The Timeline
Andrew’s Fights for Liberty in Kentucky
When I first refused to close my coffee shop when Beshear started enforcing his draconian lockdowns, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I prepared to lose my businesses, my livelihood, and even my freedom, but that didn’t stop me. In the two years since, I’ve fought relentlessly to protect your individual liberties against an overreaching government—and I’m just getting started.
Nov. 2020: Brewed Stays Open
Andrew Defies Beshear’s Orders to Close
Andrew Cooperrider had already lost one restaurant due to the lockdowns and was facing the loss of another. While strip clubs, slot machines, event venues, and movie theaters were allowed to remain open, small mom-and-pop restaurants were targeted with a second round of lockdowns and closures.
Tired of seeing unscientific and senseless mandates, Andrew takes a stand when he refuses to close his coffee shop Brewed. At one point he was being faced with the threat of arrest, but yet still stood strong and was able to continue to operate.
The Daily Wire: Kentucky Coffee Shop Defies Covid Orders As Line Of Supportive Customers Stretches Out The Door
WAVE 3 News Louisville: ‘Come and take it’: Lexington coffee shop defies order to close
Jan. 2021: Saving Other Restaurants
Helping Other Restaurant Owners Across America
After Andrew was able to help force the reopening of indoor dining in Kentucky, restaurants in other states began to reach out asking for Cooperrider’s help using a mix of legal action and civil disobedience to fight back against other overreaching mandates in their states that have been proven to be ineffective. In Minnesota, Andrew was able to work on the ground putting together protests and helping other business owners.
The American flag flown inside Brewed was actually given to Andrew as a token of gratitude from a bar that Andrew was able to help hold onto its liquor license and continue to operate. Governor Walz in Minnesota also decided to reopen dining just days after Andrew’s visit and widely-publicized demonstrations.
ABC 6 News (Minnesota): Hundreds march for Reopen Minnesota protest in Albert Lea
Jan. 2021: Holding Beshear Accountable
Filing to Impeach Gov. Beshear for His Actions
Andrew was hopeful when the 2021 Kentucky Legislative Session started. Almost all Republicans that ran for election in 2020 ran on a promise that they would hold Beshear accountable and rein in his power. While the General Assembly took some steps to put in place laws that would eventually limit the governor’s powers, it was clear that they were refusing to hold Beshear accountable for his unconstitutional actions.
Andrew joined two other citizens to file impeachment claims against Beshear. Chief among them that Beshear should be removed from office for sending KSP to arrest people for going to church.
Andrew’s filing forced the house to form an impeachment committee. The committee did agree that Beshear violated the Constitution, but they refused to take the steps to hold him accountable. They then billed Andrew $44,000 for daring to utilize his First Amendment right to petition for redress.
WYMT News (Hazard, KY): Kentucky House creating committee to consider impeaching Gov. Beshear
March 2021: Hitting Back
Andrew Sues Over Impeachment Cost Bill, Ends Up Winning
The First Amendment guarantees us the right to petition our government for redress. When the General Assembly decided that arresting people for going to church was somehow NOT an impeachable, they also decided to violate the First Amendment by charging $44,000 for bringing forward the petition.
Due to this, Andrew took Beshear and the General Assembly to court by suing over the First Amendment violation. The case ended up being settled with Cooperrider owing nothing.
Louisville Courier-Journal: Gov. Beshear Bills Andrew Cooperrider and Impeachment Petitioners Thousands
Apr. 2021: Continuing to Push Back
Protesting Beshear’s Backdoor Vaccine Mandates
The General Assembly failed to impeach Beshear which only emboldened him to disregard the law further. Despite the newly-passed laws, Beshear put in place a back-door vaccine mandate. Beshear announced that he would not lift another mandate until 2.5 million Kentuckians got vaccinated, a benchmark we did not hit until a year later. Seeing this for what it was—an attempt to mask a government vaccine mandate—Andrew took the lead on protesting against the action by organizing weekly protest for over a month straight.
The pressure caused Beshear to relent and reverse the vaccine mandate and start lifting more covid restrictions. Beshear even referenced the protest as the reason that was holding him back from future actions stating that he wouldn’t put in the place more mandates because he “has seen the protests that occur when he does that.”
WLKY (Louisville): ‘No more mandates’: Hundreds unhappy with Beshear’s vaccine goal protest in Frankfort
Aug. 2021: Protesting School Mask Mandates
Fighting to Unmask Our Kids at School
Starting up the school year in 2021, the state put in place a school mask mandate. This caused Andrew to organize simultaneous demonstrations in multiple school districts across the state on the first day of school.
LEX18: Fayette County parents protest mask mandate at all Kentucky schools, child care centers
Sept. 2021: Special Legislative Session
Activism & Protests During the Special Session
The courts, having finally implemented laws passed earlier, forced Beshear to call a special session to continue the COVID state of emergency. Andrew had been leading a charge of contacting your legislators in regards to two issues happening in the state. One was to deal with vaccine mandates that Beshear was promulgating using government funds, incentives, and regulatory pressure. The other was to address school mask mandates.
After leading a charge on calls and emails into the General Assembly, Andrew led a protest the first day of session. Despite the efforts, the General Assembly declined to unmask kids or fight the vaccine mandates. Instead, they decided to help fund the mandates and voted to give $410 million to Ford.
Spectrum News 1: Rally on State Capitol steps against COVID-19 mask mandates
Feb. 2022: Stopping Overreaching Legislation
Killing Legislation That Violated Your Fourth Amendment Rights
While preparing for a podcast, Andrew noticed HB126 was set to be passed in the KY House of Representatives, and after reading the legislation, he became alarmed. The bill created a graduation requirement that would have forced any parent of a public school child to disclose information normally protected by the Fourth Amendment (such as financial information and assets) to the federal government.
Andrew immediately raised the alarm and used his social media presence and contact list to garner thousands of calls and emails to Frankfort in a single day. HB126 was killed by the action and thus never brought forward for a vote.
March 2022: House Bills 51 & 28
Pressuring Legislators to Move Medical Freedom Bills
After months of facilitating methods for Kentucky residents to easily contact legislators regarding HB51 to end school mask mandates and HB28 to end vaccines mandates in Kentucky, Andrew scheduled a large protest to apply pressure to move the bill forward.
This protest and further mass outreach to voters was able to help get both bills passed in the House, but of course, they were killed by the do-nothing state Senate.
Kentucky Liberty: Andrew Cooperrider Organizes Protest to Force the Passage of HB28, a Bill to Protect Medical Freedom
April 2022: Filing Suit Against Beshear
Suing Beshear in Federal Court
The General Assembly passed several laws in 2021 regulating his powers, yet Beshear was still not following them. However, it is clear that the legislature was unwilling to hold Beshear accountable, which is very evident in the case with Andrew’s coffee shop Brewed. Despite the new laws, Beshear has continued to try revoking Brewed’s beer license as punishment for Andrew’s fight against the mandates in November 2020.
Tired of seeing no one willing to enforce the laws on Beshear, Andrew has filed suit against Beshear in his personal capacity for his continued illegal enforcement of COVID mandates.
Lexington Herald-Leader: Man who tried to have Beshear impeached sues governor over loss of liquor license
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