Over 3,000 people recently attended a protest at the state capitol in response to Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest stay-at-home order announced April 15, The Wall Street Journal reported April 17.
One protester (pictured above) at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing compared Whitmer to former German dictator Adolf Hitler by holding a sign April 15 that said “Heil Witmer” next to a swastika.
“Many were in cars to bring traffic to a standstill in protest,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “The protest was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, a group founded by a pro-Trump state representative, and the Michigan Freedom Fund.”
From #OperationGridlock in Lansing, MI pic.twitter.com/kx6DFUNmX5
— Anna Liz Nichols (@annaliznichols) April 15, 2020
Whitmer’s emergency shutdown order is through April 30. Some within the Michigan legislature say they won’t vote to extend it. Many in the state are unhappy with the relatively high restrictions for residents, as Michigan has imposed some of the most severe measures in the country. For example, residents of the state are not permitted to travel to different properties that they may own within the state, nor travel across the street to communicate with neighbors. (RELATED: Michigan Governor Deems Gardening Supplies — Including Fruit And Vegetable Seeds — ‘Non-Essential’)
Michigan has one of the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
Many Michiganders who believed the orders from Whitmer were too strict organized via a public Facebook group called Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine. Their stated mission is “to set a nationwide example by proving the people of Michigan are resilient, courageous, intelligent, and our liberty is valuable.”
The group consists of 365,704 online members and was created around two weeks ago by Garrett Soldano, a chiropractor and former Western Michigan University football player. The group’s rules call for members to be nonpartisan and do not allow for threats towards any “legislators, officials or members.”
One petition calling for the recall of Whitmer has garnered more than 200,000 signatures, accusing her of “failures” in the handling COVID-19, which have allegedly caused “more Michiganders to get sick.”
Some of the other restrictions on businesses include closing areas “designated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, or paint among other measures,” NBC News reported. Violators face fines and could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Whitmer said her actions are centered on “flattening Michigan’s curve of infections,” and trying to prevent the outbreak from spreading through more rural parts of the state, “where the health system is not well equipped for a major outbreak,” NBC News reported.