Thousands of peaceful protesters gathered for the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally at the Bandimere Speedway near Denver on Tuesday.
“Everyone is invited to join us as together we express our God-given right to demand a stop to the COVID Chaos Gov. Polis has inflicted upon all of us with his Executive Orders and Public Health Orders,” the speedway said in a release announcing the event.
Attendees rallied in support of two lawsuits hoping to curb state and local COVID-19 restrictions. The one lawsuit, filed by the speedway, argues that the county health department’s orders infringed on the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The second lawsuit, filed by Republican Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville and conservative pundit Michelle Malkin, contends Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’s mask mandate is unconstitutional.
Attendees were encouraged to dress in red, white, and blue and bring U.S. and Colorado flags.
“The crux of our lawsuit is that the governor is violating the separation of powers,” Neville told the Denver Channel. “People are fed up, they want to get back to work, they want to get the economy back up, and that is what most of the people are here for.”
One attendee of the protest, Brian Albee, said, “People are tired of being restricted with rules that are hindering their lives. COVID is a concern, but I think it should not be restrictive of hindering lives.”
A Colorado judge in July ordered the speedway to comply with health department orders. In her ruling, Judge Tamara Russell said that “the rights of each individual stops if it’s going to cause injury to others.”
On July 2, the Jefferson County health department filed for a restraining order against the speedway. The order required events at the speedway to be limited to 175 people and follow social distancing regulations.
The Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear the lawsuit filed by Neville and Malkin.
Before the rally, the local department of health sent a letter to the owners of the Bandimere Speedway, urging them to follow public health orders and said it would take action after the event.
