EVANSVILLE. — People who gathered at the Civic Center in downtown Evansville Wednesday evening to protest Mayor Lloyd Winnecke's executive order requiring facemasks roundly condemned a man for ripping off the mask of someone who spoke in favor of masks.
"That's not what this (gathering) was about," said Gabe Whitley, who organized the Maskless Protest. "This protest is about choice, freedom and liberty. We believe you have the right to wear a mask if you choose to, or to not wear a mask if you choose not to."
Around 60 people gathered to speak out against the executive order, which mandates facemask usage as a COVID-19 preventative measure. It took effect Wednesday.
The mayor's seven-day order requires masks in most of the busiest public places, including stores and restaurants, but does not include a fine if violated.
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Coronavirus cases surge in Vanderburgh County
Vanderburgh County has seen a recent surge of positive COVID-19 cases with another 47 confirmed cases added Wednesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health's statewide dashboard of cases.
The county health department's dashboard reports that of 914 confirmed cases have been confirmed since the pandemic began; 362 are active cases. Hospitalization rates remain low with only 6% of those with the virus are currently hospitalized. Six have died locally.
Man forcibly de-masked
The mask-ripping incident happened about an hour into the rally. Devin Partin, 21, had just gotten up on the steps of the Civic Center to speak when another man — wearing a black baseball cap with yellow letters reading "NRA" with a gray ponytail coming out the back — came up beside Partin and swiped a hand at Partin, tearing his mask off.
"I should call the police! That was assault!" Partin exclaimed.
The other man was reprimanded by several people and left shortly after, easing the tension of the moment. The Courier & Press attempted to speak to the man as he was leaving but he didn't stop to talk.
Whitley said he thought it was staged. He said another person at the rally told him the two men involved had been speaking to each earlier during the rally and that they were possibly "up to something."
"I'm sure it was something the two of them had planned," Whitley said. "But regardless, coming here and ripping somebody's mask off is not acceptable."
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Partin said he did not know the other man, who left the civic center shortly after the incident. Partin said he had asked to speak and was allowed to, but that he had not told organizers what he had planned to say ahead of time.
"I just think everybody should wear a mask," Partin said afterward. "It can keep you from getting sick or getting somebody else sick. That's all I wanted to say to people."
Protestors speak out
Protestors carried signs that said things such as "Wearing A Mask Should Be A Choice," "Healthy People Don't Need Masks," "Media Produced Fear Is Killing Our Country" and "Stop Government Overreach." Many repeated the slogan, "I Will Not Comply."
Brenda Bergwitz's sign read, "Won't Comply if Fines Are Enforced." Bergwitz said she had an issue with the mandate if it includes fines.
"I was wearing my mask and trying to do the right thing, but if they start fining people that's going too far," she said. "I'll be proud to get myself arrested and go to jail if that's how it goes."
Randy Kemp was outspoken throughout the gathering, speaking about what he sees as a global and socialist plot to destroy individual liberties.
"An evil message has been camouflaged with terms like 'flattening the curve,'" he said, equating the term to that of "leveling the playing field" which he pointed to as a cornerstone of socialist belief. "They are throwing socialism right in your face."
Kemp said he believes there is a "hidden global government" at work.
"This is global fascism and The New World Order!" he yelled. "And I can assure you, to everyone here, you are not going to be a part of their utopia."
Ann Yates said that if she felt she were endangering the health of others, she would wear a mask, but she didn't believe COVID-19 is as widespread or dangerous as it is generally thought to be.
"There are doctors who know, but they won't speak out because they're afraid of losing their jobs," Yates said. "We need to dispel the lies being told to us by the CDC and the news media."
Afterward, Yates said she wondered why the media "never questioned" the scientific and medical community on COVID-19.
"I see plenty of fake news out there," she said. "All they're doing is just echoing the same stuff without really investigating."
The state’s health commissioner, Dr. Kristina Box, said wearing a mask can reduce the infection rate of communities. Their data shows, she said, increased spread in communities that don’t mandate masks.
Shannon Owen, holding a sign that read "When Tyranny Becomes Law, Rebellion Becomes Duty" said she had been protesting against facemasks for several weeks prior to Wednesday's gathering.
"I believe in bodily autonomy," she said. "I will not be coerced to wear a mask; I will not comply. I believe in freedom of choice, and I believe we are being lied to."
Owen said she had filed a complaint against Menard's home improvement store for requiring facemasks.
"The security guard said I would need a doctor's note, but that man has no right to see my medical records," she said. "Why are we being cuffed to the train like this is the Holocaust? Believe me, that is the road we're headed down."
The protest lasted about an hour and a half before people began to disperse. Still, for several minutes later, those who stayed behind were discussing the mask-ripping incident.
Kemp said the action was "unacceptable."
"We don't condone that," Kemp said. "He is not part of this group. We are here about our freedoms, not to tear somebody's mask off or assault them. If I had caught him, I would've tried to stop it."