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EDITORIAL: ‘Bullying’ tactics of mask protesters are not all right

The right to peacefully protest is as embedded in the American political tradition as baseball and apple pie. But demonstrators do themselves no favors when they cross the lines of decorum while expressing their dissatisfaction.

On Sunday, protesters descended upon the homes of three local elected officials to rail against COVID vaccine and mask mandates. One of the targets, County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, told the Review-Journal that about 20 people showed up at his house that evening, honking horns and speaking into bullhorns chanting, “No mask, no vax.”

Mr. Segerblom, who has been a supporter of mask mandates and vaccinations, said he didn’t feel particularly threatened but decided not to go outside to speak to the demonstrators because it was dark and he was uncertain what was going on. “I guess in the sense that they didn’t attack the house or shoot anyone,” he said, “it was relatively peaceful.”

Linda Cavazos, president of the Clark County School Board, had a similar experience. An estimated 30 or 40 protesters showed up at her residence around 4:30 p.m. Sunday and decamped for two hours, waving flags and chanting. She described the experience as “just scary” and added, “It’s more like bullying. It’s more like intimidation. It’s just not OK.”

County Commissioner Jim Gibson also reportedly endured demonstrators at his Henderson home that evening.

The timing of the protests indicate that this was a coordinated event, but so far nobody has taken responsibility for the hare-brained stunts. It’s one thing to demonstrate in the streets or in front of an office or government building. It’s entirely another to descend upon residential neighborhoods to harass individual targets in the privacy of their own homes. While this despicable tactic — which has, unfortunately, become common among radical activists across the political spectrum — may not be illegal in many cases, it’s a hallmark of ethical bankruptcy and an invitation for violence.

Yes, Mr. Segerblom, Mr. Gibson and Ms. Cavazos are elected officials who must tolerate public criticism of their actions and policy stances. But those who take exception to their views regarding COVID mandates — or anything else, for that matter — should show a little character and confine their protests to the Clark County Government Center or the school district administration building rather than dragging the neighbors and family members of their targets into the dispute.

Instead, Sunday’s demonstrators succeeded only in sullying themselves and the very cause they claimed to be promoting.

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