Protest held against Abbott shutting down bars again

AUSTIN, Texas - The back-and-forth between bar owners and Gov. Greg Abbott continues.

The Texas Bars Fight Back protest was held this afternoon, where bar owners fought to have their voices heard when it comes to staying open. Protesters say all they want is Abbott to overturn his order and reopen bars statewide.

"No justice, no drinks, no justice, no drinks" were the chants they made as they marched from the Texas State Capitol to the Governor's Mansion. Nearly 100 protesters gathered, saying Abbott's latest order is unconstitutional and needs to be voided.

During the protests, many bar owners spoke out about how the shutdown has affected them, some getting emotional. Owners and servers say they went to bed one night and woke up the next day without a job for the second time during this pandemic.

With Wednesday being the first of the month, many say rent, utilities and bills are due, so some are considering reopening against the Governor's order, adding that they feel as if bars have been singled out in the service industry.

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With the most recent order, restaurants and businesses had to scale down capacity, but bars didn't have that option; they had to immediately shut down. Now, all they want is to be able to have conversations that can lead to some type of solutions.

The Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance filed a 25-page lawsuit earlier Tuesday against Abbott, saying that they're suing for violations of the Texas Constitution.

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