A small group of protesters gathered in Jamestown as part of a Reopen New York Rally on May 1 in front of Dow Park. Another rally is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at noon. (Image / Kevin Mylett)

JAMESTOWN – Another Reopen NY rally is being planned for tomorrow in Jamestown.

Organizers say individuals will again meet in Dow Park at noon on Saturday, May 16 to continue to call for the ending of New York on Pause, which was put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in mid March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Individuals will gather to urge our state, county, and local officials to honor their oaths to the Constitution and allow western New Yorkers to get back to work and their lives responsibly,” explained organizer and local resident Garrit Cain. “We will have residents ready to share with the press how their livelihoods have been negatively impacted by the NY on PAUSE/Shutdown.”

As part of his Forward New York plan, Gov. Cuomo announced at the start of this month that each of the state’s ten economic development regions are required to meet specific thresholds for seven different sets of criteria before a phased-in reopening can begin. Those metrics are based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. So far Western New York has yet to meet all of the criteria, while five other regions in the state have been given the green light to being reopening.

FLAWED REOPENING STRATEGY?

Cain said the strategy of reopening the Western New York based economic development region all at the same time is flawed because it ignores the difference between rural counties like Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties and the more heavily populated Erie and Niagara Counties.

“The data are clear that the virus is not impacting these regions equally. Therefore, we should have very different reopening strategies,” Cain said. He’s also pointing to recent comments from state and federal representatives who also favor a county-by-county reopening strategy.

“Our State legislative and US Congress representatives have all come out in support of a county-based reopening strategy despite the obstinacy of Governor Cuomo to keep the plan tied to arbitrary economic development regions,” Cain said – referring to a recent press conference held by Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning), State Senator George Borrello (R-Irving), and Assemblymen Andrew Goodell (R-Ellicott) and Joe Giglio (R-Gowanda). “These law makers have stopped just short of telling Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties to open in defiance of the State. Assemblyman Goodell made the boldest case saying, ‘Chautauqua County needs to open in a safe responsible manner now.'”

According to Borrello and Goodell, most local businesses in Chautauqua County have already developed and submitted reopening plans that detail safety measures they will enact to protect staff and customers.

“It’s time for our representatives -especially at the local and county level – to trust and support the people they were elected to represent. We are calling on them to be bold, stand up to the State, tell us we are free to get back to work responsibly,” Cain explained. “A localized strategy could include the County Health Departments signing off on business’s reopening plans and having business owners sign some sort of liability release for the County.”

“There will likely be pushback by the State but these potential consequences pale in comparison to the damage to lives and livelihoods that has occurred and will continue every day this shutdown drags on,” Cain Said. “We ask those brave legislators who spoke Tuesday, County Executive PJ Wendel, and municipal leaders to take that leap and assure us they have our backs if we go back to work with or without the blessing of the State.”

This is the third week in a row that such a rally is planned in Jamestown. The latest rally also comes as Lt. governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that Western New York is not ready to reopen after the region experienced another setback and is no longer meeting the criteria for new hospitalizations.

The order was put in place in March to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. But as a result, it’s also forced a spectrum of businesses to close operations while many other have had to make adjustments.  Activities and routines also taken for granted – such as socializing, attending church services, children playing on area playgrounds, and group sports have also been put on hold.

Locally, a Reopen New York rally is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at Jamestown’s Dow Park.

Area resident and 2019 Libertarian candidate for County Legislature Gerrit Cain is helping to organize the event. He said in a media release that his group understands and takes the COVID-19 virus seriously, but doesn’t believe that it is prudent, effective, or constitutional to have the government determine which businesses are and are not essential.

“We are concerned with the effects of the PAUSE and its associated shutdowns on livelihoods, mental health, and the overall well being of society at large,” Cain stated. “It is clear to us that there is a wide spectrum of views on how quickly to reopen, what to reopen and how. We believe that with clear information from regional and local health care experts, people should be free to live their lives and do business in a responsible manner. Likewise, we believe that societal and market forces can and will steer behavior and policies toward wise and prudent decisions in terms of the ‘how’ we reopen and restart our lives better than sweeping government mandates.”

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings has said the city is monitoring the situation.

“We’re aware of it. We are working with the state police and they are monitoring social media so we can at least get a feel for what the potential crowd could look like, but for now we’re kind of in a wait-and-see,” Snellings said during the Jamestown City Council’s April 20 work session.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also noted during the same meeting that while a special event permit to hold the rally isn’t necessary, it still could result in a violation of the governor’s executive order, which bans groups of people from meeting.

“There wouldn’t be any [amplified] sound or things like that so a permit wouldn’t be necessary. However, there is an executive order banning all social gatherings. A gathering of individuals of any size up until May 15 is still not permitted under the governor’s executive order. Anyone who violates that can be assessed a fine of up to $1,000,” Sundquist said.

The mayor reiterated his comment about how such an event could be a violation of the governor’s executive order during a Facebook Town Hall Q&A session on Thursday.

But Cain said the group intends for the rally to be a peaceful and respectful demonstration abiding by physical distancing.

“Participants will either remain in their vehicles or walk the sidewalks around Dow Park while maintaining an appropriate distance from one another. We will be carrying signs and likely singing some patriotic songs during the event. At no time do we intend to gather in a concentrated group,” said Cain.

WRFA also recently talked with NY Senator for District 57 and former Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and asked him his thoughts about these types of rallies taking place in New York State and around the country.

“I would encourage those folks to practice social distancing and to protect themselves, because we don’t know all the details (about COVID-19) and don’t have enough data,” Borrello said. “But I understand the impact and I agree there are serious constitutional questions to what is going on right now.”