Threats and invective hurled at health director who sought to postpone Trump's Tulsa rally, emails s
Source: Washington Post
Threats and invective hurled at health director who sought to postpone Trump’s Tulsa rally, emails show
By Joshua Partlow
9/21/2020, 3:51:53 p.m.
Three days before President Trump’s first indoor campaign rally during the coronavirus pandemic — at an arena in Tulsa in June — the director of the Tulsa Health Department marveled at the wave of abuse that was cresting in his direction.
“It’s been crazy since the announcement of the presidential rally,” Bruce Dart wrote to Lori Freeman, a colleague who led an association of local public health officials. “It’s amazing how people strike out against anyone who they assume is not supportive of the president instead of listening to our messaging around staying safe in this pandemic.”
“You’re doing a fabulous job,” Freeman wrote back. “Be strong (as will I).”
With the novel coronavirus raging, Trump has now restarted campaign rallies, bringing fresh controversy to new communities. Earlier this month, thousands of people, many without masks, crowded into an indoor manufacturing facility in Nevada to hear the president speak, defying a state directive to limit gatherings to 50 people. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) called Trump’s actions “shameful, dangerous, and irresponsible.” The director of the state’s coronavirus response predicted a spike in cases because of the campaign event.
Tulsa’s experiences before and after the Trump rally show the difficulty that many communities face in balancing the desire to protect residents from the pandemic while catering to a president and Republican Party that have consistently cast doubt on and flouted health recommendations. Dart, a medical doctor and public health expert who has spent his career working for local governments, was one of the few city officials who publicly warned of the danger of an indoor rally. Those warnings earned him angry emails from Trump supporters about his health recommendations as well as those who said he didn’t do enough to stop Trump’s rally, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post through an open-records request.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/threats-and-invective-hurled-at-local-health-director-who-sought-to-postpone-president-trumps-rally-in-tulsa-emails-show/2020/09/21/b383d5ae-f756-11ea-a510-f57d8ce76e11_story.html