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Top Tweets About Bandimere "Stop the COVID Chaos" Rally

The tweets epitomize a vast ideological divide.
September 2, 2020
Image: Part of the crowd at Bandimere Speedway's "Stop the COVID Chaos" rally on September 1.
Part of the crowd at Bandimere Speedway's "Stop the COVID Chaos" rally on September 1. Denver7 via YouTube

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The September 1 "Stop the COVID Chaos" rally at Bandimere Speedway displayed clearly the continuing divide over how best to handle the novel coronavirus in Colorado.

Yesterday evening, thousands of mostly unmasked and not always socially distanced people gathered at the racetrack, located in the foothills along C-470, to express their belief that safety recommendations regarding facial coverings and bans on large events such as "Stop the COVID Chaos" infringe on their constitutional rights — despite data showing that the disease has killed more than 185,000 Americans to date, with thousands still succumbing daily.

Of course, those figures are being disputed, too, as noted during a September 1 press conference by Governor Jared Polis. Hours later, Polis was treated as Public Enemy No. 1 by Bandimere speakers, including conservative columnist Michelle Malkin and attorney and KNUS radio personality Randy Corporon, who revealed that a new lawsuit against public-health orders has been filed in Denver District Court after the Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear a previous complaint.

Other legal action is certainly possible, given that Jefferson County Public Health, a department that previously took Bandimere to court over a July 4 fireworks extravaganza that attracted 7,000 people, sent a letter to event organizers reminding them that attendance for such gatherings was limited to 175 — which was exceeded on September 1 approximately a microsecond after Bandimere's gates were opened.

The responses to "Stop the COVID Chaos" on Twitter tended to either praise the get-together as a much-needed demonstration of freedom amid oppression or castigate it as a potentially catastrophic super-spreader whose participants are dangerous morons who deserve what they get.

Here are our picks for the most memorable tweets — first ten pro, then ten con.

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CON

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Image: Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
[email protected]
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