Have people forgotten we’re in the middle of a pandemic? Are people not aware that the number of positive cases, here in Colorado, are going back up? Do people not know that Arizona, Texas and Florida have had to go back into lockdown?
Or are people too inconvenienced to bother?
Week in, week out we see coverage of demonstrations taking place across the city. Most recently it was to protest the heinous murder of teen Elijah McClain of Aurora. Groups of people closed down sections of I-225 and 6th Avenue highway. Masses congregated. Some were masked, some not. No social distancing was in evidence.
The sacrifices made by going into lockdown were enormous. Thousands lost their jobs. Businesses permanently closed. Children robbed of a normal education and important social experiences. Arts and culture decimated.
We made those sacrifices because they were necessary to avoid catastrophic human loss. Why are so many ready to sacrifice the sacrifice?
From local news coverage it appears that Rep. Leslie Herod (D-HD8) is not only present at many of these demonstrations, but is leading them. In some photos, she is wearing a mask. In others she is not. In none has she been seen social distancing. One photo showed her embracing Elijah McClain’s mother, neither of them masked.
What is going on here?
Rep. Herod as a member of government should be leading by example. We understand her passion for racial justice. It bumps up against public health but surely does not outweigh it. We need to protect Coloradans from a second wave that could see our entire state fall backwards. Does Rep. Herod care about that?
The ultimate irony is that statistics show that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts com- munities of color. If Rep. Herod really cared about social justice, she would not endanger people of color by legitimating protests that do not practice all the required precautions. Not taking COVID-19 seriously especially harms the very communities Rep. Herod is fighting for.
Where is Governor Polis? Why is he allowing these gatherings to continue? At this point, with rising numbers in Colorado and neighboring states, for him to allow mass gatherings with no social distancing in place is irresponsible and dangerous.
Copyright © 2020 by the Intermountain Jewish News
