Outside of the H. Lee Denison Building this past Wednesday, June 2nd, local officials and community members gathered to protest the decision to keep children in masks for the remainder of the school year. The ‘unmask our kid’s rally’ had a catchall component with participants bringing “Blue Lives Matter Flags” and banners critical of the Governor, pandemic-related restrictions, and Critical Race Theory. Over a hundred parents and concerned locals attended.
However, the concern of all those at the microphone was hyper-focused on the Governor and the Department of Health’s mandates on masking in schools. The rally featured some prominent local politicians, such as congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) and Legislators Robert Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), Steven Flotteron (R-Bayshore) and Anthony Piccirillo (R-Sayville). Community activists, such as Barbara Abboud from Moms for Liberty and members of Long Island Loud Majority, spoke as well.
Congressman Zeldin spoke of how “Our kids don’t have a vote.” He then thanked all the parents who showed up to the rally for speaking on behalf of the children.
Zeldin then referenced a newscaster from News 12, Danielle Campbell, who, when speaking to people on the street, found that many parents believed “we should let parents decide and not elected officials… she’s right.” There was a moment of pause afterward.
Zeldin continued to say, “…look at the science, look at the impact on grades, and mental health. This has been studied; there are statistics.”
“The state came out with guidance that they can have students 6 feet apart without masks. Not far from here in Commack, they did that following the guidance, and then Governor Cuomo overruled them,” he said.
The decision by the state to overrule the school board prompted some backlash from Commack. It also spurred several Long Island. This is further elaborated on within this issue.
When Abboud took that stage, she noted that “Our Parental rights do not end at the door.” She felt that the Governor’s policies were infringing on parent’s rights finishing with “free people do not need permission to be free.”
Trotta spoke on how these decisions coming from Albany are the result of “one-party rule.” Trotta continued to provide a solution for those unhappy with Albany. “We have a choice next year, and it is Lee Zeldin.” This is a reference to Zeldin’s gubernatorial campaign.
The attendees broke out into chanting several times throughout the rally. There was a “Free our children” chant. There was also some noticeable tension between attendees and members of the media. This discord was addressed by Zeldin, who assured onlookers that the media is simply there to “relay our message.”
Some attendees’ who spoke with The Messenger explained their reasoning for attending the rally.
“To stand up for what’s right. Freedom is what it means to be an American. Putting a mask on a small child is detrimental to their health,” said Greg Mehrhoff of Patchogue.
“I’m here for no mandates on the vaccine, no mandates on the children, no mandates on human rights. I’m here for no vaccine passports,” said Jennifer Gallo of Centereach. There was a slight police presence at the rally, with around ten officers at the perimeter of the rally. There were several squad cars in the parking lot from both the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department. No incidents arose from the gathering.
