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Comment by sky_rw | Hacker News Reader

The fact that protesting is illegal is reason enough in the USA to protest. If the government can take away fundamental rights via executive fiat then we never had rights in the first place, we had permissions.

For many it's a matter of principle. For others who are literally having to stand in food lines for the first time ever and are unable to pay rent or write paychecks, it's a matter of survival.

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Protesting isn't illegal if you follow social distancing guidelines. I can't imagine courts would have an issue with that under a time, manner and place restriction framework.

Infamous tweet from Raleigh PD indicates how police feel about it:

https://twitter.com/raleighpolice/status/1250111779574894594

(No qualifications about distancing)

And they got ratio'd to death, as they should have. Cops don't have law degrees (and well to be fair, neither do I).

One tweet from one police department isn't generalizable across the board.

If suspending certain rights in emergencies is a reason to protest we need to change the government.

If we can't take care of each other at a time of emergency shame on us. I mean us the people not the government.

"If the government can take away fundamental rights via executive fiat then we never had rights in the first place, we had permissions"

I mean, isn't that the definition of rights? If the government can take away fundamental rights via executive power, then it is called having a penal system. We all live in a state of exception, freedom is always conditioned, during a pandemic or otherwise. There is no principled libertarian stance that is violated now but not status quo ante.

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