Like many states, Oklahoma ordered the closure of “nonessential” businesses to combat the coronavirus. 

This has caused many Oklahomans to ask, “Am I essential?” while scrambling for answers and resources. Here is just one story of a small business owner whose business was deemed “nonessential”—even though he is a vendor for many “essential” professions and their work involves little to no interaction with the public. 

Well, OCPA is here to tell these Oklahomans, “Yes. You are essential.” 

For many Oklahomans, their small business is their only way to provide financial security and put food on the table for themselves and their family. To that end, OCPA has launched the You Are Essential website to help Oklahoma small business owners navigate some of these turbulent waters and to help Oklahomans understand that any small business can be “essential” to the families that depend on it to make ends meet.

In addition to the You Are Essential project, OCPA began compiling stories on its Government Overreach Tracker website. Here is a story of a waste-disposal company that was deemed “essential” by both the federal and state government, yet was ordered by the City of Norman to close. 

By demonstrating the government’s overreach during this time of crisis—whether at the federal, state, or local level—OCPA hopes to protect citizens by making them aware so that they can hold officials accountable.