Bandimere Speedway Facing Legal Action After 4th of July Event
A Fourth of July gathering of thousands at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison defied statewide COVID-19 restrictions.
And now the Jefferson County Public Health wants to punish the racetrack legally for violating gathering orders.
According to Denver 7, the track president John Bandimere Jr., stated that the Brakes Plus Jet Car Nationals held on July 4, 2020, at the track was not a drag race, it was 'a rally for freedom.'
Though Bandimere and the Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) had agreed that a 175 person limit didn't make any sense and was amended to 'groups of 175,' along with the venue having blocked off every-other row, and had signs promoting social-distancing, JCHD still feels Bandimere put people's health at risk.
Bandimere was limited to selling 4,500 tickets; the venue can hold 23,000. But free tickets were also given out through a third party promotion, and JCPH has no real way of knowing how many people were at the event, which included 4th of July fireworks that night.
From a press release:
“We want our businesses, who are pillars in our community, to be able to safely operate,” said Dr. Mark B. Johnson, MD, MPH, Executive Director of JCPH. “At the same time, we are dealing with the most significant public health crisis of our lifetime, and cases of the virus are already starting to increase again in Jeffco. We are proud that the large majority of our local businesses are working diligently to keep themselves and others safe. However, when one business does not, it compromises the health and economy of our entire community.”
Get more on Bandimere's dealings with JCPH from Denver 7 HERE.
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