OUT LIKE HE DID RECENTLY WITH
HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL.
>> THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR STARTING US OFF THIS HOUR.
STARTING US OFF THIS HOUR.
>>> A MAYOR RESIGNS AMID GROWING
RESTRICTION
RE
RESISTANCE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS
IN THIS COUNTRY.
LAST MONTH, IN KANSAS, MAYOR
JOYCE WARSHAW AND FOUR
COMMISSIONERS PASSED A MASK
MANDATE
MANDATE.
SHE SAID, WE FELT LIKE WE HAD TO
DO SOMETHING SO EVERYBODY WAS
AWARE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS
FOR EVERYBODY TO BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR EVERYBODYS HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING.
AFTER THREATS, SHE RESIGNED.
SHE JOINS ME.
EX-MAYOR WARSHAW, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING ME.
LETS TALK ABOUT THE THREATS YOU
STARTED RECEIVING THEM.
WHEN DID YOU START RECEIVING
THEM, AND HOW DID YOU KNOW IT
WAS TIME TO RESIGN?
>> I STARTED RECEIVING SOME
THREATENING TYPE EMAILS AND
COMMUNICATIONS STARTING THE
FIRST PART OF NOVEMBER.
AND THEN AFTER WE PASSED THE
MASK MANDATE ON NOVEMBER 16th,
THEY BECAME A LITTLE BIT WORSE.
BUT THE USA TODAY DID AN ARTICLE
THE END OF LAST WEEK, AND THATS
WHEN THEY GOT VERY THREATENING.
JUST VERY THREATENING IN THE
VERBIAGE.
>> I THINK A LOT OF POLITICIANS
LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, ITS PAR
FOR THE COURSE THAT YOU GET
TEASE
THESE TYPES OF THREATS AND
LANGUAGE.
WAS THERE SOMETHING SPECIFIC
THAT MADE YOU FEEL YOUR LIFE WAS
IN DANGER?
HAVE YOU SHARED ANYTHING WITH
LAW ENFORCEMENT?
HAVE THEY TAKEN MEASURES TO
ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS?
>> YES, I SENT THE EMAILS TO THE
CITY MANAGER, HE TURNED THEM
OVER TO THE CHIEF OF POLICE, AND
THEY ARE CHECKING INTO WHERE
THEY CAME FROM, BECAUSE I DIDNT
RECOGNIZE THE NAME.
THEY CONTAINED VERBIAGE THAT IS,
IN MY EYES, JUST VERY
INAPPROPRIATE, THREATENING.
WERE COMING FOR YOU, MURDER,
YOULL BURN IN HELL.
I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I
THOUGHT, AND MY FAMILY
PARTICULARLY SAID, ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH.
I KNOW THEYRE ONLY WORDS, BUT
WHO IS TO SAY THEY WOULDNT
FOLLOW UP WITH ACTIONS.
>> TO YOUR POINT, DODGE CITY
POLICE ARE SAYING WERE LOOKING
IN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE
COMMUNICATION TO DETERMINE AN
APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION.
HOW HARD OF A DECISION WAS THIS
FOR YOU ABOUT MAKING A MASK
MANDATE?
DO YOU HAVE ANY RESERVATIONS OR
REGRETS ABOUT THAT DECISION?
>> I HAVE NO REGRETS ABOUT MY
SUPPORT FOR A MASK MANDATE.
I FOLLOWED THE ADVISECE OF MEDIC
PROFESSIONALS AND SCIENCE.
IF WE WERE GOING TO GET NUMBERS
DOWN AND GET CONTROL OF THIS
PANDEMIC, WE HAD TO DO WHAT WE
COULD DO.
AND THAT INCLUDED A MASK FOR
EVERYONE.
>> LETS TALK ABOUT THE
RELUCTANCE IN THIS COUNTRY FOR
PEOPLE TO WEAR A MASK.
WHEN THE COMMISSION VOTED ON
THAT MANDATE, 1 OUT OF EVERY 10
PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY HAD THE
VIRUS.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE SO
RESISTANT TO WEARING MASKS?
WHY HAS THIS BEEN MADE SUCH A
POLITICAL ISSUE IN THIS COUNTRY?
>> IM NOT SURE.
IM A BELIEVER THAT IT HAS
BECOME A POLITICAL ISSUE WHEN IT
REALLY IS A HEALTH ISSUE.
ITS A SCIENCE ISSUE.
AND OUR COUNTRY HAS ALLOWED IT
TO BECOME A POLITICAL ISSUE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT WERE SEEING
NATIONWIDE, FROM SOME OF OUR TOP
LEADERS, AS FAR AS BULLYING AND
BEING AGGRESSIVE, THAT PEOPLE
ARE THINKING ITS OKAY TO
ADDRESS THINGS IN A VERY
IRRESPONSIBLE, INAPPROPRIATE
FASHION.
>> TO BE SPECIFIC, IF I CAN,
YOURE A REPUBLICAN MAYOR.
YOU WERE A REPUBLICAN MAYOR.
DO YOU THINK YOUR REPUBLICAN
PARTY, FROM ITS LEADER
DOWNWARDS, SHARES THAT
RESPONSIBILITY, THAT THEYRE THE
ONES, A LOT OF KEY REPUBLICAN
FIGURES IN THE COUNTRY HAVE NOT
SUPPORTED MASK MANDATES, ARE THE
ONES CREATING THIS POLITICAL
PROBLEM?
>> ITS HARD FOR ME TO SAY THIS.
AND SINCE IVE RELOCATED OUT OF
DODGE CITY, AND IVE CHANGED MY
AFFILIATION, BECAUSE THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS NOT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT I KNOW.
SO MUCH OF IT HAS TURNED
VOLATILE AND SO -- ALMOST
MEAN-SPIRITED, AND REALLY NOT
TAKING CARE OF THE NATION AS A
WHOLE.
I FEEL IT IS DOING DAMAGE TO OUR
DEMOCRACY AND OUR COUNTRY.
>> I KNOW THIS IS EXTREMELY
PERSONAL, BECAUSE YOUR DAUGHTER
CONTRACTED COVID, AND YOUR AUNT
RECENTLY DIED FROM THE VIRUS.
OUR CONDOLENCES FOR THAT LOSS.
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO PEOPLE
WHO DONT WANT TO TAKE
PRECAUTIONS?
>> MY MESSAGE WOULD BE, YOU
KNOW, ONE DEATH IS TOO MANY.
AND IF WE AS A SOCIETY CAN LOOK
AT A SOCIETY AS A WHOLE, AND NOT
BE SO SELFISH AS TO LOOK AT US
INDIVIDUALLY, WE NEED TO TAKE
CARE OF ONE ANOTHER.
WE NEED TO HAVE COMPASSION FOR
OUR FELLOW CITIZENS.
AND WEARING A MASK IS A VERY
SMALL REQUEST IN THE BIG
PICTURE.
>> ALL RIGHT, JOYCE WARSHAW,