CHEYENNE, WY – Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon told protesters in Cheyenne he doesn’t know when the state will get back to normal but he’s talking with state officials about how to reopen businesses.
Gordon came out of the Capitol to engage with the protesters Monday on the one-month mark after his orders to close schools and businesses to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The 100 or so protesters carried signs reading “Don’t Flatten the Economy” and “Defend Liberty.” Protesters said they were turning out in support of local businesses and demanded to know what businesses and jobs Gordon thought were essential.
Gordon’s first of three orders was placed in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently the restrictions have been extended until the end of April.
The event was dubbed as “Rally for the Choice to Work.”
Literature handed out by event organizers provided a theme for the protest saying: “The whole purpose of government is to protect individual rights. Our constitutional Republic is based on the consent of the governed. If we are not being governed with our consent, then we are being ruled.“
In a Twitter post, Governor Gordon said, “I met with protesters who came to the Capitol today to exercise their 1st Amendment rights to demonstrate and urge that we “reopen” Wyoming. While I disagree with their choice to violate a public health order, I nonetheless thought it was important to listen to their concerns.”
