Reopen Illinois Rally Demands 'Soft' Opening Of The State
OSWEGO, IL — A Reopen Illinois rally Saturday urged the government to allow a "soft" opening of the state.
The rally attracted nearly 500 people to the Mason Square shopping center along Ogden Avenue.
"We have united here today because some of our freedoms have been taken away from us. We have united here today because the pursuit of the American dream is slipping away from us," organizer Jason Hudson told the crowd. "And we are united here today because we believe and support the businesses and citizens today that have relentlessly pursued that American dream."
Mark Curran also attended the rally. He is the current Republican nominee for Illinois' Class II senate seat, and will face incumbent Dick Durbin in the November 2020 general election.
Hudson called for a safe and soft reopening of Illinois businesses and industries amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. He called for Illinois counties and local elected officials to make the decisions for their own communities.
"We are here to say: Reopen Illinois. Start putting people back to work," Hudson said. "Open up the legislature, get them in session and listen to the citizens in pursuit of the American dream. Start reopening Illinois in a smart, responsible fashion. Allow county officials to start a soft reopen that allows the citizens to remain safe yet still in pursuit of the American dream and end the unconstitutional ban that our governor has bestowed upon us.".
Hudson told Patch that he wanted to organize a nonpartisan rally so the government can reopen Illinois with "restrictions in place and keep people employed," he said.
"There are millions of people, and thousands of businesses, that are struggling right now just to pay their rent, their mortgage, their credit card payment, and our governor is making these decisions, but it's not the way to go about doing it," he said. "For example, there are some counties in Illinois that have maybe 10 coronavirus cases and no deaths, but they are still closed. You know what that does to the local economy? What're we gonna do if people are unemployed?"
Despite strict social distancing and other safety requirements, most people in the rally did not wear face masks or take any precautions.
"News channels have reported that the wind pretty much kills the virus," Hudson said. "Sun kills the virus. So we basically gave people the option to go out there and just fight for their freedom of choice."
He agreed that people were not being safe.
"I would say that the people out there made a choice. And it was their decision if they wanted to wear masks or not," he said.
Hudson said he does not want the public to put themselves in any danger, but he said a soft reopening would be the ideal solution.
"I don't mean open up the floodgates. This is more of the conservative approach of, you know, social distancing within, like, a restaurant," he said. "Outdoor seating is a great idea because, again, the sunlight kills the virus. According to my research, a lot of this virus comes from you touching things, people touching things. So if people are wearing masks and not breathing on each other, there is nothing wrong about it."
A number of churches are suing Gov. J.B. Pritzker to end Illinois stay-at-home order as in-person religious services are being suspended. Hudson said he wants people to remember that "religious services are closed" and that is detrimental because "they need something religious in this time of crisis."
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This article originally appeared on the Oswego Patch
