Tens of Conservatives Protest Fabric Masks
assembling at the entrance with handmade signs, many of which claimed that wearing a mask was their children's "choice."
I don't even know where to begin.
Tens of Conservatives protested ahead of the Anchorage School Board meeting last evening, assembling at the entrance with handmade signs, many of which claimed that wearing a mask was their children's "choice."
Annie Massey of Alaska Parents' Rights in Education (APRE) shared that she hoped "hundreds" of people would attend last evening's protest in a recent video. Instead, a smattering of people showed up for the demonstration, including one black vehicle that didn't appear to take mask-wearing seriously.
The black vehicle was unable to be reached for comment.
An announcement about the planned protest was shared with a network of affiliated social media groups in Anchorage—the Save Anchorage group among them. Save Anchorage often boasts its 8,000+ strong "grassroots" membership roster. Still, for unknown reasons, those membership numbers have never materialized into even a thousand individuals protesting in person for any specific cause.
In comparison, Alaska Parents' Rights in Education has roughly 1,200 members in its group, making last evening's anti-mask/pro-choice protest a massive bust.
A recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategy for the upcoming school year was presented to the school board last evening by ASD Superintendent Dr. Deena Bishop. The mitigation strategies included a provision that would, in part, mandate universal masking for all individuals in an ASD school or building, although exceptions could be made on an individual basis.
Testimony given in front of the school board by those opposed to universal masking appears to have been largely based on emotions, individual opinions, and "data" taken from unidentified "websites." Many of the same individuals who frequent Anchorage assembly meetings also appeared at the school board meeting to speak, often regurgitating similar testimony they provided in front of the assembly last year.
Because the mitigation strategies were not an action item, the school board didn't need to approve them.
This morning, Massey asked group members of APRE to "Keep relentless pressure on Bishop and the school board to support our choice and not CDC and AAP "guidelines" "possibilities."
Whatever that means.
Earlier today, a post shared to APRE taken from the Oregon Parents' Rights in Education Facebook page called on parents to "un-enroll" their children from the public school system in response to "Government bullying."
The post was shared in eerily familiar capital letters similar to the online postings of an Anchorage local known to also post in all capital letters.
