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'It Feels Like Hypocrisy': Castle Rock Businesses Protest To Reopen

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - Castle Rock business owners and their supporters rallied for the state to let them open fully on Saturday. Demonstrators took to the streets to speak out for local business.

"We are fed up. We want our businesses to be able to be open and thriving," said Holly Osborne Horn, one of the event organizers.

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She says state capacity regulations are killing their town.

"We see our town struggling, these businesses struggling, their staff members struggling," she said.

Dan Jolly, who came to demonstrate, says he thinks these restrictions are anti-American.

"People came to this country 200 yeas ago for a better life. We're taking that away every damn day," he said.

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Osborne Horn thinks it's clear businesses can open safely now with proper precautions.

"When is this going to end? When is this going to stop? The data and the science are there," she said.

She says looking across the highway at the big box stores swarming with people, feels like a slap in the face.

"It feels like hypocrisy and discrimination against the little guy," Holly said.

The state is working on lightening restrictions for some counties with falling positivity rates and hospitalization, but Gov. Jared Polis doesn't want people to let up fully just yet.

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"Just remember that we are almost there, and if we can avoid a setback this Christmas and New Years as we did during Thanksgiving we'll finally be able to move forward with the vaccine," he said at his virtual press conference Friday.

Many demonstrators on Saturday say they are tired of waiting.

"I want to live without anybody telling me what to do, what to say, what to think," one woman said.

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