Christ Church once again met in song to protest mask mandates by the City of Moscow, this time in Friendship Square, attracting a crowd of approximately 350 to 400 people. The Facebook event stated that the singing would begin at 5 pm. Twelve minutes later, it was all over.
“We would like the mayor to change the law,” Mike Lawyer, a pastor of Discipleship/Counseling at Christ Church, said.
Lawyer said people can wear masks if they want, but there is no emergency.
“The mayor doesn’t wear a mask if he doesn’t want to,” Lawyer said. “If you go into the police department, they’re not wearing masks… It’s just not real, so we want them to change the law.”
Across the street from the Psalm Sing, Black Lives Matter supporters and other counter-protestors gathered, writing messages in chalk on the ground.
“I think there’s a bigger message to be heard,” Trevor, a BLM protester, said. “When people say they are against wearing masks, it’s just a siren call for white supremacy.”
As in the previous protests, Christ Church Interim Music Director Mark Reagan led the crowd in song, despite other music playing in the area. As the crowd came together to sing hymns, other music began blaring from Hotel Moscow apartments, to the beat of “Wap” by Cardi B.
To avoid any violence during the event, the Facebook post stated Christ Church “anticipated the possibility of protesters again and have a plan in place that will help… avoid any confrontations or clashes,” following the altercation during an unaffiliated Sept. 26 protest.
Police monitored the protest from the rooftop of the State Farm building, but did not get involved with today’s proceedings.
No additional Psalm Sing events are formally scheduled on Facebook yet.
This article has been edited to include a more accurate estimate of the crowd size.
Cody Roberts can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CodyRobReports.
Kaylee
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