Pro-small business protest draws cars, helicopters to New Mexico Capitol

Terri Chrisman thinks it’s time to get back to work.

The Lovington resident, who said she has been a small-business owner for 40 years, was one of about 20 protesters in 15 vehicles that circled the state Capitol on Monday in an hourlong protest against Gov. Lujan Grisham’s emergency orders prohibiting large gatherings and the operation of businesses considered nonessential to public welfare amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operation Gridlock New Mexico, as the protest was publicized on Facebook, was intended to draw attention to the struggles of small-business owners and workers during the shutdown.

Drivers participating in the event honked their horns and displayed signs with slogans calling for the state to reopen businesses.

The protest drew a handful of spectators, some of whom noted a couple of helicopters circling overhead, including one from a TV news station in Albuquerque.

Chrisman, who carried a sign saying, “You Have Constitutional Rights â€" Use Them,” said she believes the COVID-19 pandemic is doing as much harm to businesses and workers as it is to those who contract the respiratory virus.

It’s not fair, she added, that national “big-box stores are open and allowed to operate. The small, independent stores are not. We are the backbone of America.”

Over the weekend, similar Operation Gridlock demonstrations were held at statehouses across the nation â€" including in Colorado, Texas, Indiana, Maryland, Utah and Nevada â€" to push for governors to end shutdowns. The goal was to block traffic, and some events were successful at clogging roadways.

But the rolling protest in Santa Fe did little to impede the light flow of vehicles on the downtown roads around the Roundhouse.

The protesters drew a sharp rebuke from Governor’s Office spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett, who said their behavior “is dangerous and in violation of the public health order against congregations.”

“We want any New Mexican who is upset about the state’s efforts to limit illness and prevent mass death to find safe and non-dangerous ways to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, one of many rights we are all grateful to have, none of which are infringed upon by the necessary actions the state has taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save the lives of New Mexicans,” Sackett said.

Several protesters said their argument against the statewide shutdown goes beyond the dollars and cents of such restrictions. They said it’s just not American to ask people to stay at home and not to congregate â€" including in churches and other houses of worship â€" while large national grocers and other retailers that offer household goods remain open and able to profit.

“This is unconstitutional, this is wrong,” said Deborah Gowen of Bernalillo County. “We don’t need Big Daddy â€" big government â€" telling us what to do.”

She and other protesters said the pandemic is creating fear and pulling people apart â€" economically, emotionally and physically.

“Imagine a world where you can’t hug, shake hands or kiss [someone] on the cheek,” she said.

The protesters said they plan another event in Santa Fe, perhaps as soon as Friday.

Not everyone was swayed by their message. At least three people watching the event said the call to reopen businesses is risky while people are still succumbing to the virus.

The Governor’s Office announced Monday the state has had 58 deaths due to COVID-19, and 116 people are hospitalized for treatment of the illness. Nearly 2,000 people in the state have tested positive for the virus with dozens of new cases reported every day.

“We’re not ready to reopen,” said Catherine Sloan Cunningham of Santa Fe. “I trust and deeply respect our governor and her decisions.”

Looking around at the sparse audience for the protest, she said she saw “more media and police than nuts who don’t believe in science and truth.”

Ginny Rueter, who said she was visiting Santa Fe from Minnesota, stopped to watch the parade of protesters repeatedly circle the Roundhouse. She noted it represents a new type of protest â€" “no people, just cars.”

“It’s not safe to reopen yet. We’re already seeing spikes in the places where they’ve had similar protests,” she said.