Coronavirus: Using shoes, teen activists protest injustice with distance on Capitol steps
If you walked or drove by the Idaho State Capitol on Monday, you may noticed hundreds of shoes sitting on the Capitol’s south steps.
The shoes, as well as banners, are part of a demonstration put on by Extinction Rebellion Youth Boise, an organization of local students. The group normally advocates for government leaders to take action against climate change, but given recent events, the demonstration is meant for more.
Emma Palmer, 14, one of the event’s organizers, said the shoes represent those advocates who might not be able to physically be at a protest due to the coronavirus.
“It started off with climate injustice, that’s what this is all about, but then we had to incorporate racial injustice because of what’s going on in the world right now,” Palmer said.
Palmer said that people still care about climate and racial injustice, despite not being able to voice their opinions in person.
“People are still here and fighting for not only climate injustice but racial injustice, and justice everywhere to make the world a better place,” Palmer said.
Most of the roughly 450 shoes on display at the Capitol were donated to the cause, Palmer said. Once the demonstration ends Monday evening, most of the shoes will be donated to Interfaith Sanctuary and Idaho Youth Ranch. A handful will be returned to the owners, who gave the group the shoes in support.
Coroanvirus death reported in Bannock County
Health officials say a 65-year-old man in Bannock County has died from the coronavirus. The man’s death is the first within the Southeastern Idaho Public Health boundary area, the health department said in a news release Monday.
The man reportedly had underlying health conditions.
SIPH officials are urging all residents to take precautions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
“My heart is with the family, friends and neighbors who are grieving,” said Maggie Mann, district director, in a news release.
With the Bannock County death, 83 Idaho residents have died from the coronavirus as of Monday.
New coronavirus cases slowed over weekend
Over the weekend, health officials around Idaho reported just under two dozen cases.
A total of 23 new cases were reported Saturday in Benewah, Bannock, Canyon and Power, among others. Ada County added just a single case on Saturday, leaving the county’s positive case count at 756, the most of any county in Idaho.
As of Saturday, there were 2,589 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Idaho.
Cases have been identified in a majority of counties in Idaho : Ada 756, Adams 3, Bannock 27, Benewah 8, Bingham 7, Blaine 501, Bonner 6, Bonneville 30, Camas 1, Canyon 279, Caribou 1, Cassia 61, Custer 2, Elmore 30, Franklin 2, Fremont 3, Gem 13, Gooding 40, Idaho 3, Jefferson 5, Jerome 144, Kootenai 68, Latah 6, Lemhi 1, Lincoln 30, Madison 14, Minidoka 45, Nez Perce 73, Owyhee 8, Payette 19, Power 6, Teton 10, Twin Falls 349, Valley 2 and Washington 36.
Community spread has been detected in 20 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Cassia, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Owyhee, Madison, Minidoka, Payette, Power, Teton and Twin Falls.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 3:21 PM.
