<p>A small group of protesters gathered at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven Wednesday to speak out against state and local pandemic restrictions that have temporarily put them and others out of work.
A small group of protesters gathered at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven Wednesday to speak out against state and local pandemic restrictions that have temporarily put them and others out of work.
Promoted heavily on social media ahead of time, the protest saw sharp backlash and was called off. Then it was back on.
Standing apart from each other, on Wednesday nine protesters and one counter-protester demonstrated.
“I’m not here to make anyone sick,” said Jason Cray, 51, who wore a mask with decorative baseball print and a Make America Great Again hat. “I’m here because people are struggling, families are hungry and people aren’t being paid.”
Mr. Cray is a laid-off construction worker and military veteran. When the town first banned construction to stem the spread of coronavirus, he said he was compliant, understood the threat and willingly stopped working.
New guidelines effective next week will allow one or two-person crews back onto job sites. Due to the restrictions, Mr. Cray said the company he works for does not have the ability to give him any hours. He said he will continue to live off his military pension.
“I can get by for a little while,” he said. “But I don’t think the Island can make it to the end of May like this.”
Drivers rolling through the busy Five Corners intersection showed both support and strong disapproval at the demonstration.
Chris Mayhew stood in a parking lot behind the protest, uninvolved and observing from afar. She said she is a traveling antiques dealer. With all venues canceled, she too is out of work and has a warehouse full of antiques collecting dust.
“I understand their frustrations. I’m frustrated, too,” she said. “But the germs don’t care that we are frustrated. And they are what is running the show.
“We can stand on the corner and wave our American flags all we want. But the virus doesn’t care,” she said.
Comments
I don’t know why it’s been OK
Charlotte ChilmarkI don’t know why it’s been OK for anyone and everyone to demonstrate or protest at 5 Corners Forever on any issue that they care about but now it’s out of bounds? People need to work and they are being stopped and I don’t think it’s constitutional regardless of whether anyone has challenged it. So face up to what these people are saying - politely- and stop demonizing their right to say it.
Respecting frustration over
Linda Fischer West TisburyRespecting frustration over when one's next paycheck will come and feeding our families, we are talking about a pandemic here that crosses all lines. Possibly our lives or someone we know and love will die without the respected plans of science to open other areas of employment. And no, in this case, not all jobs are essential to LIFE....we are talking about our local health care workers who are being exposed regularly and using ONE N95 mask over and over for 12 hours, our EMT's, fire departments, police officers, teachers, supermarket employees. Let's try to unify that we are all in this together, need to help one another, do our job by staying home, following the rules. It is the least we can do.
As for the Black Dog presence, I am appalled but not surprised to see members of the Douglas family protesting. There are selfless ways to help in this nightmare. I encourage any one of you to contact Martha's Vineyard Hospital and see how you can support our community as a whole and the hospital staff, and those inpatients alone in the hospital. Try to see what it has been like for those individuals who are on the line, sleepless and exhausted, many quarantined from their loved ones, wondering if they will infect their own families, the medical specialists the world over who are working diligently to help create a vaccine. Look at yourself in the mirror and do the right thing.
It is different if your
Carl Oak BluffsIt is different if your income, health insurance, and ability to feed your family was not disrupted by the shutdowns and sheltering.
Workers who are disrupted, and lost the ability to support themselves and their families, are hurting.
Welcome to America, land of
Adam Furst Vineyard Haven/ BostonWelcome to America, land of the free. Do you think you could have a safe protest/rally like the scaled down event at 5 corners in China,Russia,North Korea? Me thinks not.
Quality job reporting the story Vineyard Gazette.Seems that failing tabloid still panders to the masses with,If it bleeds it leads mentality.
Fairly obvious many residents are simply jealous of a hard working family business that has become an island icon over the past 50 years.To thy own self be true.
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