The 100 percent grassroots, citizen-driven, car caravan will travel through downtown Ft. Lauderdale Sunday to request that South Florida officials act immediately on thoughtfully lifting restrictions.

This would include opening South Florida businesses and allowing access to natural areas and open spaces. Participants in the nonpartisan rally are asking for elected officials to address the human costs the nation has been suffering due to economic casualties and social isolation. The restrictions on citizens must end. Our people deserve both accurate information and the freedom to provide for themselves while keeping personal health issues in consideration.

“We realize that two months ago, there were many unknowns, but the data and science is in now and it no longer justifies the shutdown, loss of jobs, furloughing of doctors and nurses, interruption of our food supply, and all the secondary health effects of socially isolating that will affect people for a lifetime,” said Rachael Cohen, organizer of the rally. “Citizens are suffering, and watching the decisions made by elected officials very closely.”

Last week, more than 100 cars rallied to bring to light how the shutdown will worsen people through increased poverty and its related dysfunctions.

Now, many more citizens are increasingly calling for officials to address not only government overreach, but the many secondary health effects resulting from the shutdown. This would include increased child molestation, spousal abuse, alcoholism, anxiety, suicide, education decline, bankruptcy and abuse of power by our local governments.

Participants are citing the many decisions that are incongruent with the President’s and Governor’s guidelines and CDC recommendations. Local officials seem to be governing in an arbitrary manner on items such as (1) deciding which jobs are essential, (2) closing boat ramps, (3) restricting access to walk on the beach, (4) forbidding exercise in open areas and parks, (5) stopping the ability to play golf with common sense measures, and (6) closing small businesses while larger stores stay open.

“We cannot sit back and allow what are supposed to be guidelines that have become mandates to wreak havoc on our families and our society,” said Cohen. “We elect politicians to help care for the population, not to abuse power and ignore the people.”

Furthermore, participants want to emphasize the importance of our basic human right to personal autonomy and our Constitutional freedoms. People need the restrictions to end so we can regain a sense of normalcy and control over our own lives. This includes the freedom from government intrusion.

Participants uniting for freedom in the nonpartisan rally are the unemployed, small business owners, healthcare practitioners, medical freedom fighters, patriots, parents, human rights advocates and just plain citizens.