaring horns while drivers shouted “No new normal!” through bullhorns on Tuesday.

“If I’m a criminal, I’m a criminal, but I’m a patriot,” said Leonard Harrison, a protester from Mebane. “Let the governor know we need to operate our businesses.”

The crowd was made up of all ages but overwhelmingly white. Many protesters brought children. Most of those rallying didn’t wear protective face masks. Social distancing guidelines were largely ignored by many at Tuesday’s rally, as protesters gathered together less than six feet apart.

Although some organizers had said the protest was bipartisan, the majority of those at the rally seemed to support conservative Republicans. There were flags, hats and T-shirts for Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is seeking the governor’s job. Some chanted against Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Democrats were quick to condemn the protest as “dangerous.”

“We must let science, facts and data guide our next steps,” state party chairman Wayne Goodwin said in a news release. “Protesting safely under these circumstances is one thing, but today’s demonstration quickly devolved into a dangerous situation in which social distancing guidelines were entirely ignored. What’s worse, a number of Republicans flagrantly encouraged this behavior, which endangered our heroes on the frontlines.”

Julie Savage stood along Wilmington Street as protesters started gathering at about 11 a.m. Tuesday. She said her husband, a combat veteran of the Army, had been furloughed from his job and that their lives had been disrupted by being unable to attend church.

“We’re taking (the health risks) out of proportion,” said Savage, a resident of Wake Forest. “They don’t need to shut down the economy and use scare tactics. Just use common sense.”

One of the few protesters wearing a mask was David Frac of Cary, who held a sign reading “Reopen safely.” Frac said he has supported all of Cooper’s efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus and practices social distancing himself, but he said it’s time to consider reopening North Carolina.

“I’m following all the guidelines; I agree with the mitigation strategy, I just think it’s time to turn a corner,” Frac said.

Tabitha Dawes brought her four children to the protest Tuesday, two carrying American flags as tall as they were. Dawes’ family owns a roofing company in Angier, and she said in the past week contracts have been canceled as people have lost their jobs and ability to pay.

Dawes and some others at the rally said they put their faith in God and their immune system to fight the virus.

“Our faith is in God,” Dawes said. “If we get it, we get it.”

At 11:30 a.m., protesters began parading down Jones Street and met a line of Raleigh police blocking their way on motorcycles. Standing inches apart, they formed a wall of people against police and shouted slogans.

One carried a sign that read “Free Copies of the Constitution for Raleigh police.” Another said, “Everyone here knows the truth except the Democrats!”

After 10 minutes of honking, chanting and screaming, they turned around and headed east on Jones.

Counter-protesters in scrubs

About a dozen people in medical scrubs stood outside the state archives in support of the state’s order protecting healthcare workers. They were loudly jeered by several protesters who accused them of spreading lies.

One of those in scrubs was Carrie Shropshire, a medical student at Campbell University.

“Gathering is a liberty we enjoy in this country, but what they’re representing is wrong,” Shropshire said of the protesters.

Pharmacist Nicholas Blanchard also came out to the protest wearing scrubs.

“I’m very concerned that we’re opening North Carolina too early,” he said. “I’m here to try and get people to understand that this is a problem. I want people to follow the science and not their emotions.”

Ashley Smith, one of ReOpen NC’s founders, said that, while some of those in attendance weren’t part of her group, jeering healthcare workers was “disrespectful.”

“As we have no control over any outsiders, or even our own people, I can’t be responsible for the behavior of people either good or bad,” Smith said in a text message to the News & Observer. “But one important thing I want to say to you is that as a person I respect the opinions of everyone there, even those with opposing points of view. Do I believe that people in attendance should’ve jeered those healthcare workers? Of course not! That’s disrespectful and that is not representative of our movement.”

A week ago, State Capitol Police arrested a woman at a ReOpenNC protest in Raleigh. Cooper’s office said this week that protests by the group are allowed as long as social distancing rules are followed, meaning individuals must stay at least six feet away from one another.

Raleigh police said they do not give crowd-size estimates because it is hard to do accurately.

‘Credible body of medical opinion’

Protesters have argued that their right to protest was violated, but Nicole Ligon of the Duke University School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic said governments have the authority to regulate gatherings and protests as long as there’s a significant public interest to do so. Ligon said that in this case Cooper’s executive order against gatherings is backed by broad medical opinion on the dangers of the coronavirus.

“There’s a credible body of medical opinion that the coronavirus is potentially fatal and harmful to the public,” Ligon said.

Dr. Mark McClellan, an economist and physician who heads Duke’s Margolis Center for Health Policy, said North Carolina has been successful in slowing COVID-19’s spread through its stay-at-home approach. That also means any relaxing of the stay-at-home order should be done with caution, McClellan said.

“My guess, and a lot of expert epidemiologists’ best estimate, is only a small share of people in North Carolina are actually immune — less than 10 percent,” McClellan said in an interview with the News & Observer. “That means if we are going to think about reopening successfully we have to prepare for the possibility of the virus really being able to affect the vast majority of North Carolinians even after what we’ve been through already and we have to plan accordingly for that.”

As of Tuesday morning, NC’s Department of Health and Human Services had recorded 6,951 cases among the state’s 10.5 million people with 213 deaths.

While ReOpen’s leaders say that’s a sign the virus isn’t serious enough to keep the economy shut down, McClellan said it’s more a sign that the restrictive measures are working.

“Unlike other states that got started relatively late after a number of cases were already identified,” McClellan said, “I think North Carolina moved relatively earlier, got generally very good collaboration across all parts of the state, the business community, local leaders and as a result of that, our surge isn’t turning out to be nearly as bad as the initial projection suggested.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Protesters who want NC to reopen converge on Raleigh. Expert urges caution in lifting rules.."