Roy Exum
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, in the past 7½ years, has led the city into dire straits. Chattanooga is in the “Top Ten” of the ‘Most Dangerous Cities in America,’ as well as the “Top Ten” in the ‘Worst Run Cities In America.’ In September of 2016 Berke was the lead character in a sex scandal that was as tawdry as any in the history of our rather colorful town, and he has been a consistent embarrassment to many in our Scenic City who bemoan his lack of leadership, his arrogant stance of a hermit in his Ivory Tower, and his incompetence as witnessed lately by seven people shot within 30 hours this past weekend. What is most unbelievable is that it appears Chattanoogans could care less.
But when Berke allegedly floated the idea of a $50 fine to those who would flaunt his “shelter in place” order, and then extended the city’s defiance of the state and county decision to get back to business by May 1, what more does it take to recall “the worst Mayor Chattanooga has ever had?” To begin, the U.S. Attorney General is now openly saying the pandemic virus is placing “unprecedented burdens” on American civil liberties, and William Barr has said the “stay-at-home” orders by the states’ governors are “disturbingly close to house arrest.”
In a Tuesday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Barr admitted, “These are very, very burdensome impingements on liberty. We adopted them, we have to remember, for the limited purpose of slowing down the (virus) spread. That is, bending the curve. We didn’t adopt them as a comprehensive way of dealing with this disease.”
Then the Attorney General addressed America’s businesses. “We have to give businesses more freedom to operate in a way that is reasonably safe,” explaining, “The question really shouldn’t be some governments saying ‘Is this essential, or non-essential?’, the question is, ‘Can this business be operated safely?’”
Chattanooga Mayor Berke has now banded with three other Democratic Mayors from Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville in the notion they know more than doctors and health officials, but to hear Barr admit such actions are “disturbingly close to house arrest,” what do you think would be the Justice Department reaction to what would be fines to Americans who desperately need to earn paychecks?
It is keenly interesting that the $50 ordinance proposed to the City Council on Tuesday lacked a sponsor's signature, and thus was tabled due to its impropriety, but the reactions from City Council members bordered on disbelief, especially when Berke had the audacity to say it didn’t come from his office. Who then? The city attorney took the hit, saying it was a way to clarify such an order if ever needed, but that was hardly the message being perceived by Chattanooga’s citizens.
“I would never support additional financial burdens or hardships to be placed on businesses, especially in a time of crisis,” Councilman Darrin Ledford said afterwards, while Council Vice Chairman Ken Smith said wisely, “I will not support taking steps resembling a police state in the city of Chattanooga.” He added, “During this unprecedented time we need to be lifting up our communities and planning how to get people back to work and their lives as back to normal as possible.”
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BERKE, CHATTANOOGA SUED BY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GROUPS
On Wednesday at least two more lawsuits were filed against the Mayor and the city, alleging their religious freedoms were denied, and the irony is AG Barr’s Department of Justice could well align with the plaintiffs since the Constitution has been challenged. The door is also now open for the alleged “house arrest,” further driven by the state, the county and Hamilton County’s incorporated communities to end the “shelter in place” in timely fashion.
There has also been state-wide talk of recalling the four liberal Democratic mayors of Tennessee’s largest four cities by conservative types who feel the Democratic “party” is being pushed above a city’s “people.” The recall process would involve a petition to be obtained from the four county election commissions that would include one or more “specific grounds for removal.” Each petition would then require more than 15 percent of valid voters within each city – not each county. The petition would then be submitted back to the appropriate election commission where the signatures must be verified. If valid, the petition would be presented to each county commission where it would require a 66 percent vote for action.
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INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM MEANS YOU CAN MOST CERTAINLY REMAIN QUARANTINED
When Georgia Governor Brian Kemp or Tennessee Governor Bill Lee lifts “shelter in place” orders next week, it has been lost in the argument that those who hold the personal belief it is “too early” have every right to stay under quarantine. Detractors who scream ‘People are going to die!’ are exactly right – the coronavirus is far, far from over, and with the orders lifted – and at least 20 state soon to follow – “People are going to die!” The prayer is America is now guarded, masked, vigilant.
But the heart breaker is millions of healthy people are going broke. They cannot provide for their families. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms knows this better than almost anyone but as a Democrat, she goes on CNN and says, “I have searched my head and my heart on this and I am at a loss as to what the governor is basing this decision on.”
The truth is there is no basis. No one has ever seen nor endured anything like this. Not one expert knows what is coming next. But in almost the same sentence, Keisha shared a truth that can equally apply to either camp. “You have to fight another day … And you have to be among the living to be able to recover.”
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AN EXCERPT FROM THE MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL
Note: This excerpt in from the Memphis Commercial Appeal story “As Shelby County residents shelter in place, doctors see mental, physical health issues arise” that appeared on April 23, 2020: “Dr. Laura Shultz, director of Behavioral Health-Ambulatory Care for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, said sheltering at home and keeping physical distance from other people is “counter to who we are as human.”
“This is just so exhausting. We have to be hyper-vigilant all day long. We wonder, ‘Am I six feet away? Did I wash my hands long enough? Is my mask on right?'" she said. “What we have created is, all of us are in these situations where we have to be hyper-vigilant and on guard for our safety and the safety of our loved ones.”
“For some people who had existing mental health issues, the crisis has worsened those. Other people are experiencing depression, high levels of prolonged anxiety and stress-induced sleep problems for the first time. Calls and texts to crisis hotlines have dramatically increased in the past month, Shultz said, adding that a feared increase in suicide and suicide attempts was already occurring.
“I think as a community and as a world, we’re grieving right now. There are people grieving losses of loved ones, grieving for weddings, baby showers, graduations, loss of familiarity and routine,” she said. “What makes it worse is that we don’t necessarily know when this is going to end.”
“In the absence of healthy coping mechanisms, some people are self-medicating, greatly increasing drug and alcohol use. If done long enough, those things can become habits or addictions. In the long run, they potentially are going to cause more issues than the actual disease,” she said. “We are not accounting for all the risks that are developing underneath from both a medical and mental health standpoint.”
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THE COUNTIES AROUND CHATTANOOGA
Last Thursday I tracked 12 counties that surround Hamilton County and Chattanooga, the most of which are rural by definition. At that time there were 162 cases among 392,324 people in Tennessee and Georgia. Of that number there were six fatalities. Since then – in the past week -- there have been 72 more cases reported and one additional fatality.
A week ago, Chattanooga (population 357,546 est.) had 110 cases reported, 46 active, 53 recovered and 12 fatal, Today, after one week, Chattanooga’s tally is 127 (+17) cases -- 74 (+21) recovered, and 13 (+1) fatal). This from the Tennessee Department of Health.
* -- As of 4-22-2020, Tennessee had tested 114,980 persons -- 7,842 positive, 107,138 negative (14.4 percent)
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