Kirk Cameron's latest mask-less sing-along protest slammed as 'irresponsible'
Kirk Cameron continues to hold his mask-less pandemic protests.
Just as he vowed he would do, the former child star turned evangelist, 50, hosted another caroling event at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Tuesday — as new COVID-19 cases surge in the state, deaths rise and hospitalizations have never been higher.
Cameron, an ‘80s star of Growing Pains fame, didn’t wear a mask to the event, of course, instead putting on a Santa hat and fake beard, for the sing-along. According to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, approximately 100 people attended with few if any wearing masks or practicing social distancing.
The mall management company slammed the gathering, saying it was a “non-sanctioned event” and calling it "irresponsible.” A statement on Twitter called for organizers to move the location, which KABC-TV reported was next to a COVID-19 testing site.
We do not condone this irresponsible - yet constitutionally protected - peaceful protest event planned. We share your concern and have notified the Sheriff’s office. As well, we have reached out to the event planner to ask that they do not use The Oaks as their venue.
— The Oaks (@ShopTheOaks) December 23, 2020
Thumbing their noses at the CDC advising Americans to use masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, there was even a table at the sing-along where people could supposedly obtain “mask exempt badges.”
Cameron attended the protest after traveling back to California from Florida, where days earlier he and his son James attended the controversial Turning Point USA event at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. A photo showed the men — sans masks — inside the venue’s ballroom.
According to the Washington Post, the conservative student group’s event at Trump’s private club allegedly violated local coronavirus restrictions and disregarded authorities’ pleas to avoid such massive gatherings.
Photos on Instagram showed many attendees inside without masks:
The sing-along also disregarded authorities’ pleas to avoid such massive gatherings as Ventura County, where Thousand Oaks is located, has recorded more than 200 deaths since the start of the pandemic and more than 32,000 total cases in total. On Tuesday, the county reported 737 new positive cases. There are more than 300 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with 67 of them in the ICU, according to Tuesday data.
In an interview on Fox News last week, Cameron defended the mask-free caroling protests, saying, “This is the land of the free and home of the brave and there are thousands and thousands of people in our community who would rather not suffer in isolation and come out to sing and express their gratitude. Because we believe there is immunity in community but there is desolation in isolation and I want to give people hope.”
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