Human Rights Measure

In Madison, Wisconsin, although Juneteenth, “an annual nationwide day of celebration to commemorate the freeing of the slaves after the Civil War” was originally “shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic . . . two area organizers . . . opted to put together an in-person event with social distancing and safety guidelines in place.” While according to the “Order of Public Health Madison & Dane County” Emergency Order #5 in effect at the time, “[a] Mass Gathering outside is permitted with one hundred (100) individuals or less not including employees” and “[i]ndividuals must maintain physical distancing,” a spokeswoman for Public Health Madison and Dane County stated that “the event described by organizers is a rally and doesn’t fall under that prohibition” and that while “[t]he goal of public health requirements and recommendations is to reduce people gathering together and providing opportunities for disease to spread . . . [w]e also understand the importance of the First Amendment [and] encourage all rally or protest participants to practice social distancing and wear face coverings.”