Elizabeth Coquillard stands in the back of a trailer while organizing supplies on Thursday, March 3, for truckers. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

NORTH WEBSTER — Elizabeth Coquillard is still upset over the 2020 government shutdown and public restrictions that impacted her and her family during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She lost her job as a server. Her daughters became depressed when schools closed and tests needed for her youngster’s hearing loss were delayed for months.

On Thursday, March 3, she and a group of supporters gathered up supplies at the Owl’s Nest near North Webster to support truckers participating in several cross-country convoys headed to the nation’s capital to protest mandates.

Supplies will be delivered to the Midwest Freedom Convoy before a rally on Saturday, March 5, in Spiceland (near New Castle). Donations included lots of water, toiletries, snacks, soups, non-perishable foods, paper products, and some clothing.

That convoy is one of several headed to Washington, D.C., inspired by similar recent events in Canada. 

Coquillard predicted they would fill the 16-foot trailer before it. By 6 p.m., it looked like they were on the way to the goal.

The truck protests are arriving at the same time many mandates and restrictions are falling by the wayside as the number of deaths, cases and hospitalizations plummet.

Coquillard said the protests also send a signal for elected officials who might consider a similar moves in the future.

“I’m already against the next mandate,” she said. “We’re not going to put up with any more infringements on our rights.”

Coquillard is the District 2 Representative for the Indiana Libertarian Party. She was joined Thursday by, among others, William Henry, another Libertarian who was on the 2020 Libertarian gubernatorial ticket with Donald Rainwater.

They said their effort for truckers is nonpartisan.

Henry said he especially disliked executive moves by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb during the pandemic.

“It caught a lot of people off guard. To tell people you couldn’t go to work, you couldn’t go to school, tell people they couldn’t assemble – those things got to the heart of people,” Henry said.

Henry was asked if he could ever envision circumstances that would merit similar restrictions.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “We’ve seen – since 9/11 – the growth in control down to the individual level as the surveillance state grows to where it is now.”

“People are going to remember what happened and we’re going to stop that erosion of liberty,” he said.

A few elected officials stopped by to help, too.

Kosciusko County Council member Kimberly Cates unloaded supplies. Christina Archer, a Leesburg Town Council member, donated some items in memory of her brother, Mark, who was a trucker and died at the age of 53.

Truckers, she said, need all the support they can get.

Pat Thompson said she donated money to the truckers earlier this week and returned Thursday to help.

She said efforts to require truckers to be vaccinated seemed unnecessary since they are often isolated while on the road.

“It’s a matter of freedom,” she said.

Pat Thompson helps deliver a bag of chips that were donated. Behind her are Roger Murphy (L) and William Henry. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

Mike Wertenberger lent his support and his truck for the supply run to New Carlisle. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

Volunteers working to help with supplies for truckers were (L-R) Mike Wertenberger, Jill Wertenberger, William Henry, Elizabeth Coquillard and Roger Murphy. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.