On Saturday, New Mexicans from across the state gathered en masse to protest Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s lockdowns and the stringent mask mandates imposed on citizens. The rally with the most protesters was organized by Albuquerque residents Karen Larré and Caleb Gluck and took place at the corner of Academy and Wyoming in Albuquerque.
“Participation in other rallies around the state included 100 people in Las Cruces, 75 in Roswell (with participants from Clovis, Artesia, Cloudcroft, Carrizozo, Ruidoso, and Capitan), 50 in Rio Rancho, 50 in Santa Fe, and an [h]as yet to be determined number of people in Edgewood, Moriarty, Silver City, and Deming,” according to the organizers.
Sarah Smith, one of the statewide coordinators for the March 20 events and an organizer of the Las Cruces rally, said, “It’s time to re-open all New Mexico businesses. This is a non-partisan issue. New Mexicans are suffering. The New Mexico lockdown does not make sense or follow the science, given the numbers and the COVID trajectory. The Red-to-Green re-opening criteria is fatally flawed and does not take into account any real indicators of the severity of COVID-19 impacts in our community.”
She added, “States with severe lockdown have fared no better than states with much less tyrannical measures. Our economy and small businesses have been devastated. We need to get our people back to work, and let our communities connect and heal. All the states around us are much more open, and there have been no negative repercussions of that. Reopen New Mexico now.”
According to a press release from the rally organizers, “The New Mexico rallies were planned in solidarity with rallies to end lockdown in 40 countries around the world, including Canada, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway.”
The organizer of the Roswell rally, Jesse James, said, “People can’t take this any longer – and they shouldn’t have to. The Governor’s illegal and immoral abuse of power in New Mexico cannot be tolerated. Whatever party you identify with, it’s time to raise our voices and say, ‘No more!'”
The rally comes on the same day that the 2021 Legislative Session concluded as many radical proposals were rammed through upon the request of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Here are some photos from rallies across the state:
It’s about time. This has been needed for a long time. And there needs to be more until our dictator in Santa Fe hears us. I have sent 3 emails and 2 videos to her in protest but she never answered. It’s time she learned she is not in charge. We are.