Minneapolis Review

Gov. Tim Walz is just one of several Democratic governors facing backlash from the small business community who has suffered due to lockdown efforts. 

Walz subjected MInnesota to new lockdown restrictions midway through November. 

Around 160 businesses signed onto a list noting they would remain open in defiance of Walz. 

“We just didn’t know if we would even have a workforce because of the unemployment benefits that they were getting at that time — the extra $600 a week, so we waited it out. And, but, this second one is killing us,” Jane Moss, owner of the Boardwalk Bar & Grill, told "Fox & Friends."

The Minnesota Reopen Coalition is organizing businesses across the state that are staying open despite Walz’s orders.  

The group’s GoFundMe page has raised nearly $28,750 by publication. 

“All donations will be used for the legal or hardship expenses of any business which occur due to opening at this present time. Restaurants, gyms, dance studios, bowling alleys, wineries, performance arts centers, breweries, etc. all are included in this effort. We will distribute these funds on a first come, first serve basis after a brief review by the Coalition team. Additionally, these funds will also be used to support some litigation currently in process,” the group said on its GoFundMe page. 

The rules affected dining service in bars and restaurants and banned most gatherings. 

Along with Walz, fellow Democrats J.B. Pritzker in Illinois and Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania have recently been drawn into similar fights with their respective business communities.