Website to report, punish gatherings of 10+ people goes live in Wisconsin

Dane County, Wisconsin, home to the left-wing stronghold of Madison, has just launched an online tool for the express purpose of reporting to the authorities citizens who gather in groups of ten or more, in defiance of emergency measures ordered by Democrat Gov. Tony Evers to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

This week, Evers ordered the closure of malls, bars and restaurants across the state, and ordered establishments such as churches, theaters, movie theaters, arenas, and fitness centers to bar gatherings of ten or more people. Public schools also remain closed until further notice. So far, Wisconsin has seen three deaths and 206 known coronavirus cases.

On Thursday, Public Health Madison and Dane County launched an online form for people to “report mass gatherings that are being held in Dane County” to law enforcement. WKOW notes that violations of Evers’ order are punishable by up to a month in prison and/or a $500 fine.

Critics argue Evers’ crackdowns on private gatherings go too far.

“The balance between protecting physical security and the security of fundamental individual rights to freely worship, maintain and operate private businesses, and associate on private property is a delicate one,” writes WISN radio host Dan O’Donnell. “And as compelling as the need to protect Wisconsin’s citizenry against Coronavirus may be, the need to protect the citizenry’s freedom will always take precedence.”

O’Donnell argues that the “right of the collective to security can only infringe on the individual’s right to liberty when that infringement isn’t more restrictive than it needs to be,” yet Evers has opted to “take a sledgehammer to Coronavirus instead of using a scalpel.”

Evers “has no special access to information about this pandemic,” yet “panicked and suspended our liberties without warning after private organizations and citizens had already adopted extreme measures to protect themselves,” agrees Empower Wisconsin Foundation president Eric O’Keefe. “The dictates of Gov. Evers do nothing to add to our protection. Instead they have seized from all of us our authority to conduct our lives.”

“This is happening in ways invisible to him, as his approach prevents people from making their own decisions about how to survive the loss of their businesses, their jobs, or beloved relatives,” O’Keefe continues. “We are social beings. We need others to survive, and we need the freedom to associate with others in order to be fully alive.”