Hundreds of people showed up to the rally at the state Capitol. The crowd was full of American flags, Trump flags, Gadsden flags and signs decrying Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
Among the conspiracy theorists and anti-government rhetoric were a lot of people whose lives had been significantly impacted by the recent shutdowns, like Adam Ellifritt, who runs an ad agency and helped organize the rally.
"I had about a $12,000 loss in monthly occurring revenue," Ellifritt said. "That pretty much wiped out my use of all my contractors. It sucks to not be able to pay others and that’s a huge income loss for us."
Ellifritt said that when so many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, going just 30 days without pay is a severe blow.
More than 360,000 jobs have been lost in Oregon in the past month and a half. The surge in unemployment applications has taxed the state’s antiquated computer system, worsening the economic crisis.
Public health officials say the state needs better testing and contact tracing before it can safely open back up.
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