Big Sky Times

Montana business owner Jerry Steed believes that Gov. Steve Bullock has been exceeding his authority by imposing onerous restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Steed says that Bullock has not handled the COVID-19 public health crisis appropriately. Instead, he has instituted rules that have been extremely damaging to small businesses while ignoring other serious issues.

“In that regard, he’s done absolutely terrible,” Steed told Big Sky Times. “It’s a big mess.”

The FPP is gaining momentum throughout Montana.

Steed, a Helena resident and co-owner of Steed Industries, a concrete contractor, has formed the Freedom Protection Project to oppose Bullock’s efforts to force people to wear face masks and practice other precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On its Facebook page, the FPP, a nonprofit entity, explains its purpose.

“We are a grassroots coalition of business owners, husbands, wives, moms and dads, employees and grandparents,” it states. “We are Montanans and our sole purpose is to fight governmental overreach. Our country is on a dangerous trajectory and we know we must act now. In our hyper-partisan political climate, politicians spend much of their time and resources vying for the vote of large demographics; and the fight for individual freedoms and liberties has been long forgotten. Preserving America’s freedom lies in the hands of everyday citizens. We desperately want future generations to know and experience the freedoms that have made America the greatest country on Earth.

“We exist to support small businesses and individuals harmed by onerous laws and regulations, hold politicians and public officials, elected or otherwise, accountable to upholding the Constitution of the United States as well as their respective state constitution and provide avenues and support for legal action.”

The group was formed after Steed and others organized an outdoor concert dubbed the Let Freedom Ring Rally in an 80-acre field in Helena Valley on Oct. 3. Three bands performed and fireworks were shot off.

The event was cleared by the Lewis and Clark County Public Health Office, Steed said, but the county office later asked for the county attorney to investigate reports that COVID-19 restrictions were not adhered to, with more than the allowed 250 people present, the mask mandate widely ignored and social distancing not practiced. Lewis and Clark Public Health Officer Drenda Niemann said she would push for prosecution of the organizers.

Steed told KRTV that he was busy behind the stage and didn’t get an accurate attendance count. He also said citizens had a right to gather and have fun during such a stressful period.

“We have the right to peacefully assemble, and that’s what happened at the event,” Steed told the Great Falls TV station. “I’m not going to limit freedom. We followed the guidelines they set out, and that’s what the health department is for, to set guidelines. Everyone in this town, and the world, is aware of the risks right now. I didn’t force anyone to come out and I’m not going to force them to leave.”

He told Big Sky Times that Bullock does not have the authority to impose such restrictions.

“It’s a total constitutional violation of his oath of office,” Steed said

He said Bullock is harming the people and businesses he is supposed to help. It hasn’t had a dramatic impact on his business, Steed said, although he normally would have been working for some companies that wanted concrete work done for expansions or new projects.

But he said bars, restaurants and other small, family-owned businesses are suffering greatly. Steed said he is not a political person by nature, but he grew tired of seeing companies harmed and people losing their livelihood.

“This movement is big all over the state,” he said. “People are rising up all over the state.”

Five Flathead Valley businesses, Sykes Diner and Scotty's Bar in Kalispell, the Remington Bar in Whitefish and the Ferndale Market and Your Lucky Turn Casino in Bigfork, are being sued by Bullock for not complying with masking and social distancing mandates. Steed stopped in Kalispell on Oct. 28 to show support for them and ask people to join his group.

Bullock issued a directive on July 15, mandating the use of face masks in public spaces for any county if there are more than four active cases of COVID-19. It covers businesses, government offices and other indoor spaces open to the general public. It requires “employees, contractors, volunteers, customers and other members of the public to wear a face mask that covers their mouth and nose while remaining inside these spaces.”

Bullock said Montanans and visitors needed to “step up” to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Steed said the governor has taken it a step too far. Other critics of the governor noted he attended a ballgame where he was photographed not wearing a face mask and sitting within six feet of people who are not family members. They want him charged for violating his own mandate.

Bullock, a Democrat completing his second term as governor, is running for a U.S. Senate seat after running for the White House last year. Steed said he doesn’t want to comment on Bullock as a candidate or if people should vote for or against him.

“We are all about fighting for our Constitution,” he said. “We are fighting his unconstitutional attack on small business.”

Steed said he also is concerned about the hidden impacts of closures, including mental health problems. When he spoke with a public health officer during a Zoom meeting, she told him mental health was not a concern.

“These health departments have no regard for the mental health of our communities,” he said.

Steed said he is not alone in resisting government mandates. People are fed up, he said.