MEDFORD, Ore.– Residents and business owners in Jackson County are planning a rally over their First Amendment rights.
Organizers are calling it the “Faith and Freedom Rally” and they anticipate over a thousand people coming out in support of it.
The rally is said to be made up of people from such groups as Open Oregon, Jackson County Uniting for Liberty, and dozens of church congregations. Amy Rose, one of the coordinators and business owners in the county says the point of the rally is to stand up for freedom and support local leaders who are trying to reopen the county as coronavirus numbers decline.
Businesses like hers are suffering from the shutdown and she believes with the county doing well now the shutdown has become an overreach by the government.
“We want every time our government, we feel the government is overreaching on our businesses or anything any of our freedoms – we stand up,” she said. “So we’re mostly trying to be a backing behind our local leaders.”
The rally is scheduled for this Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. in front of the Jackson County Courthouse. Governor Kate Brown announced last week that counties could begin reopening by May 15 if their applications are accepted.
Rose says even if Jackson County is allowed to reopen they will still move forward with the rally. Organizers say this is a peaceful rally and is not a political one. Participants are expected to social distance and use the best safety practices.
To find out more about the rally, organizers have set up a Facebook event here.
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