This past Sunday, Kirk Cameron openly defied California’s COVID guidelines by helping organize a large outdoor gathering of people to sing Christmas carols. The former star of the hit sitcom Growing Pains shared photos on his official Instagram account of the event, which he called a “peaceful protest.”
The gathering took place in the parking lot at Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, a city in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. The mass of people crowded together—most of whom can be seen not wearing masks while singing along in photos and videos—goes in direct opposition to the stay-at-home orders Gov. Gavin Newsom put into place as infection and hospitalization rates continue soaring throughout the state.
Cameron helped organize the evening of caroling with Sing It Louder USA, an organization put together in an effort to stop what their website says are “government officials imposing restrictions on how you celebrate Christmas.” Along with California, Sing It Louder, USA events have occurred in states throughout the country, including Washington, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas. Thus far, the focus of these gatherings have been to sing carols as an act of defiance against COVID lockdowns and guidelines.
Cameron was previously involved in putting together another Sing It Louder USA group on December 6, where he says in an Instagram video that more than 500 people turned up to sing. In the same video, he stated his goal was for the Oaks Mall event to be ever larger, and footage from the night suggests it might have been.
In the video hyping the December 13 event, Cameron tried to appeal to anyone who loves God, Christmas, and liberty to show up and sing. He said that in addition to singing, there would be inspirational talks for an evening that would be “part town hall meeting, part worship service.”
In case anyone might be mistaken that Cameron didn’t understand the safety guidelines, he stated emphatically in the video that he did.
“Have you ever sung Christmas carols by candlelight at a time where your state governor has prohibited you from doing that…in America?! Well, this is actually happening! You can’t make this up!” Cameron said.
TMZ reported that mall security called the local police. When officers arrived, they talked to people about the importance of wearing masks, but no arrests were made.
Growing Pains made Cameron a household name during its 1985-1992 run, but the actor has since become well-known for his work as an Evangelical Christian. Along with participating in ministry and charity work, Cameron stars in faith-based films like the apocalyptic Left Behind series based on the best-selling books.
Kirk Cameron addresses the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in September, 2016, in Washington, DC. Getty
