San Diego-Let Them Breathe, a mask selection organization, held another rally on Wednesday to once again oppose the indoor mask recommendations made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California public health officials this week.

“They didn’t wear masks all summer,” said Melanie Burkholder, a mental health therapist who is also a Republican in the 76th District of the California State Assembly. “We are telling them now that they must wear masks to go back to school. I want to say bluntly that this is psychological abuse of children.”

The rally was held outside the San Diego County Administrative Center. The mayor of El Cajon, Bill Wells, as well as parents, students, and legal representatives of the organization also joined the protesters.

Last Thursday, Let Them Breathe filed a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health in an attempt to prevent schools from wearing masks and isolation and asymptomatic testing procedures.

“It hurts their ability to learn, it doesn’t give them the education they deserve, and they are protected by the California Constitution,” said Aris Pangle, the lawyer who made them breathe.

California has been arguing about the increase in cases and concerns about delta variants because it recommends wearing a mask for everyone in an indoor environment, whether vaccinated or not.

This week, the CDC revised its original recommendation that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors, including in schools.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said: “The CDC recommends that everyone in K-12 schools wear masks indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.”

Sharon McKeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe, said that some families in the organization support vaccination, but there are still problems with children’s mask regulations.

“Because adults can be vaccinated, some parents just want their children to be able to open their mouths,” McKeeman said. “So what we are hearing now is that if the CDC recommends that everyone wear a mask, they want to know if there is a reason to vaccinate those young children with this vaccine.”