Dressed in Tyvek suits and accompanied by the Grim Reaper, protesters piled up 17 body bags on the steps of Florida’s Old State Capitol building Tuesday morning.
The protest was organized by progressive grassroots group Indivisible, who are urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to stop endangering the lives of his constituents as the state reopens in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Signs visible at the protest read “A corpse is not a customer,” “Needed more than hand washing,” and “Trump lies people die.”
Similar protests were also staged at the capitol buildings in Austin, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona.
As of Wednesday, Florida added 479 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the overall total to 42,402. The state also added 49 new deaths, bringing that number to 1,898. According to the Tampa Bay Times, only 2.8 percent of Florida’s overall population has been tested for COVID-19.
This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
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Please follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation. Every little bit helps.
The protest was organized by progressive grassroots group Indivisible, who are urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to stop endangering the lives of his constituents as the state reopens in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Signs visible at the protest read “A corpse is not a customer,” “Needed more than hand washing,” and “Trump lies people die.”
Similar protests were also staged at the capitol buildings in Austin, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona.
The group isn’t the first to symbolically invoke Death as a form of protest. Earlier this month, Santa Rosa Beach attorney Daniel Uhlfelder dressed as the Grim Reaper in protest of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to allow the state's beaches to begin reopening.Tonight Rachel Maddow covered Indivisibles from Arizona, Florida and Texas who had a message for their Governors about reopening their states before they were ready and putting lives at risk. Watch here --> pic.twitter.com/vHSlBpjWtY
— Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) May 13, 2020
As of Wednesday, Florida added 479 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the overall total to 42,402. The state also added 49 new deaths, bringing that number to 1,898. According to the Tampa Bay Times, only 2.8 percent of Florida’s overall population has been tested for COVID-19.
This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
_
Please follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation. Every little bit helps.
