THE BAD NEIGHBORS PROJECT

In Montana, we have an expression; good fences make good neighbors. In other words, if you mind your own business and we mind our own business, we'll get along just fine.

Unfortunately, Governor Steve Bullock doesn't understand Montana values. And currently, he's using five-million dollars of CARES Act money - given by taxpayer money through the federal government - to punish small businesses instead of helping them.

Bullock issued an unconstitutional mandate that violates the basic human right of bodily autonomy, forcing Montana Citizens to cover their faces despite their religious, health, or freedom-of-conscience reasons to do otherwise. Worse yet, when he first issued his orders the mandate was placed upon individuals, but now he's demanding that businesses enforce his order.

Creating "snitching portals," Bullock is urging Citizens to report on small businesses and their neighbors for not following his emergency order. Thanks to Llew Jones' Solutions Caucus, Republicans haven't been able to use the legislature to check his monarchial power.

And so, the Gideon Knox Group is launching The Bad Neighbors Program. The principle is simple; if you don't like how your neighbor's small business is enforcing - or not enforcing - Bullock's order, then don't cross their property line. And whatever you do, don't snitch on your neighbors to the government who will try to shut them down during our economic recovery.

The Gideon Knox Group will be utilizing Freedom of Information Act Requests, as well as documents obtained (one way or another) from local health departments to publicly identify bad neighbors who snitch on small businesses for exercising their rights of bodily autonomy. Their faces and names will be featured on billboards around Montana with the heading, "These are bad neighbors who reported you for exercising your rights."

Communities have a right to know which of their neighbors are willing to tattle on them to the government. It’s time for businesses to refuse service to bad customers who serve as informants against them. It’s time for citizens to know which neighbors they can trust and which neighbors they cannot.

The Gideon Knox Group will not tolerate Governor Bullock using CARES Act money to hurt small businesses instead of helping them.