I am a law abiding citizen. I support cops. That doesn't mean that I will bow down and allow myself to be ground under the heels of a jackboot. North Carolina has made it a crime (a Second degree misdemeanor) to not wear a mask when you are near someone not in your household. Some counties are going even further. In Asheville, both individuals and businesses not complying with the new mask order “will be subject to penalties.” The first offense will be $50 for a business, and a second offense will force the business to close for a 24-hour period. Any addition violations could result in longer closures.
Incidentally, this also makes it a crime to be in possession of body armor while not wearing a mask.
The executive vice president and general counsel for the North Carolina sheriff's association said: “At the end of the day, the goal is education and compliance.” Compliance.
We are seeing the same thing in Florida, where the governor's order prohibits local officials from taking actions against individuals. Instead, local officials are effectively deputizing business owners by forcing them to enforce a law that would be illegal for local officials to enforce themselves.
Police who enforce these sorts of infringements are not the sort of cops I can or will support. Not only will you be hated by the left, you will make enemies of those on the right. Think long and hard before you cross that line.
In most states, only the legislature can create a crime, which is part of the reason that so far most states have not talked about penalties for not wearing masks - is this different in NC?
ReplyDeleteIn WV, the governor announced penalties, but walked back after his own attorney general said they were illegal. In Ohio, there is technically no penalty, but businesses are being leaned on to enforce it with the threat of being closed by the health department. Some businesses have gone overboard but most have not changed their very loose enforcement.