Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said Tuesday that he will not enforce Democrat Governor Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order, which the sheriff slammed as inconsistent and in violation of Washingtonians’ civil liberties.

Addressing Snohomish County residents, of which there are over 820,000, in a lengthy Facebook post, Fortney ripped Gov. Inslee’s plan, or lack thereof, for reopening the economy.

“I just watched the governor’s speech to Washingtonian’s regarding our approach to getting Washington back in business, and I am left to wonder if he even has a plan?” questioned the sheriff. “To be quite honest, I wasn’t even sure what he was trying to say half of the time. He has no plan. He has no details. This simply is not good enough in times when we have taken such drastic measures as the suspension of constitutional rights.”

Fortney went on to note that the China-originated novel coronavirus “is very real and sadly, it has taken 97 lives in Snohomish County.”

“This is a very serious issue and the appropriate precautions need to be taken to protect our most vulnerable populations. However, our communities have already shown and continue to show they understand the severity of the situation and are doing all they can already to keep themselves, their families, and neighbors safe and healthy,” he continued, adding it’s “clear” that “the ‘models’ have not been entirely accurate,” and Washingtonians need a new path forward that’s consistent with current data.

The sheriff then lit into Gov. Inslee for his inconsistent policies regarding “essential” and “nonessential” workers in the state, questioning if the Democrat was “picking winners and losers.”

“Are pot shops really essential or did he allow them to stay in business because of the government taxes received from them?” he asked. “That seems like a reasonable question. If pot shops are essential, then why aren’t gun shops essential?”

“Our Governor has told us that private building/construction must stop as it is not essential, but government construction is okay to continue,” Fortney outlined. “So let me get this right, according to the Governor, if you are employed or contracted by the government to build government things, you can still make a living for your family in spite of any health risk. If you are a construction worker in the private sector, you cannot make a living and support your family because the health risk is too high. This contradiction is not okay, and in my opinion, is bordering on unethical.”

“As I arrive to work at the courthouse, I see landscapers show up each day to install new landscape and maintain our flowerbeds,” he added. “How has Governor Inslee deemed this essential work? However, a father who owns a construction company and works alone while outdoors is not allowed to run his business to make a living to provide for his wife and children? How has Governor Inslee deemed thousands of Boeing employees who work inside a factory building airplanes essential? But building residential homes is not essential? If a factory with 20,000+ employees each day can implement safe practices to conduct normal business operations, I am entirely confident that our small business owners and independent contractors are more than capable of doing the same.”

“If this Coronavirus is so lethal and we have shut down our roaring economy to save lives, then it should be all or nothing,” the sheriff argued. “The government should not be picking winners or losers when it comes to being able to make an income for your family. If the virus is so lethal it shouldn’t matter whether you are building a school for the government, building a new housing development, restaurant owner, or you happen to be an independent contractor.”

“To the contrary, if the virus is proving to not be as lethal as we thought, maybe it’s time for a balanced and reasonable approach to safely get our economy moving again and allowing small businesses to once again provide an income for their families and save their businesses,” the sheriff said.

Fortney reiterated that he will not be enforcing the governor’s stay-at-home order:

As I have previously stated, I have not carried out any enforcement for the current a stay-at-home order. As this order has continued on for well over a month now and a majority of our residents cannot return to work to provide for their families, I have received a lot of outreach from concerned members of our community asking if Governor Inslee’s order is a violation of our constitutional rights. As your Snohomish County Sheriff, yes I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and provide for their families intrudes on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am greatly concerned for our small business owners and single-income families who have lost their primary source of income needed for survival. As your elected Sheriff I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion. We have the right to peaceably assemble. We have the right to keep and bear arms. We have the right to attend church service of any denomination. The impacts of COVID 19 no longer warrant the suspension of our constitutional rights. Along with other elected Sheriffs around our state, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office will not be enforcing an order preventing religious freedoms or constitutional rights.

“This is not a time to blindly follow, this is a time to lead the way,” the sheriff signed off.

Snohomish County Residents and Business Owners,I just watched the Governor’s speech to Washingtonian’s regarding our… Posted by Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney on Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Related: Sheriff Says No To Democrat Governor’s Lockdown Order: ‘I Took An Oath’

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