President Trump and Attorney General Barr,
We the People of Ohio hereby petition you, President Trump, to order U.S. Attorney General William Barr and the United States Department of Justice to intercede on our behalf to defend our constitutional and civil rights which we believe have been repeatedly, unlawfully, and unconstitutionally abridged by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and his Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.
WHEREAS, On March 9, 2020 Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an order declaring a health emergency in Ohio in response to the Chinese Corona Virus;
WHEREAS, On March 22, 2020 Dr. Amy Acton as Director of the Ohio Department of Health issued a Stay at Home Order at the direction of Governor DeWine requiring “all persons to stay at home unless engaged in essential work”;
WHEREAS, Dr. Amy Acton’s “Stay at Home Order” amounts to placing millions of Ohio citizens under house arrest in clear violation of their rights as guaranteed under the Federal and Ohio Constitutions;
WHEREAS, the Orders of Dr. Amy Acton provide for no appeal or other recourse to the denial of the rights of Ohio citizens;
WHEREAS, Dr. Amy Acton justified her Orders by predicting that tens of thousands of Ohio citizens would likely suffer and die from the Chinese Corona Virus;
WHEREAS, the predictions of Dr. Amy Acton have proven to be grossly inaccurate;
WHEREAS, the civil rights of Ohio citizens have been abused and violated by the orders of Dr. Amy Acton, including the right to worship, the right to associate, the right to travel and the right to own property all as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights;
WHEREAS, the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that “no person shall be….deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
WHEREAS, thousands of business owners in Ohio have been ordered closed by Governor DeWine thereby depriving owners and employees of their livelihood and their property without due process of law;
WHEREAS, Governor DeWine intentionally discriminated against those businesses owners, without proving any medical necessity for doing so, and in doing so inflicted real damages of an estimated $33.6 Billion in lost income over the past five weeks without offering any restitution;
WHEREAS, Governor DeWine callously and indiscriminately terminated the right to work for millions of Ohio workers, without proving any medical necessity for doing so, and in doing so inflicted real damages of an estimated $8.8 Billion in lost wages to those workers;
WHEREAS, Attorney General William Barr has by his Memorandum dated April 27, 2020 advised all United States Attorneys that “…the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved...” and further directed... “each of our United States Attorneys to also be on the lookout for state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.” …and that …”If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court.”
WHEREAS, the primary goal of not overwhelming Ohio’s medical facilities, as the reason for Governor DeWine’s and Dr. Acton’s actions, has been clearly met by the cooperation of Ohio citizens;
WHEREAS, Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton have refused to acknowledge the clear medical facts that there is no realistic chance that this virus will overwhelm Ohio's medical system, that this disease is no more dangerous than the regular flu with a mortality rate of just .01%, that 80% of those who contract the virus have little or no symptoms, that it is to the benefit of Ohio citizens to contract the disease and develop herd immunity, and that the only significant threat to the public from the virus is a very small and clearly identified number of elderly and sickly citizens who should be the subject of all future mitigation steps;
WHEREAS, despite the provable medical facts in Ohio, Governor DeWine has refused to lift his emergency order and has instead, with no medical explanation, FURTHER increased the infringements upon the rights and liberties of Ohio citizens by, for instance, issuing an order that “requires” citizens to wear a mask in order to enter a store or any business and purchase products and services;
WHEREAS, the citizens of Ohio have been denied any ability to demand explanations for these orders or to get data as to the extent of the horrible emotional and medical damage, such as forced delays in medical procedures, and even loss of life from suicide, drug overdose, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence because of these orders imposed upon them by Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton;
THEREFORE, the undersigned citizens of The State of Ohio hereby respectfully demand that Attorney General William Barr take action to preserve the liberty, property and prosperity of Ohio citizens as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution by immediately seeking a Federal Injunction against Dr. Amy Acton and the Ohio Department of Health prohibiting the enforcement and continuation of these illegal and unconstitutional emergency Orders.
