Bar owners in Texas staged a protest in response to the state’s order to close them down for a second time as a result of Corona Virus, experiences mentioned.
Tee Allen Parker, proprietor of the Machine Shed Bar and Grille, named Tuesday’s occasion “Bar Lives Matter” in an obvious reference to the Black Lives Matter motion towards police brutality.
Parker, whose institution is in Kilgore, Texas, roughly two hours south of Dallas, is already suing Texas Gov. Greg Abbot over the bar closures — which he claims are devastating his livelihood and forcing a lot of his friends into chapter 11, in accordance with CBS Austin.
“This one particular person is choosing and selecting winners and losers,” Jared Woodfill, an lawyer for Parker, informed the outlet. “Gov. Abbott has chosen to condemn bar owners to chapter.”
As part of its most up-to-date Corona Virus order, Texas didn’t shut down or restrict capability at different companies — like hair salons, tattoo parlors, and nail studios. The order did require eating places to function at 50 p.c capability.
“You can’t inform me that my tiny little bar is the issue. He’s the issue,” Parker beforehand informed the Washington Post. “He’s focusing on us, and it’s discrimination.”
Parker additionally organized a ‘Bar Lives Matter’ protest final week on the Machine Shed, and is planning to host one other on the state Capitol on Sunday.
Texas has seen a report variety of instances for the reason that state’s reopening earlier this yr. The state presently has 160,000 confirmed instances and a pair of,424 deaths from COVID-19.