When political officials in Stillwater, Oklahoma mandated mask wearing, protests and physical threats forced them to change the mandate into a recommendation. Stillwater protests were not an isolated incident, though. Demonstrations against business lockdowns and mask-wearing have occurred throughout the United States. Cheryl expressed frustration with a political environment in which an act such as deciding whether or not to wear a mask became a political statement. As businesses reopen, Cheryl explained that they walk a careful line between reopening too quickly, risking illness and lawsuits, and staying closed, frustrating consumers who side with the protestors and potentially losing customers.