Gov. Tate Reeves announced today that salons, barber shops, and gyms in Mississippi will be able to reopen after being closed for over a month.
In revising and extending the current safer-at-home, these businesses will be able to open under strict sanitary and social distancing guidelines.
“I cannot allow our small business to fold and families to be destroyed because of a government order,” Reeves said today.
The new order will be extended until Monday, May 25.
While some businesses remain closed, most noticeably barbers and salons, a good chunk of the economy in Mississippi either never shut down or is in the process of reopening. But at the end of the day, it is the individual who will make the decision on when they are comfortable moving around.
Not an order from state or local governments.
All Americans are traveling more than a month ago according to Apple’s Mobility Charts, which aggregates data from Apple maps. And Mississippians are traveling more than the average American.
Mississippians began to greatly limit travel toward the end of March, down almost 60 percent at one point from a January baseline. Yet over the past weekend, the numbers were above the baseline and have floated up and down over the last week. Right now, travel is down 15 percent from the baseline.
After Mississippians voluntarily distanced themselves for a certain period of time, they then voluntarily made the decision that it was safe to be out and about based on the personal risks surrounding each individual and their family.
And that is why we see these numbers fluctuate, based on personal stories, circumstances, and where you live.
Louisiana, which has one of the highest rates of positive coronavirus cases and deaths in the country, saw a decline that was greater than Mississippi and for a longer period of time. And the data reflects the impact. Travel in Louisiana is down 42 percent from the January baseline, with numbers 20 to 50 percent below the baseline over the past week.
So, a state where the pandemic has had a much larger toll on the citizens sees fewer people traveling. Yes, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has taken a much more draconian push to shut down businesses than Gov. Tate Reeves in Mississippi, but it also shows the effect of personal responsibility and individual choices.
It’s almost as if we can make the best decisions for ourselves.
We see that even within Louisiana. Much like the pandemic hasn’t impacted every state or region of the country the same, it hasn't impacted every part of Louisiana the same. So while travel is down over 40 percent in Louisiana, it is down almost 70 percent in New Orleans, a city that was among the hardest hit in the country.
Over the past month or so, the decline has been 60 to 80 percent in New Orleans. It’s starting to break some, but not in any large numbers. Again, these are choices individuals are making based on their perceived well-being.
Some economies may open sooner than others, but the economy will truly open when Americans decide they are ready for that to happen. And that will vary among cities, states, and industries.
We never quit going to Walmart or Home Depot. But will Mississippians be back at restaurants on Thursday? We don’t know, but the market will decide if restaurants are really open. Just like restaurants will need to decide if they can be open at half capacity with a host of new regulations.
Even in a state of emergency, the market doesn't lie.
“I, personally, closed my salon on March 21, 2020.
“Today, salons are at an almost total loss of revenue and stylists at a complete loss of income. Our ability to provide for ourselves and our families has been stripped from us. This is our livelihood. It is more than “essential” to us and our families. It is our lifeline and it has been severed.
“Most of us have not received unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, SBA, or PPP loans. Those of us who have received any of these, have found that assistance to be a fraction of our usual income, needless, to say nothing near what may be required to sustain our households.
“The beauty industry, especially in the south, is predominantly female driven. Seventeen percent of our family households in Mississippi are mothers and their children with no second income producer in the home. This stand still is beyond debilitating. It is complete devastation for many. Our bills are piling up, our pantries are running dry, and our hands are tied behind our backs, with no definite end in sight and no real help on the way. We cannot re-open our businesses, we cannot offer services in our homes, we cannot go into others’ homes, we cannot sell our services online.
“The long-term ramifications are serious. If we become so desperate to feed our children, to pay our electricity, or obtain any other necessities, and we choose to go against current orders, we risk not only being fined, but, could permanently lose our license. No one wants that. We just want the right to work, to pursue our livelihoods, to provide for ourselves. There is no logical reason, with proper measures taken, we should be denied that opportunity any longer. We have not even had the chance to propose solutions. The Board of Cosmetology has not advocated for us. They have only relayed how we will have our hands slapped or permanently tied if we do not comply.
“While the virus may be invisible, the effects are becoming increasingly, painfully, visible. We are suffering.”
Lindsay Cash
Vamp The Salon
Jackson, Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves updated his safer-at-home order today, opening new parts of the Mississippi economy, as well as parks and recreation.
Dining halls can reopen in restaurants and bars at 50 percent capacity. They must also screen customers and employees upon entering, and all employees must wear masks. Bars that do not serve food must remain closed.
The gathering limitation for outdoor activities has increased from 10 to 20, while it remains at 10 for indoor activities.
"This is a start," Reeves said. "We’ll continue to evaluate and move up from here."
Reeves also spoke on barber shops and salons, saying they have spent more time on this topic than any other over the past two weeks. But, at this point they are not able to reopen.
"We’ll get there but I can’t do that today," Reeves added. "I want you to get back to work but I can't put the people of our state at unreasonable risks."
The order goes into effect Thursday and will remain in place until Monday, May 11.
There was a time not that long ago when homeschooling wasn’t legal in all 50 states. Today it is, but government regulations vary by state – making it harder to homeschool and more burdensome in certain states.
By most measures, Mississippi has parent friendly homeschool regulations, only requiring parents to fill out an attendance form with their local school district. But the government doesn’t regulate curriculum, testing, or schedules.
Bills occasionally pop up in the legislature to mandate curriculum, as a bill from Rep. John Hines did this year, or to restrict various freedoms. There are also annual bills to lower the age of compulsory education. But for the most part there is a truce if you will. Tim Tebow bills to allow homeschoolers to participate in athletics or extracurricular activities of their local school districts (where you still pay taxes) never see the light of day, but fortunately, neither do the government mandates.
Today, about 15,000-20,000 students in Mississippi are homeschooled.
But we are seeing national movement from academic elites to rein in homeschooling freedom. Why? Because every child is currently being homeschooled as government schools throughout the country shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
What if just 10 percent of these families decided to continue homeschooling next year? It would represent a massive shift in the education landscape and result in fewer tax dollars going to the government schools that would be serving fewer students.
Though it was recently scrapped, Harvard University – where the attacks on homeschooling are originating – planned an anti-homeschooling conference for June that would focus on the “problems of educational deprivation and child maltreatment” of homeschooling.
They claim child abuse or lack of a proper education as their concern and thesis, but the greater push is twofold: the belief that government controls every child and a bigotry toward people who are religious, the original reason many chose to homeschool.
Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Bartholet has called for a “presumptive ban on homeschooling” saying it violates a children’s right to “meaningful education.” That’s certainly debatable considering the percentage of American students in government schools who are proficient in reading and math (hint: it’s not many).
But she also argues that parents should get permission from the government to homeschool. Meaning, the burden of proof shifts to the parents and they have to make their case with the government on why they should be allowed to remove their children from government school. Essentially, you must beg the crown for this right. Your child is basically a product of the state in Bartholet’s view, and the view of many other elites. You are only allowed to do certain things. Everything else comes from the state.
That obviously isn’t true. And the Supreme Court even struck that argument a century ago.
The other part of the disdain from parents who want freedom for their children is because many of those parents do so for religious reasons. Many homeschooling families “are driven by conservative Christian beliefs” and “some of these parents are extreme religious ideologues.” One could argue that anyone who believes in God is an “extreme religious ideologue” in the mind of Bartholet. Or at least believes in God…and tries to follow His word.
The truth is for many, the ability to teach your children about the Bible isn’t the reason you homeschool, just another in a long line of reasons.
A child isn’t a creature of the state. Parents have the right to raise and educate their children as they seem fit. Homeschooling has long been, and will continue to be, looked at with disdain from elites. Fortunately, neither they, nor the government, control your child.
Just three days after Mississippi Justice Institute filed a lawsuit against Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s order banning open carry, the mayor appears to be backing down.
The order expires today with Lumumba choosing not to renew it, even though he previously indicated he might extend the open carry ban, and even though he did extend portions of his “stay at home” order.
“We are glad that Mayor Lumumba appears to have realized that he cannot lawfully disarm law-abiding citizens and ‘suspend’ constitutional rights,” said Aaron Rice, the Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute. “Now, more than ever, we must remain vigilant to protect our civil liberties. MJI will always be here to fight for Mississippians when an overbearing government tries to infringe on the freedoms that are the strength of our state and our country.”
MJI, a non-profit constitutional litigation center and the legal arm of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, brought the suit on Monday on behalf of State Rep. Dana Criswell.
“We are pleased that the mayor decided to do the right thing,” said MJI volunteer attorney, Sterling Kidd.
The U.S. Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution protect the right to openly carry firearms in public for self-defense, as do Mississippi statutes. A mayor does not have the authority to override these constitutional rights, even during a state of emergency.
MJI will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the ban is dropped and to explore any potential legal remedies.
The city of Jackson cannot restrict your right to openly carry a firearm, whether we are under an emergency order or not. The Mississippi Justice Institute (“MJI”), a non-profit constitutional litigation center and the legal arm of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy (“MCPP”), has filed a lawsuit against this unconstitutional and illegal action on behalf of State Rep. Dana Criswell.
On Saturday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba signed an executive order attempting to override constitutional rights and state law in order to prohibit open carry in the city.
“A serious pandemic is not an opportunity for unconstitutional virtue signaling by grandstanding politicians,” said Aaron Rice, the Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute. “Mayor Lumumba has exploited the present public health crisis as a pretext to target law abiding people who are exercising their constitutional rights.”
"As a citizen of the great state of Mississippi who has regular business in our capital city of Jackson, I was shocked by the recent announcement by Mayor Lumumba,” said Criswell. “I take the protection of myself and my family very seriously and believe deeply in the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The mayor’s attempt to disarm me and deny me the ability of self-defense puts me and my family in danger anytime we are in Jackson.”
The U.S. Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution protect the right to openly carry firearms in public for self-defense, as do Mississippi statutes. A mayor does not have the authority to override these constitutional rights, even during a state of emergency.
“I have been honored to serve as an MCPP Contributing Fellow, and this lawsuit is precisely the type of important work that drew me to volunteer with MCPP and MJI in the first place,” said MJI volunteer attorney, Sterling Kidd. “The government must respect all citizens’ Constitutional right to protect themselves; arguably, a time of crisis is when that right is most important.”
“While we are deeply saddened by the horrific crimes that have occurred in Jackson, those crimes have nothing to do with the current public health crisis or the right to openly carry a firearm in public for self-defense,” said Rice. “Mississippians should know that when the government tries to take away your constitutional rights, MJI will always be in your corner to help you fight back.”
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Mississippi.
A copy of the complaint can be read here.
A new order from the city of Philadelphia will prohibit anyone under 16 from entering a store in the city.
Posted on the city's Facebook page this afternoon, the order from Mayor James Young requires all employees and visitors to wear a mask in a store, much like Oxford, but goes a step forward by banning those under 16 from entering a business in Philadelphia.
Of Mississippi's 229 coronavirus-related deaths as of April 26, zero have been under 30. Meanwhile, less than 200 of the more than 6,000 cases in the state have been minors.
The executive order will be in effect for two weeks, expiring on May 11.
Violators could face up to a $500 fine.
A protest to open Mississippi is scheduled for Saturday in downtown Jackson, and Gov. Tate Reeves says he supports the right of the protestors, even during the pandemic with much of the state shut down.
The Open Up Mississippi Freedom Drive will meet in the parking lot of the Mississippi Farmers Market off High Street at 12 p.m. and drive by the Governor’s mansion.
This is the latest organic freedom protest that has sprung up in response to government shutdowns of most states. Some of these protests have garnered national headlines, such as this tweet from the Raleigh, North Carolina police department:
When asked about the protestors, Reeves said he would rather people not protest, but he supports their right to do so.
“I would rather people not be protesting, but I support and appreciate their right to do so,” Reeves said. “I think one of the fundamental foundational principles is individuals have the right to protest their government and their leaders. America is not China. Period.
Reeves announced today that he would be partially lifting the state’s stay at home order.
“People are upset and frustrated because of the challenges. We have 150,000 people on unemployment assistance. A large majority who had never been on government benefits. I get it. I understand their concern.
“I support their right to gather and protest. I hope and pray they protest in a smart way. A drive by protest, honking their horn, is the right approach.”