It’s the week of Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season, but you could hardly tell, with all the shutdowns, curfews, and other COVID restrictions suddenly being imposed. Some power-hungry governors have even gotten it into their heads that they can control people in their own homes. When is enough going to be enough? Well, the people have started to pull back on the government reigns, taking a stand and saying: “no more!” And they are not alone – law enforcement agencies across the country are making it clear that they will not enforce such “draconian” constraints.
New Jersey
In Howell Township, New Jersey, Police Chief Andrew Kudrick Jr. said that he would not have his officers enforcing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s coronavirus guidelines. A ten-person household limit for get-togethers is just one of the restrictions being imposed. Kudrick said he lives and works in the community and sees firsthand just how badly the first shutdown impacted residents and businesses. He continued:
“So as a police chief, in charge of 100-plus police officers, I felt it was just incumbent upon me just to let them know, and let my community know, that we’re not going to enforce some of these executive orders which I feel are basically draconian.”
The police officers, he said, were not going to be “used” to go door-to-door to make sure everyone is adhering to said restrictions. “And I wasn’t going to have my police officers going knocking on doors and ruining somebody’s holiday just to check how many people are inside their house,” Kudrick said. “It’s not happening.” It is worth noting that the same kinds of restrictions don’t appear to apply to political gatherings.
California
In California, another Democrat Governor, Gavin Newsom, has implemented a curfew that started on Saturday, Nov. 21, which orders residents in most of the Golden State’s counties to be at home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Dec. 21. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release informing residents that it had no intention of enforcing the order. Sheriff Don Barnes said in the statement: “At this time, due to the need to have deputies available for emergency calls for service, deputies will not be responding to requests for face-coverings or social gatherings-only enforcement.”
In El Dorado County, CA, the Sheriff’s Office spelled it out even clearer. In a statement, the department said:
“El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies will not be determining compliance with, or enforcing the compliance of, any health order related to this curfew. The Sheriff’s Office will not prevent Thanksgiving activities, maximum occupancies or mask wearing mandates at social gatherings within the county of El Dorado.”
New York
New York law enforcement isn’t rushing to enforce Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions on Thanksgiving gatherings either. Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino told CNN’s Brianna Keilar: “I don’t think the Constitution allows for the infringement on the number of people in your own home. He [Cuomo] has authority to do a lot but not to tell law enforcement to get into someone’s house and count who is there.”
Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard is in agreement, saying: “I have no plans to utilize my office’s resources or Deputies to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner. My office will respect the sanctity of your home and traditions, and I encourage you to follow your heart and act responsibly, as well as do what’s best for your family.”
Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo
Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo hit the nail on the head with his comment: “I can’t see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens’ driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they’ve purchased is for the public good.”
Since the killing of George Floyd and the numerous protests and riots that followed – plus the rise in crime partly due to pandemic shutdowns – law enforcement agencies across the country have been under attack, have been defunded, and yet are still expected to police people in their own homes.
It is no surprise that citizens are rising up against their governors and the restrictions that infringe upon their liberties and constitutional rights. It is also no surprise that police officers, who are regular people too, are not eager to enforce those orders. The real shocker, though, is that lawmakers have, thus far, been able to get away with imposing such control and power over their constituents. That they believed sheriffs and police would blindly carry out their orders after everything politicians have thrown at them is nothing short of astounding.
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Read more from Kelli Ballard.
