A California sheriff said Monday he is not enforcing coronavirus related stay-at-home orders because they do not pass the “constitutional test.”
“It’s been a long year for everybody. We know that,” Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes told “Fox & Friends” on Monday. “It’s been very impactful upon all of the businesses and residents of Orange County and California. But I just don’t think that it’s something that falls in line with law enforcement priority.”
“We have many other responsibilities that we are dealing with … homelessness, substance use disorder. It’s not only unfair to law enforcement but I don’t think it’s fair and stands the constitutional test,” Barnes said.
Barnes said police are noticing the businesses operating are “meeting expectations of the state” in terms of coronavirus protocols. Barnes also said the “goalposts keep moving by the week.” He made reference to Angela Marsden, the Los Angeles bar owner who went viral last week after she slammed California’s double standards for her and the movie industry.
“I heard the story that you mentioned earlier about Los Angeles where a lady had a tent, she had been operating it right in her parking lot. There is a tent for several hundred people that they get to operate, she cannot. I don’t know how you can have disparaged rules and expect people to follow them. If they follow those, they are in essence putting themselves out of business, their livelihood is gone,” Barnes said.
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