This archive report was first published on 26 December 2021.
Published on December 26, 2021, a story emerged from Enid, Oklahoma, where a mask mandate sparked a heated debate that would eventually consume the city.
For Mr. Waddell, a 41-year-old IT professional, the situation became personal. Despite his efforts to help others, including buying lunch for colleagues and securing funding for their organizations, he felt ostracized by the community he had chosen.
"There's just this vitriol in this place that we chose," Mr. Waddell said. "We're ostracized from the community that we chose. It's kind of a surreal feeling."
City Commissioner Ben Ezzell, a 35-year-old lawyer and artist, also faced threats and intimidation. Someone dumped trash on his lawn, and at a City Council meeting, a man shouted that he knew where Mr. Ezzell lived. Police officers even escorted him to his car after another tense meeting.
Despite the backlash, Mr. Ezzell continued to argue for the mask mandate, which he believed was a logical response to the spike in Covid cases. However, his efforts were met with resistance from residents like Ms. Crabtree and the Enid Freedom Fighters, who accused him of acting disrespectfully and began the process of trying to recall him.
