KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dozens of protesters gathered Monday at the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain near the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, to protest government-imposed stay-at-home orders.
About a dozen protestors have gathered at the JC Nichols Fountain hoping to reopen KC and Missouri. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/JVrFkwKVJm
— Dan Cohen (@DanCohenTV) April 20, 2020
The group gathered around noon to voice its collective opinion that the local economy should reopen and rights should not be infringed upon.
"We are marching and protesting today because we are saying open up Missouri, open up the United States," said Kristi Nichols, the organizer for "Open MO 2020."
Unemployment in Kansas and Missouri, including both sides of the state line in the Kansas City area, has spiked because of shutdown orders aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
The local protest is one of dozens around the country organized by people angry with the current state of the country due to the pandemic.
Kansas City protesters held signs calling National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has served at the institute since 1984 under six presidents, a liar. Others carried flags that read "Don't tread on me."
"The grievance being that Governor Parson and Mayor Lucas have issued unconstitutional executive orders curtailing our 1st Amendment rights...The redress is they need to immediately rescind these orders," said one protester, arguing stay-at-home orders violated the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.
~50 protestors lining the street and fountain. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/0ya4xNmhkB
— Dan Cohen (@DanCohenTV) April 20, 2020
Members of the medical community stood near the group as a counter-protest.
Many front-line health care workers have worked overtime to treat COVID-19 patients and try to keep other community members safe.
Two nurses now standing together as the protest continues in KCMO. pic.twitter.com/c6rYtnIybV
— Dan Cohen (@DanCohenTV) April 20, 2020
The protest violated social-distancing guidelines from Missouri and KCMO, which dictate gatherings should not exceed groups of 10 people and everyone should remain at least six feet apart.
"I'm here to let people know that healthcare professionals want this to end just as soon as everyone else does. Gathering in large groups is not the answer to that," said a counter-protester.
