Trump’s next rally dividing Georgians
State ravaged by virus is site of U.S. Senate runoff race
Roger Crossen served his country in the U.S. Army, he taught high school students and refereed and coached them. He led Whitfield County’s Recreation Department before winning election to the County Commission.
“It was always about other people and always about what was best for the county,” said his son, Chris Crossen, Dalton’s assistant police chief.
Roger Crossen’s death on Nov. 17 left a gaping hole in this tightknit north Georgia community best-known as the world’s carpet capital. He is among at least 117 Whitfield residents who have succumbed to COVID -19.
Whitfield has the highest infection rate among Georgia’s 159 counties for the 14 days ending Thursday.
That is why some Whitfield residents are worried about President Donald Trump’s plans to headline a rally for Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue here Monday, the eve of the U.S. Senate runoffs. Organizers are anticipating as many as 20,000 people for the event.
Lynn Laughter, the outgoing Republican chairman of the Whitfield County Commission, admired Roger Crossen, who was also a member of the GOP. She doesn’t plan to attend the rally.
“Wherever (Trump) goes, people are not wearing masks and it is just a hot spot for people getting COVID,” she said. “I wouldn’t go because I wouldn’t feel safe going.”
Roberta Sikkelee Curtin, an ardent Trump supporter from Dalton, is planning to show up. Wearing a homemade red “Trump” shirt with glittering decorations, Curtin pointed to a pair of GOPthemed face masks fastened to her belt. She said she would don them if people don’t keep their distance from her.
“We are not that concerned,” the office manager said. “We take precautions.”
Republican organizers plan to hold the event outside at the Dalton Municipal Airport, distribute masks and make hand sanitizer available, said Andrew Wiersma, the airport’s manager. The airport’s buildings will be closed, so portable toilets will be made available.
Public health officials say there’s still high risk of spread with so many people in close quarters or if they interact in poorly ventilated areas.
On Thursday afternoon, hospitals in Georgia’s Region A, which includes Whitfield, reported intensive care beds were overcapacity.
Meanwhile, Whitfield and Dalton officials are encouraging people to wear face coverings in public and have passed measures requiring them in city and county government buildings.
A month after his death, former colleagues on the Whitfield commission approved a proclamation naming Dec. 14 “Roger Blake Crossen Day.”
Crossen’s illness began with congestion, followed by labored breathing and a fever. He was hospitalized for three weeks, developed pneumonia and was placed on a ventilator before his heart gave out. He was 68.
One of his three sons, Chris, fondly remembers how his father always greeted him by hugging and kissing him and telling him he loved him.
Chris Crossen has a simple message for people about the disease that killed his father.
“This is not a political issue. It is a medical issue,” he said. “People should really take it seriously and think about their health and think about the health of the people who are going to be around them.”