My Small Role in Protecting Your Freedoms…
When I was elected Mayor of Southaven in 2013, and again in 2017, I swore to faithfully support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Mississippi and obey the laws thereof. I have upheld this oath everyday I’ve been in office and will continue to until my last day.
When this crisis began in mid-March, no one knew the degree of risk that we faced which made it constitutionally-sound to implement temporary restrictions on personal liberties. As upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court multiple times, government has the Constitutional right to restrain personal liberties temporarily during emergencies “under the pressure of great dangers” to protect “the safety of the general public”. However, I must be straightforward in saying that I have serious concerns with liberties being restrained for this length of time, considering the real data we have now.* This virus is dangerous to some, but does not threaten “the safety of the general public”. 99.98% of Mississippians have survived this pandemic to date. I also have concerns about the discriminatory nature of government allowing some businesses and organizations to assemble and do business, but not others. Again, as Mayor, I swore to support the laws of the State of Mississippi and support the Constitution of the United States. When these two conflict, I’m in a situation that I never thought would become reality and must support the Constitution of the United States.
As the Chief Executive of the City of Southaven, I will enforce all state laws until they conflict with the Constitution of the United States.
Executive Orders #1487 and #1488 were issued today by Governor Reeves which extend the “Safer-at-Home” Order until Monday, June 1, 2020 at 8:00 AM. Both Orders may be read in their entirety for all details, but the most notable changes are as follows:
SCHOOLS MAY OPEN WEIGHT ROOMS AND TRAINING FACILITIES may re-open with detailed hygiene, social distancing, and health-screening requirements.
OUTDOOR PLACES OF AMUSEMENT AND RECREATION may re-open with detailed hygiene, social distancing, and health-screening requirements with the number of customers being limited to 50% of the park’s maximum occupancy.
It remains extremely important that our citizens with underlying health conditions that place them at a higher risk use all precautions and safeguarding measures to protect themselves. All citizens should continue to respect the dangers of COVID-19 as they resume their lives in a smart and safe way.
Most sincerely and respectfully,
Mayor Darren Musselwhite
*The Statistics…
Desoto County Fatalities per Capita = .003 of 1% (6/185,000)
Shelby County, TN Fatalities per Capita = .009 of 1% (88/937,000)
State of Mississippi Fatalities per Capita = .02 of 1% (596/2,976,000)