The woman driving the shiny black Range Rover let go of the wheel with both hands. She flipped her middle fingers at the young mother standing at the curb with her children and a sign reading, “Let Me Work.” The woman in the Range Rover was about 60, had her windows up and was wearing disposable blue plastic gloves.

This was only one of the many instances where individuals in expensive vehicles gave the finger or shouted “F^^^ You!” through closed windows at people rallying to reopen Jefferson County and holding such offensive signs as “Every Family Counts,” “Everyone Is Essential,” and “My Family Needs To Eat, Too.”

There was that couple in a grey Mercedes, windows rolled up, of course, who pulled their masks down so they could shout obscenities. There was hate and contempt in their eyes and the way they dragged their teeth across their lower lips as they spit out the “F^^^ YOU!” left no doubt what they felt about the working class parents who wanted their jobs back.

I tossed out the idea for the Reopen Jefferson County rally because our local leaders were frittering away our county’s chance to get a jump on reopening many businesses and nobody was doing anything about it. Little did I know that the Jefferson County Washington Facebook page would pick it up and that among its more than 9,000 followers it would reach women half my age who were already engaged in other forms of activism to reopen our state economy.

One of them, Danielle Galmukoff, a Port Townsend businesswoman whose business, essential to her family’s well-being but deemed expendable by the Governor, was instrumental in forming the Reopen Washington State Facebook page. That resource has connected the unemployed, business owners ordered to shut down and bleed red ink, local officials seeing their communities ravaged not by a virus but by the Governor’s actions and medical patients denied critical care because the Governor had injected himself into the doctor-patient relationship. It has served as an organizing tool for rallies across the state.  That group, in part started here, now has over 43,000 participants.

What I saw at the Reopen Jefferson County rally on May 19 was not the aging old guard of the Jefferson County GOP–a few were there, but not in any great numbers. I saw a new generation of people awakened to what happens when an unaccountable government steps out of bounds, plays favorites, makes serious errors, abuses its powers and destroys lives and livelihoods.

The Leader reported 50 people in attendance at the time the reporter arrived. The Peninsula Daily News estimated 75. I counted 95 at the peak. Not a lot, except when you consider the pressure in a tight, insular community that keeps many people from ever speaking out.  We learned our support was much broader than we expected. Many businesses encouraged the rally, but said they could not be there for fear of retaliation. One business boldly donated coffee, and said we could announce their name. (Thank you, Velocity Coffee). Many people who identify as progressive, Democrat and left-leaning told the young organizers they were with them, but would not be there for fear of blow-back from the small, rather mean, but powerful and relentless gang of enforcers for the ideological and partisan Left in this town.

Those people with masks in their own cars, flipping us off, they were a small minority of passing motorists. It always surprises me when I participate in events like this, where I think I will be in a tiny, endangered minority, only to find that the act of standing up for what is right draws huge support and emboldens others to make their views known.

It was noisy at that corner by McDonald’s. The big rigs blasting loud notes, drivers standing on their horns, people rolling down their windows to shout encouragement. More than a few drivers in public agency and government vehicles gave us thumbs up.

That evening we learned that the businesses community, as they had told us over the phone, was also for reopening Jefferson County. A poll of hundreds of businesses by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce found that 60% wanted a quick move into the next phase of reopening. The North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce, which covers the southern part of our county, came back with 87.5% in favor of a quick reopening.

All this time County Commissioner Kate Dean was running around telling officials from other counties and making similar statements in virtual Commission and Board of Health meetings that “the vast majority” of people here were against reopening.

She must have been listening to the older woman in the expensive Range Rover cursing a young working mom for wanting her job back.

The good news is that the county has–finally–applied for a variance from the Governor’s lock down order to allow many businesses to open earlier than the Phase 2 start date for the rest of the state. The bad news is that they spent nearly a month indulging the selfish and unscientific fears of those who don’t need to work and don’t care much about those who do.

The other bad news is that the BOH and County Commission, after dragging out the process so they could hear from “stakeholders”–translated, the businesses hammered by the Governor’s order–dismissed what they were told by those stakeholders and voted to prohibit the reopening of restaurants, in-store retail and other businesses. They have made the further reopening of Jefferson County’s devastated economy contingent on Kitsap and Clallam counties entering Phase 2, either early or with the rest of the state. We have no control over what happens in those counties. Yes, that is crazy, unwise and irresponsible, just another way of kicking the can down the road.  But the people driving around with masks, disposable gloves and windows rolled up are happy.

The other good news is that maybe sometime next week, now that the county has finally ended its dithering and submitted its plea to the Governor, more of our businesses will reopen. But at most, because of the county’s delays, we might get just a couple days jump on the rest of the state, now set to move into Phase 2 anyway on June 1.

Jim Scarantino

Jim Scarantino was the editor and founder of Port Townsend Free Press. He is happy in his new role as just a contributor writing on topics of concern to him. He spent the first 25 years of his professional life as a trial attorney, then launched an online investigative news website that broke several national stories. He is also the author of three crime novels. He resides in Jefferson County. See our “About” page for more information.