Grim Reaper, Demonstrators Line Body Bags Outside Governor's Mansion
May 13, 2020 - Austin
Knockity Knock. On Tuesday, demonstrators lined body bags in front of the Governor’s Mansion to protest what they believe is the premature reopening of the Texas economy. Photo: James Gregg.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
Demonstrators from the activist group Indivisible Austin laid body bags in front of the Governor’s Mansion on Tuesday to protest Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to incrementally reopen the Texas economy, a measure they feel is premature and could result in more deaths.
Statewide, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 42,403 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,158 virus-related deaths as of Wednesday afternoon. In Bexar County, a total of 1.942 cases were recorded and 57 fatalities as of Tuesday night.
“The bags represent the lives of people that are being lost and the lives that we are going to continue to lose if our leadership - our governor and our senators do not prioritize people over profits,” said Lynn Panepinto, one of masked protesters at the demonstration, to Austin’s NBC affiliate.
Abbott has been steadfast in his plan to reopen certain businesses. On May 8, he began phase one of his reopening plan, which allowed retail stores, restaurants, movie theatres and malls to open at 25% capacity. The second phase could come as early as May 18.
“We now have all these strategies to make sure that we are able to contain any kind of outbreak and that allows the rest of the economy of big states like Texas to continue to go and grow while we manage and contain the outbreaks where they exist,” said Abbott during a May 7 press briefing alongside President Donald J. Trump.
RELATED: Metro Health Director Explains the Presymptomatic COVID-19 Individual
“We wanted to send a strong message to Governor Abbott that opening the state, without having the necessary widespread testing and contact tracing mechanisms in place, is not only irresponsible and reckless, but [it] endangers the lives of all Texans,” said Trish Contreras, an Indivisible Austin board member and mother. “The body bags represented the more than 1,158-plus Texans who have already lost their lives to COVID-19. There are also now more than 42,403 cases reported in Texas, yet the Governor continues to encourage the loosening of safety restrictions. By ‘opening’ Texas and increasing the number of social and commercial interactions, we will see an increase in the spread of the virus, making this pandemic even worse.”
Similar protests were organized in Florida and Arizona by local chapters of the same group.
Grim Reaper included.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.