“This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times” is the content of the first of four messages posted to the official Twitter account of the current governor of the state of Georgia.
Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor to Block Mask Requirement
This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times. (1/4) https://t.co/vxiOmteHaH
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 16, 2020
The lawsuit was filed yesterday, Thursday, July 16, 2020 from the office of Brian Kemp against the city of Atlanta to block an executive order which was issued by its current mayor on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. The executive order requires all persons to wear a mask or a cloth face covering over their noses and mouths within the city in response to the rising number of infections caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — as well as also prohibits gatherings of greater than ten persons on city of Atlanta property.
“The Order calls for all persons within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, to wear a mask or a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth”, according to this press release at the official Internet web site of the city of Atlanta. “The Order also extends to individuals inside commercial entities or other buildings or spaces open to the public, outdoor public spaces–wherever it is not feasible to maintain appropriate social distancing from another person not in the same household.”
3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate. A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing. #ATLStrong pic.twitter.com/z4hpTrCS1B
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 16, 2020
The entire complaint against the mayor of Atlanta and 17 other defendants can be downloaded as a document from here:
AG-#1189286-v1-FINAL Complaint Injunctive Relief Kemp v Bottoms with Exhibits
The response by Keisha Lance Bottoms was posted to her official Twitter account: “3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate. A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing. #ATLStrong”
The reasons why the office of Brian Kemp filed the lawsuit is explained in the three messages following the aforementioned first one on Twitter:
These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth. (2/4)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 16, 2020
“These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth. Just like sending in the @GeorgiaGuard to protect those living in our capital city from crime and violence, I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. We will fight to stop these reckless actions and put people over pandemic politics.”
We will fight to stop these reckless actions and put people over pandemic politics. (4/4)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 16, 2020
Summary
I have said it before and will say it again: we should not be fighting each other. Rather, we as a people should unite against ineffective and inept leadership and demand for the truth and the facts from the most trusted entities in society pertaining to their knowledge and experience so that we may pave the way towards a better future overall.
Regardless of what readers have opined in comments posted in response to past articles which I have written over the years here at The Gate, I am an independent person — even though I have been accused numerous times of being either a liberal or a conservative. I want to be absolutely clear that I have no affiliation to any political party — I “like” Democrats as much as I “like” Republicans, so you can read between the lines there — and I do not identify myself as either conservative or liberal. I simply believe in attempting to find the best solution to a problem through constructive discussion and debate so that I know all of the issues which are associated with a problem — and then applying common sense to craft the ideal solution to resolve an issue in the most effective and most efficient way possible.
I also generally agree with this essay titled A Letter on Justice and Open Debate, which was authored by 151 people in various fields at Harper’s Magazine — sans the political bent which taints an otherwise sound opinion.
To conclude this article, here is a message which was posted on Twitter by a person named George:
Good science does not force it views on people. It provides evidence and lets people decide.
— George (@gtcstorm40) July 16, 2020
“Good science does not force its views on people. It provides evidence and lets people decide.”
Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.
