Group of Tri-Cities leaders, businesses continue push to defy WA COVID orders
A group of Tri-Cities leaders continues to push for local businesses to defy state orders related of COVID-19.
A rally calling for Tri-Cities to open for business brought about 250 people Sunday to the Island View Worship Center on Fowler Street in Richland, according to a story by the Franklin County Connection.
Incoming Benton County Commissioner Will McKay, Pasco City Councilman Pete Serrano and state Rep. Brad Klippert, along with Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond and Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher, attended and spoke at the event.
Photos from the event show most of the people seated closely without masks.
The event was organized by Mike Curtis and Evelyn Menzel of Don’t Tread on the Tri, and Scott Ramos and Jacob Keihn of Retake Washington.
“Tri-Cities is officially open for Business!!!” Menzel wrote on Facebook with a picture of the post for the Sunday afternoon event. “We need to support our Churches, schools and Frontline Businesses and defy the Unconstitutional edicts. We the People will not comply, we will stand and fight against a tyrannical Governor!!!”
Gov. Jay Inslee extended an order that stopped indoor dining, closed fitness centers and limited the amount of people inside retail stores because of spiking COVID cases.
The order was initially put into place in mid-November and has prompted multiple protests in the Tri-Cities. Koko’s Bartini owner Dana Slovak has been at the center of the protests after refusing to close indoor dining.
Slovak’s challenge has become a hot spot after he kept allowing people inside. While the state Liquor and Cannabis Control Board has issued a warning to the business, he has hasn’t changed what he is doing.
Along with Slovak, Barley’s Brew Hub’s owner Tom Floyd spoke at the Sunday event, according to the Connection.
Though Floyd wasn’t challenging the governor’s order, but simply allowed people to get a drink and eat inside when they asked.
McKay, who co-owns Max Air, is opening his trampoline park Max Air Tri-Cities according to its Facebook page. He continued to urge business to violate the order.
Serrano has been voicing his opposition to the emergency proclamations from COVID-19. He made an appearance during a protest of a Kennewick School Board decision to delay opening middle and high schools in late October.
He told the crowd he has been trying to get other city leaders to reject the governor’s order, according to the Connection. He called on Eastern Washington cities and towns to “whittle away” at the rules.
Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, who has at least two bills aimed at limiting the length of emergency orders, said the laws were giving the governor the power were never meant to stretch on this long.