[ad_1]
Hundreds of protesters gathered Thursday at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing to protest Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request to extend the state of emergency to combat COVID-19.
Many people at Thursday’s protest, including members of the militia group carrying firearms and people with pro-Trump cartels, seemed to ignore state guidelines for social distancing when they clustered less than six feet away. Few people wore masks.
The Michigan directive, although stricter than most, has the same goal: to keep Americans safe from the coronavirus.
In the United States, more than 1 million people have been infected with the virus. The death toll increases every day and until Thursday afternoon it exceeded 62,000. In Michigan, more than 3,600 people died from the virus and more than 40,000 people contracted the disease.
However, protests to open governments have erupted across the United States, and Thursday’s demonstration came just a day after a Michigan judge sided with Whitmer in a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs who claimed that their order Staying at home violated his constitutional rights.
Protesters attempted to enter the Michigan House of Representatives chamber and were kept out by Michigan State Police during the American Patriot Rally organized by Michigan United for Liberty
Protesters were seen arguing with Michigan State Police officers as they attempted to enter the capitol building.
Gunmen are seen inside the Michigan State Capitol after they stormed inside during a demonstration on Thursday
Protesters attempted to enter the Michigan House of Representatives chamber, but the Michigan State Police kept them out
Hundreds of protesters gathered Thursday at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing to protest Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request to extend the state of emergency to combat COVID-19
Protesters gather outside the state capitol building before the vote on the extension of the Whitmer emergency order to stay home due to the coronavirus outbreak
Armed protesters provide security as protesters participate in an ‘American Patriot Rally, organized by Michigan United for Liberty
A protester carries an upside-down flag painted on her face while at an American Patriot Rally on Thursday
A protester held a sign that had Gov. Whittmer depicted as Adolf Hitler during the demonstration Thursday.
Protest organizer Ryan Kelley for the American Patriot Rally is seen speaking to attendees on Thursday.
A woman in a Trump 2020 hat is seen holding a sign that says, ‘All work is essential. Get workers back to work safely now ‘
Protesters hold a banner with the word ‘freedom’ during Thursday’s protest against the governor’s directive to stay home
Claims Court judge Christopher M. Murray disagreed and said the plaintiffs were not strong due to the severity of the pandemic.
Murray wrote in the court order: “ Although the Court is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders, those difficulties are temporary, while for those who contract the virus and cannot recover (and for their families and friends), it’s too permanent. ”
During Thursday’s protest, Mike Detmer, a Republican candidate for the United States Congress who ran for the state’s 8th district seat in the hands of Democrat Elissa Slotkin, told the crowd: ‘Governor Whitmer and our state legislature , it’s over. Open this state.
‘Let’s reopen businesses again. Let’s make sure there are jobs to go back to.
Other speakers at the ‘American Patriot Rally’, which had different organizers than the mid-April protest, questioned the lethality of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
They also said that Whitmer’s order to stay at the house violated constitutional rights and urged people to open their businesses on May 1 regardless of his order.
When the event started around 9 a.m. in constant rain, some protesters chanted ‘America’ and ‘locked it up’, referring to Whitmer, but alluding to a refrain that was often sung at the 2016 Trump rallies led Hillary Clinton.
When the event started around 9 a.m. in constant rain, some protesters chanted ‘United States’ and ‘locked it up’, referring to Whitmer (left), but alluding to a refrain that was often sung at rallies in Trump 2016 targeting Hillary Clinton
Raising American flags and handmade posters, protesters denounced Whitmer’s stay-at-home order and trade restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, while lawmakers met to consider extending their emergency declaration hours before expire
Protesters hold Trump 2020 placards during the rally at the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on Thursday
Armed protesters provide security as protesters participate in an ‘American Patriot Rally’ organized Thursday
A woman held a sign calling the coronavirus a “hoax” despite the deaths of more than 61,000 people in the United States, with at least 3,670 of them in Michigan.
Another protester held up a heart sign in front of Trump’s name during the rally outside the Michigan State Capitol.
Protesters were clearly violating the recommended six-foot social distance order while protesting Thursday
A man is seen holding a US flag with a sign saying, “I’d rather die standing than live on my knees.”
A woman is seen holding a sign demanding that the governor ‘unlock us now’ during Thursday’s rally.
State authorities have warned that protesters could be fined for violating social distancing rules.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a statement Wednesday that he was “disappointed” that protesters would put themselves and others at risk, but acknowledged that Whitmer’s order still allowed people “to exercise their right to First Amendment freedom of expression. “
Whitmer has acknowledged that his order was the strictest in the country.
Protesters, many of the more rural parts of Michigan, who are inclined to Trump, have argued that it has paralyzed the economy across the state, even when most deaths from the virus focus on the southeast Detroit metropolitan area. .
Organizers of a mid-April protest in Michigan took credit when Whitmer recently withdrew some of the most controversial elements of his order, such as bans on people traveling to his other properties.
State legislative approval of Whitmer’s state of emergency declaration, which gives him special executive powers, will expire after Thursday.
Whitmer has requested a 28-day extension, although Republican lawmakers in control of the state chamber who want to see a faster economic opening have indicated that they could deny his request.
In any case, Whitmer’s stay-at-home order will continue until May 15, though he has said he could loosen the restrictions as health experts determine that new cases of COVID-19 are being successfully controlled.
On Wednesday, he said the construction industry could return to work starting May 7.
Thursday’s protest seemed to be the largest in the state since April 15, when supporters and allies of President Donald Trump organized thousands of people for ‘Operation Bottleneck’, cramming the streets of Lansing with their cars to say what which they said was in excess of Whitmer’s strict order to stay home.
That was one of the first major demonstrations against the country’s blockade and helped spark a wave of similar events across the country.
The demonstration even saw attendees bring their children who also had signs protesting the order to stay home.
Some people held up American flags while others wrapped themselves in Trump 2020 banners
Some people used their trucks and boats (pictured) to show the demands during Thursday’s demonstration
“Free us from tyranny,” read one protester’s screen as protesters sang during the rally
A woman was wearing a mask that said “Whitmer lied and people died.” He was one of the few people wearing protective gear on Thursday.
There was at least one counter-protester near the rally on Thursday who was holding a sign saying: ‘Go home! Covidiots!
The slow reopening of state economies across the country has taken on political overtones, as Republican politicians and people affiliated with Trump’s reelection promoted protests in electoral battlefield states, such as Michigan.
Many states, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska, South Carolina, and Ohio, have already moved to restart parts of their economies after weeks of mandatory shutdowns that have ejected nearly one in six American workers from their jobs.
Public health authorities warn that increased human interactions now without adequate security measures can lead to a new wave of infections.
Regardless of the warning, people have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the closing orders.
Earlier this week, hundreds of lockdown rebels attended the “Reopen North Carolina” rally despite the group’s leader, Audrey Whitlock, testing positive for the coronavirus.
The group, which has been campaigning for government officials to reopen the state and relax restrictions on the coronavirus, were seen meeting outside the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh.
Many waved American flags, while others had signs that read: “Free our people.”
Almost none of the protesters wore masks or other protective equipment, as they clearly violated the social distancing order to stay six feet away.
Protesters asked Governor Roy Cooper to ease orders to stay home for the state where there are more than 9,900 confirmed cases and 354 deaths.
ReOpen NC promises to hold rallies in Raleigh every Tuesday until the governor’s restrictions are lifted. His order to stay home has been extended until May 8.
