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鈥淭yranny鈥� was the word around State Circle in Annapolis Friday afternoon as the group Reopen Maryland held another rally in protest of a series of executive orders put into place by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) after the COVID-19 pandemic infiltrated the state in March.
Despite Hogan鈥檚 decision to lift the stay at home order, which went into effect just hours after the rally was through, Marylanders from around the state gathered at the foot of the governor鈥檚 office, calling for reinstatement as life as they knew it before.
鈥淒o you feel open?鈥� Jim Wass of Reopen Maryland asked the crowd. 鈥淒o you feel free?鈥�
Attendees responded with a resounding 鈥淣o!鈥�
Hogan鈥檚 order allows for the reopening of many previously shuttered businesses and churches 鈥� both of which are still ordered to run at half capacity.
Some Marylanders say that鈥檚 not enough.
鈥淭omorrow morning, roughly six and a half million Marylanders are gonna think they can go out,鈥� Reopen Maryland co-founder Tim Walters said. 鈥淎nd they鈥檙e going to be angry.鈥�
The disgruntled crowd of nearly 200 waved Gadsden flags and held signs 鈥� some religious in nature, some right-leaning, but most just pleading for their constitutional rights.
There was chanting throughout the event on State Circle 鈥� 鈥淐oward!鈥� 鈥淭yrant!鈥� and 鈥淥pen us up!鈥� were pretty popular. At one point, an attendee interrupted Walters to say he wanted to shine Hogan鈥檚 boots, which got a fair amount of laughter.
Walters made a point to say that the movement reaches beyond party lines.
鈥淚 want to be very clear 鈥� we are an apolitical organization,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important that you know, regardless of what party, who鈥檚 here to support鈥� the movement, he added before introducing a series right-leaning politicians including Del. Warren E. Miller (R-Carroll and Howard), Del. Brian A. Chisholm (R-Anne Arundel), former Del. Deborah C. Rey (R-St. Mary鈥檚), 2022 gubernatorial candidate Robin Ficker (R), 7th congressional district special election candidate Liz Matory (R), 2nd congressional district candidate Tim Fazenbaker (R) and #WalkAway Campaign founder Brandon Straka.
The group Reopen Maryland in company with Del. Daniel L. Cox (R-Frederick) and a series of pastors, veterans, politicians, campgrounds and other entities, filed a lawsuit against Hogan earlier this month alleging that his series of executive orders put into place since the pandemic fell across the state infringe upon their constitutional rights.
Cox told rally attendees that the suit appears to be moving their cause in the right direction.
The lawmaker said that three days after filing the lawsuit, in part, on behalf of campgrounds, Hogan reopened trails and golf courses across the state. He also said that a teleconference with the courts concluding that churches cannot be shuttered led to Hogan鈥檚 Wednesday decision to reopen religious centers.
Walters agreed, asserting that Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan鈥檚 decision to reopen the town鈥檚 beaches last weekend and hotels this week was because of a caravan that Reopen Maryland held that traveled from Frederick to Salisbury earlier this month.
鈥淭his works, people,鈥� Cox said, adding that Hogan鈥檚 鈥渄eceitful鈥� reopening announcement gives 鈥渃ertain additional powers to tyrant counties to continue this order.鈥�
Since the governor鈥檚 decision to lift the stay at home order Wednesday, a number of decision-makers from the state鈥檚 largest jurisdictions have said they aren鈥檛 ready to reopen because the virus is still at large and hitting their populations particularly hard.
Many are still mandating that their residents stay home.
Cox called Hogan鈥檚 handing over of power to local governments 鈥渧ery, very disappointing.鈥�
It appears as though the relationship between the GOP lawmakers and the executive branch is tense, to say the least.
Cox told the crowd that he filed a Maryland Public Information Act request to the governor鈥檚 office for 鈥渁ll documents related to the COVID task force,鈥� but said he was denied on the basis that the task force was deemed a 鈥渘ongovernmental unit.鈥�
Maryland Matters reached out to the governor鈥檚 office to inquire about the task force鈥檚 role in the state government. Hogan spokesman Michael Ricci said the meeting minutes, documents and emails that Cox requested are not 鈥渦nits or instrumentalities of the state.鈥�
鈥淥f course, much of the input and feedback they鈥檝e given is reflected in the various announcements the governor has made, and the Road map to Recovery plan he released last month,鈥� he said.
‘Never give up’
As of Friday, the state was reporting 36,986 confirmed COVID-19 cases and almost 1,800 deaths connected to the virus.
Cox said that 67% of the 1,792 confirmed the state鈥檚 confirmed COVID-19 are from nursing homes. The actual representation is 55%.
Frederick County, which Cox represents, has seen 81 total deaths 鈥� 78% of which were nursing home residents.
He called on police officers 鈥� whom he called 鈥渢he thin blue line鈥� 鈥� to stand with the reopen movement in allowing people to pursue their daily lives as they did before Hogan鈥檚 executive orders.
鈥淲e have a God-given right to not only provide for our family, but to actually move about 鈥� to go to church,鈥� he told the cheering crowd. 鈥淎nd you know, the good thing is, the thin blue line, many have reached out to me privately and have said that they will never cuff someone trying to feed their families鈥� or worship God.
Cox ended his address by telling Marylanders bent on reopening to not give up.
鈥淎s Winston Churchill said in England鈥檚 darkest hour before the U.S. joined, never, never give up,鈥� he implored. 鈥淣ever give up because at the point of the darkness where it’s the most dark, the dawn is just coming 鈥� and let me tell you something: The dawn is coming for Maryland.鈥�
