WADENA, Minn. (Valley News Live) - Supporters of a Minnesota bull-riding show were protesting Wednesday against state and local leaders, after restrictions were being imposed to reduce crowd size at the event.
Several who attended said this is a clear attempt to infringe on their rights and freedoms as Americans.
They lined up along highway 10 in Wadena during the rain with horns blaring, signs showing, and music playing in support of the Nimrod Bull Bash.
“It just gets to be too much government. They just need to back off a bit and let us be humans,” Troy Meech of Bucking Bulls said.
Meech helped organize the protest after he said he was told his Labor Day weekend bull-riding event would be limited to 250 people. It’s been held for the last 17 years.
“They’re trying to starve me out. I have no income for the year, they took it all,” Meech said. “Neither one of their paychecks have been affected by it. But, there’s a lot of us out here that have been crushed by it.”
Meech said his rodeo had to follow COVID-19 guidelines that restrict large gatherings and on an average Saturday night, 4,000 people have attended his show in years past.
Wadena County has a large assembly ordinance it updated last fall that calls for a permit 90 days before an event is scheduled to happen.
According to Wadena County Coordinator Ryan Odden, Meech’s application for a permit was incomplete.
Some who were protesting Wednesday said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is being heavy handed, and they held signs calling for a recall.
“He gives no real clear deadline and no clear real goal. He just closes it indefinitely. ‘You’re going to wear a mask until some time, we don’t know,‘” Dale Hillukka said.
They said they don’t believe in wearing masks or social distancing, despite recommendations from credible health experts that both are a proven way to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The government, they think they should shut the state down and you know it ain’t right,” Bailey Meech said. “This is everybody’s livelihood, so we’re here to stand up for it.”
Troy Meech said his wife has talked him out of hosting Nimrod Bull Bash, although he still hasn’t officially canceled it.
Copyright 2020 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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Protestors gather in Wadena to support bull-riding show and criticize government officials - KVLY
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