Lisbon Among Sites for Protests Saturday Against State Orders
LISBON, Ohio – Columbiana County will be the site of one of more than 30 rallies around the state of Ohio to protest the state’s orders for residents to stay at home and restricting commercial activity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Columbiana County rally will take place 3 p.m. Saturday at Lisbon Square, at the corner of Market Street and U.S. Route 30 in Lisbon. Other locations for the rallies include Geauga, Jefferson, Summit, Portage Cuyahoga and Franklin counties.
The Rally Around Ohio events Saturday are being staged by Free Ohio Now, which according to a news release “defends the Bill of Rights for every Ohioan against local and state government overreach by advocating freedom and personal responsibility.”
According to the organization, 32 rallies are planned.
The rallies come as the state is beginning to loosen restrictions on commercial activity. On Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that barber shops and salons can reopen May 15. Restaurants will be able to reopen that day for outdoor dining and resume indoor dining May 21.
At the rallies, “freedom-loving patriots will gather … to combine our voices to restore liberty and to express grievances with the continued and repressive dictates” of Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Actor, director of the Ohio Department of Health.
The April 30 Stay Safe order issued by Acton includes “an unnecessary continuation” of the prior stay-at-home directive that “restricts individual liberty” and “amounts to house arrest” for healthy Ohioans, the organization said.
The order also “includes an unconstitutional mandate” that keeps certain businesses closed until the order is amended or rescinded, infringing on the rights of the specified businesses.
“To continue to smother any segment of Ohio’s economy is no longer reasonable or necessary,” Free Ohio Now said.
In the release, Free Ohio Now also asked participants in the rallies to “use their personal discretion” in adhering to the recommended coronavirus safety guidelines.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
