The Claim: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer encouraged violence against people who would not wear masks in public
The Facebook page Friends and Community Shiawassee County News and Views on July 9, the same day that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference, claimed that the Governor encouraged violence against Michanganders that did not comply with the State mask mandate when he called on residents to “politely, but also forcefully” helps to enforce it.
The Facebook page is the face of social media for Friends and Community News Group, a news blog covering Owosso, Corunna and Shiawassee County, according to their profile page.
In a publication titled, “Whitmer encourages mask wearers who say violence, if necessary, get strongly involved (so that everyone wears masks),” said Friends and Community News: “As many know, mask wearers are perpetrating violence against those who do it. ” don’t use one. “
“‘So polite but forceful'” Is it as if you apologize first and then try to make sense of the person? The publication says, “What is scary is that if a person attacks you and you fear for your life, that person who listened to Whitmer and took what he said could literally end up finding deadly legal force.”
Friends and Community Shiawassee County news and views did not respond to a US request for comment TODAY.
What is the Michigan rule on masks?
An executive order of June 17 required that anyone over the age of 2 who can medically tolerate facial coatings wear them in grocery stores and pharmacies. Business owners who intentionally violated the described security measures faced a lesser charge, according to the order.
An order from July 10 expanded that mandate to cover the faces of indoor establishments and crowded outdoor spaces. All companies open to the public must refuse entry to clients who are not complying.
Customers or companies that violate the order may be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $ 500, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Review of facts: Without mask? You may ask why: you are not against HIPAA or the Fourth or Fifth Amendments
Whitmer supported violence against those who do not wear masks in public?
Tiffany Brown, Whitmer’s press secretary, told USA TODAY that the claim about the violence is “completely false.”
In the July 9 COVID-19 update, in response to a journalist’s question about implementing sanctions or making stores and restaurants require masks for service, Whitmer said compliance by residents is key. .
“We will do our best to encourage the right choices, but at the end of the day, we all have to do our part to educate the people around us, whether in the store or in our home or in our neighborhood or in our place of work, “Whitmer told reporters.
“We have to implore each other to step forward and do the right thing. And Michaganders, we are smart, we are tough. We have to figure out how to do it politely but also hard because it is all of us on,” Whitmer said.
He also cited local business owners’ concerns about customer personnel and safety, and mentioned existing penalties for business owners who do not respect the mask’s mandate.
“Right now, we actually have penalties under the law. The problem, of course, is making sure that we are complying and complying. And, of course, that depends on assistance at the local level, and I think as we see that the numbers continue to increase as locals are going to be more active in helping on this front, “Whitmer said.
Review of facts: ADA does not provide a general exemption from mask requirements
Mask-related violence in Michigan
There have been several high-profile reports of people in Michigan attacking others through masks both before and after the face-covering mandates went into effect.
On Tuesday, Michigan police killed 43-year-old Sean Ernest Ruis after he stabbed a 77-year-old convenience store employee who approached Ruis because he was not wearing a mask. Ruis fled the scene and was later fatally shot by an officer when he threatened her with a knife, the state newspaper Lansing reported.
In May, the Detroit Free Press reported on the shooting death of Calvin Munerlyn, a father of nine and 43 years old. Munerlyn, who was a security guard at Family Dollar in Genesee County, refused entry to Sharmel Teague because his daughter was not wearing a mask. Authorities say Larry Teague later shot Munerlyn for disrespecting his wife; Teague faces first-degree murder charges.
That same month, a man from Holly, Michigan, was charged with assault and battery after cleaning his nose with the shirt of a Dollar Store employee who confronted him about the store’s policy of wearing masks, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Whitmer denounced the violence Wednesday when asked about deadly mask encounters across the state, according to local Click on Detroit news outlet.
“I cannot pretend that I understand someone who would become a murderer for wearing a cloth on their faces,” he said. “But what I can say is that violence is never the solution.”
Review of facts: What is true and what is false about masks?
Our rating: false
We rate this claim as FALSE because it is not supported by our research. Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on Michigan residents to “politely, but also forcefully” enforce the mask mandate outlined in an executive order. But it is incorrect to say that the governor was asking others to respond violently, as the publication claims.
Our sources of fact verification:
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, July 9, Governor Whitmer Press Conference
- Michigan State Governor’s Office, Executive Order No. 2020-126
- Michigan State Governor’s Office, Executive Order No. 2020-147
- Detroit Free Press, “Whitmer tightens Michigan’s requirement to wear masks with a new executive order: what it says”
- Lansing State Journal, “1 dead after confrontation with a mask at a convenience store turns into stabbing, police shooting”
- Detroit Free Press, “Security Guard, father of 9 children, shot to death in Michigan after telling client to put on mask”
- Detroit Free Press, “Man who wiped the face of the Holly Dollar Store employee accused of assault and battery”
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