Peaceful Protest set for Saturday in Pahrump

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its seventh month in the Silver State and mandates and restrictions continue to impact everyday life, those in favor of the freedom to make their own health and safety choices continue to push for a full reopening of the state and economy. Protests and rallies have become part of the “new normal” as people all around Nevada strive to make their opinions heard and Pahrump, a predominantly conservative community, is certainly no exception.

Residents of the valley will have another chance to band together in a show of opposition to the current state of affairs in Nevada during the “Peaceful Protest” event set for tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Coyote’s Den, 3741 E. Kellogg Road.

“I believe, along with a lot of others, that the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness has been taken away with emergency orders and mandates,” Coyote’s Den Manager Sue Quale told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We don’t want the new normal, we want our state back.”

Quale said she and her team at the Coyote’s Den have been working very hard to ensure that customers can enjoy a clean, sanitized and safe environment when visiting the bar and restaurant, but one part of the emergency mandates that she simply doesn’t understand is the mask requirement.

“The mask mandates are pretty ridiculous,” Quale said. “I’m not sure how you’re supposed to sit at a bar with a mask on full time and enjoy an adult beverage. Key word here is ‘adult’. If you do not have to wear a mask two feet away at a table while you’re eating, why do you have to wear a mask while you’re sitting at a bar?

“I believe we are all adults and we are able to make our own decisions as to the businesses we visit and the travels we choose to go on,” Quale concluded. “So again, I would like to emphasize that we are following all protocols that are given us by our governor. We are just asking for our freedom back.”

The Peaceful Protest event will kick off at 10 a.m. and run until 2 p.m. at Coyote’s Den. The Trump Trailer will be on hand, so those looking to grab a few new Trump-related items as the highly anticipated November election approaches will have plenty of merchandise to choose from. There will also be drink specials along with hamburgers and hot dogs cooked up hot and fresh on site.

As their opinions seem to dovetail nicely, Quale invited Battle Born Patriots out for the event as well, giving them another platform from which to seek petition signatures in their ongoing effort.

This political action committee was formed about one month ago with the aim of recalling Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, whose handling of the pandemic is just one point of contention for the group. Citing the signing of new laws arising from the 2019 legislative session, such as those regarding parental rights, taxes, water laws and those dubbed “red flag” laws, Battle Born Patriots have been gathering signatures in all 17 Nevada counties in the hope that their group will succeed where others have failed.

In Nye County, the Battle Born Patriots lead is Dee Mounts and she has been doing all she can to get the local community involved in the effort. The key thing, she has explained, is to get qualified signatures for the recall petition. Voters who want to see Sisolak removed from office are asked to put their names to the petition, but only if they participated in the 2018 gubernatorial election. If they did not vote in the 2018 election, their signatures on the recall petition will be invalid.

Battle Born Patriots has until the beginning of December to collect the approximately 244,000 signatures required. To help do so, Mounts has secured several permanent Nye County locations for the group’s recall petition. Pahrump locations include:

■ The Recall Tent, 1201 S. Highway 160 on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

■ D… is for Dog Grooming, 1201 S. Highway 160, Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

■ The Trump RV at the VFW Swap Meet, 4651 Homestead Road, on Saturdays from 7 to 11 a.m.

■ Ultimate Discount Health, 150 S. Highway 160, #C2 in the Albertsons Shopping Plaza, Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

■ The Nye County Republican Central Committee Headquarters, 3370 S. Highway 160, Suite 6 on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by calling 775-727-2500. This location will not be available on Oct. 9 or Oct. 23

The permanent location in Tonopah is:

■ Sagebrush Dreams, 475 St. Patrick Avenue, off Main Street in the big red building behind the Shell gas station, Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Temporary Pahrump locations over the next week include:

■ The Recall Tent, Highway 372 and Red Rock Drive, on Sunday, Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Beans and Cream, Backstreet Deli and The Hideaway Bar, all located at 4760 Pahrump Valley Blvd., on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 2 to 6 p.m.

For more information on Battle Born Patriots’ efforts, head out to the Peaceful Protest event at the Coyote’s Den on Saturday, Oct. 3 or visit www.takingnevadaback.com