SALEM — Oregon's Lincoln County was hit by a tsunami on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it wasn’t the one they expected.
The region of 50,000 on a quiet part of the Oregon Coast became a target of anger after passing a directive that all residents wear masks indoors and outdoors — with a few exceptions, including for “people of color worried about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public.”
The directive, passed on June 16, went viral after the New York Post posted a story with the headline: “Oregon county issues face mask order that exempts non-white people.”
By Wednesday, as the story spread, county officials were slammed with angry emails and phone calls. And now, the county has revised the directive and gotten rid of the exception, saying that it “does more harm than good.”
As noted here a couple of days ago, this was a stupid idea. It may have been well-intended, but it backfired spectacularly.
They apparently didn't understand that even good intentions don't allow county commissioners to pass discriminatory rules.
They get it now.
