Protesting during coronavirus pandemic part of ‘absurd times’
Protesting amid the coronavirus pandemic is a risky decision that has one worried-sick mayor lamenting “we’re living in absurd times” where people are willing to put their lives at risk to march.
Town-by-town COVID-19 infection rates posted late Wednesday show the virus still has a grip on many cities in Massachusetts. Chelsea, Lynn, Everett, Brockton, Lawrence and even Boston are still in the danger zone, statistics show.
Overall, coronavirus cases in Massachusetts are plummeting — with only 429 new infections reported Wednesday. That positive trend has prompted Gov. Charlie Baker to announce he’ll set the phase 2 opening date this Saturday. That’s great news for retail stores and restaurants.
But, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera warns, protests that he supports come with grave danger.
“We’re willing to put our lives on the line to express our collective anger,” Rivera said of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where the officer accused of pressing his knee against the black man’s neck for more than 8 minutes was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday and charges were leveled against three other officers who did nothing to stop it.
“Everybody is concerned the protests and large gatherings will make some people sick and some may die,” Rivera told the Herald. “We’re living in absurd times. But we’re living in an absurd time when a police officer can put a knee on someone’s neck for more than 8 minutes.
“Silence,” he added, “is just not an option.”
Rivera said he studies the coronavirus numbers in his city where the infection rate is 27.26% — slightly lower than last week’s count.
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, who saw a protest in his city explode into a rock-throwing, fireworks-tossing melee Tuesday night, said he’s also fretting a virus rebound.
“Brockton has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and we are very concerned about our residents, especially our seniors and those at elevated risk,” Sullivan said.
He’s urging everyone to protest peacefully and social distance as much as possible. Brockton’s infection rate is the fifth highest in the state at 27.91%.
The highest infection rate in a big city remains in hard-hit Chelsea, where 39.17% have been hit by the coronavirus. Lynn is next at 29.62%, then Everett at 29.54% followed by Brockton, Lawrence and Revere, at 26.03%.
Gov. Charlie Baker also weighed in on the protests Wednesday, saying big gatherings like the ones seen in Boston over the past five days come with “significant risks.”
“This is a balancing act between giving people their right to speak up about what they believe in,” he added, “and understanding that we are still in the midst of a terribly dangerous and wildly contagious virus.”
Erin Tiernan contributed to this story.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2A1xLwR
Post a Comment