Oregon business owners file lawsuit against Gov. Brown

GRESHAM, Ore. (KPTV/CNN) – A group of people outside Portland, Oregon is suing the state over COVID-19 restrictions. The plaintiffs say the pandemic has disrupted their lives and businesses for too long.

Standing as a group Monday afternoon, Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam and local business owners stood together with a message to Governor Brown.

“There is no scientific evidence that’s yet to be presented, on why we continue to be in such an emergency order of lockdowns, and they must come to an end,” Mayor Pulliam said. “We are filing in federal court an order to restrain Governor Brown’s emergency order.”

This comes after more than a dozen counties in Oregon went back into “Extreme Risk” restrictions on Friday.

According to the lawyer representing these groups, there are four plaintiffs on this lawsuit: The Heart of Main Street Coalition, Oregon Moms Union, Melissa Adams the owner of Spud Monkeys and her corporation.

Adams said, “I can’t pay my rent. I come in here seven days a week for the last fourteen months, trying to make this work. I did everything that Kate Brown asked me to do. I can’t do this anymore.”

Adams responded to criticisms she says she gets for wanting to keep her business running claiming she hasn’t lost anyone to COVID-19. “And, in the last fourteen months, I have lost one bar during COVID,” she explained. “I have lost one bar because of COVID. I have lost a marriage. I have lost a business partner. And sadly July 9th, I lost my son to suicide during COVID. Suicide is huge. It’s stronger now than it’s ever been. So don’t tell me that I didn’t lose a life to COVID because I lost a huge part of my life during COVID.”

The Oregon Moms Union is also calling for students to be back in the classroom five days a week.

MacKensey Pulliam co-founded the Oregon Moms Union. She said, “Kate Brown has made it clear that she will not put our kids first.”

The governor’s office didn’t return a request for comment by the deadline.