Pulaski County Supervisors Chairman issues statement on planned rally at RU
Since we first learned earlier this week about the rally on the Radford University campus planned for this Saturday and Dr. Hemphill’s open letter encouraging members of the university community to join him at it, I have been engaged in a number of conversations with my fellow board members, county staff, law enforcement, and constituents about it. We all share concerns about the rally.
I have reached out to Radford’s Mayor David Horton and had a productive conversation with him learning more about the rally, expressing the concerns I and members of the Board of Supervisors and many of our county residents have about it, and offering suggestions for changes. Those suggestions include having a virtual rally rather than a large public gathering. I expressed that a primary concern we have would be with any large gathering at this time and the risks it brings of increased exposure to COVID to people at the rally and other people they interact with, including in Pulaski County, in the days and weeks that follow. I also expressed concerns we have related to security and crowd control.
I have also spoken with senior staff at Radford University in the President’s office, having much the same conversation as I did with the mayor.
I have sent a letter to both the mayor and the university President’s office on behalf of the Board of Supervisors expressing our concerns, particularly regarding public health, safety, and security. I offered suggestions to help mitigate those concerns.
We hope that the Radford City Council and Radford University leadership will take our concerns and suggestions into account in their planning processes for the event.
The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors stresses guidelines by the New River Health District and the CDC to avoid any larger public gatherings and to practice safe physical distancing.
Joseph W. Guthrie
Chair, Pulaski County Board of Supervisors
September 16, 2020 @ 6:10 pm
Mr. Guthrie, stop stressing guidelines. Stop hoping they’ll consider this or that. Protect your county residents. Close the county borders with Radford for 72 hrs to prove a point. The college has students and we are permanent residents.
September 16, 2020 @ 8:16 pm
nice your looking out for us. thank you
September 20, 2020 @ 11:56 pm
I wish you had better luck with the idiot mayor of Radford and the president of Radford University but they got their way at least Pulaski county cares more about their community than the city of Radford does !!!!!!
September 17, 2020 @ 9:05 am
Radford University….A group of left wing Ignorant teenagers…still wet behind the ears,
September 17, 2020 @ 8:03 pm
If they can have a public rally then schools can open back up. Businesses can open back up, malls, etc. If the threat of contracting this virus is not as important to them as rallying for their cause, then the rest of the country should follow suit and reopen. You cannot have it both ways.
September 17, 2020 @ 8:19 pm
Well, I find it amusing that there are concerns considering all of the major chain stores have non-maskers walking around. Additionally, Buckos in Fairlawn this evening was staffed by the owner Bill who proudly proclaimed to a patron that “Masks are not for me” (Him in other words.) It is overtly obvious as to why the no- mask wearing population of this community suddenly has regard for human life when they do not otherwise. (Except for the unborn that is..) This will be a well regulated meeting expressing views that differ from many residents of this community. If it were a gathering to support a statue of a traitor to this nation, we would hear few of these objections.