Unrest: an inevitable response to government overreach

While police in New Hampshire have not been arresting or fining people for being outdoors without a mask or gathering in groups of more than 10, as several other states have done, residents have nevertheless gathered in a series of protests against their governor’s order to shut down “non-essential” businesses. 

Since Governor Chris Sununu declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March, unemployment has risen to 15 percent in a state that is known for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Under Governor Sununu’s emergency orders, restaurants are restricted to only offer takeout and delivery service, causing many eateries who rely on dine-in service for much of their revenue to shut down completely. 

Free Staters join locals to protest a swift erosion of individual liberties

A few Free State Project participants have responded to the growing frustration with the economic damage caused by the governor’s shutdown and restrictions on the private sector. The response began when (non-FSP affiliates, but liberty-oriented) Carolyn McKinney, J.R. Hoell and Free Stater Andrew Manuse launched an online petition, aptly named Reopen NH, demanding that Governor Sununu repeal the shutdown before any further economic mayhem occurs. At the time this article was published, the online petition managed to collect 5,900 signatures. They launched ReopenNH.com, as well as a Facebook group and a Facebook page by the same name.

The momentum continued as the three organized a protest on the steps of the state capitol building in Concord, which attracted roughly 300 attendees. McKinney, Hoell, and Manuse held a second protest two weeks later which attracted even more attendees - up to 500 according to sources who attended the protest. Both protests have garnered the attention of both regional and national press. 

Residents have had enough

Soon after the first Reopen NH rally at the state’s capitol, Manchester resident and Free Stater Jason Gerhard organized a similar, but smaller rally in front of Manchester City Hall. As the largest city in the state, Manchester’s economy has been hit especially hard, with its once bustling downtown now dotted with closed storefronts. Gerhard has since held a second demonstration in front of City Hall.

Gerhard has personally experienced economic hardship as a result of the governor’s emergency orders, starting when he lost his job at a tattoo parlor. “[Sununu] should have kept true to the state’s heritage by letting businesses and consumers decide their level of involvement,” said Gerhard, who described the governor’s approach as “authoritarian-like”. “Choosing winners and losers in the economy is not what the people of New Hampshire put him in office to do.”

Economic freedom isn't the only thing at stake here

Free Stater Jack Shimek, who is one of the co-organizers for Health Freedom NH, has attended all four Reopen NH rallies, has co-organized the rallies in Concord, and encourages New Hampshire residents to join in the protests. Shimek has not lost any work as a result of the governor’s emergency orders, but his ability to visit his family in Connecticut has been severely hampered by the much harsher restrictions imposed there. “I haven’t seen them in six weeks, so that’s been tough,” he said.

“Traditionally, only sick people were encouraged to stay home, and they weren’t mandated to do so by law ,” said Shimek, “No need to wreck the economy.” While the focus of Reopen NH is specifically an economic one, Shimek explained how the governor’s orders are also a health freedom issue. “The people in the health freedom movement are for science, and specifically scientific integrity, he said. “The reason that state governors have reacted so strongly is because of a lack of scientific integrity, which has allowed for a completely hysterical and overblown impression of the severity of the outbreak when science has shown that COVID-19 is no more threatening than the seasonal flu.” As for the future, Shimek plans to attend every Reopen NH rally “until we get our freedom back.”

Written by 2010 Free State Mover, Daniel Cuevas

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