“It is child abuse.”

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KET video

Transcript of Audio

Hello, thank you for allowing me here. My name is Angie Clemmons, and I wrote this down where I won't cry. First what I want to do is – you all see this-- This is my grandson, OK?

[I can’t even talk—choking up]

I am not here to tell just my story about a special little boy I'm here to represent the situation of thousands of other families around Kentucky as a result of Governor Beshear's mandates.

Perhaps some of you are parents, maybe even grandparents.

And I want you to literally just look at it through your own personal experience--if this happened to your grandchild or child, OK?

I have been forced to watch helplessly and my grandson has lost his friends--

[choking up]

due to the isolation and fear brought on by the governor's quarantine and social distancing mandates.

Governor Beshear's weekly attempts to disparage and politically divide people due to their political affiliation--

And I know you all don't want to hear this. We know the parties are divided. Which led to a group of people, with one of them being an elementary school teacher in Fayette County, they levied a hate crime against my 6-year old grandson. They ostracized him. And they inflicted emotional and mental abuse toward him.

Because my son-in-law and daughter were Republicans. And only because of that.

Well, before the mandatory quarantine, my grandson had come back before he lost all of his friends, and he came to me and he says Gammy-- and he had fear in his eyes and stuff, and he wouldn't get near me.

He says, I'm not supposed to be around you because I could kill you. Of course, my heart was hurting in my chest.

[Choking up]

Yet our governor has pushed these standards on our kids through parents, teachers, neighbors, TV ads. And despite the overwhelming new evidence confirming this epidemic in Kentucky least of all affects our children, and that most people who died didn't die from the COVID,--- there's facts and evidence out there--- now this.

And our governor has said numerous times, If you don't don the mask and the numbers don't go down, I will keep Kentucky shut down.

He's not going to open Kentucky. He has defied the courts. He's lost in the courts and what we don't understand is: Why is he still allowed to do it?

I mean -- just like he set up the snitch line for people, your neighbors, to tell on each other. Do you know what happened because of all this? Children are out there hurting. One of his friends tried to drown him in a pool because his parents taught him to hate. I don't blame the child. [muffled]

Governor Beshear is infringing on our civil liberties or civil rights, and he's actually denied law abiding citizens our due process. I just sent this, but I have a few questions for you all.

Just consider, before I close, OK? --

When did it become acceptable to force children to wear a mask, especially when they don't have the mental capacity to grasp what is going on?

We know mostly any child under 10--they literally do not have the capacity to grasp this.

Or, denying them the right to go to school?

They are being denied it.

Not only that, many families are physically ill-equipped to have their children home (for online teaching) and these children are now showing signs of emotional distress and anxiety, and they're having outbursts of frustration.

I mean, I've witnessed this for myself. I witnessed it with my grandson and other children.

When did it become OK for Kentucky school teachers to ostracize a young child and not have to answer for it?

Their teachers were not in school, doing this to children, OK? When did it become acceptable?

To force parents to choose between staying at home to supervise their children and going into work-- who desperately need a paycheck?

And when did it become acceptable to tell your child you can't go near your friends, but you can go to Lowe’s and buy a can of paint?

So, everybody wants to go paint their bedroom, you go ahead, but you can't have your friends. These children can't.

And when did it become acceptable to isolate children for months on end in potentially dangerous households where they have no safe place to go for help? And we know the statistics of abuse on children.

They're in their homes right now, being abused-- in a lot of ways that I won't mention here.

And when did it become acceptable to psychologically abuse our children by telling them they could literally kill their grandparents if they were to see them?

And I guess I want to honestly sit here-- and I want you all to think. To see what I'm thinking.

Do you think this is child abuse?

It is child abuse.

Or else, and you're gonna tell me, this is our new normal.

Is this the New Normal to do this to our children?

Because it is. I mean, that's what's happening.

What’s Beshear stand up there and say? ‘This is our new normal.’

So now the new normal is to abuse our children.

So in conclusion, our children will carry this trauma with them for the rest of their lives; we're not getting rid of it. And many, and many of them will never feel safe again in America.

Realize that these children are not coming back from this damage.

So as a grandmom, all I can do is wrap my arms around him and tell him I wish I could take all your hurt away.

[choking up]

But you all can make a difference. You can end the suffering of the children. If you just stop our government.

And I do--I'm begging you to save my grandson. And to save the Kentucky children. This isn't about the epidemic, I mean, we have to save our children, OK?

Thank you and God bless you.