Hundreds of protesters flocked to the Capitol lawn for the second time in weeks to protest Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders.
The protest was much smaller than the first protest, "Operation Gridlock," two weeks ago, but still attracted hundreds who didn’t observe social distancing or wear face masks.
Mardelle Messenger is from Perry, Michigan. She says even though she’s high-risk for COVID-19 she hasn’t been following the stay-at-home order.
“People are willing to just lay over and play dead, and let their rights be trampled on," she said. "I don’t agree with that.”
Tim Rugg, is a firefighter from Oakland County. He says the Governor’s extension of the stay-at-home order is a “tyrannical takeover” and not a public health measure.
“Yeah there’s a virus, but it’s more of a politician problem that it’s gotten this far. There’s no reason for us to be locked down," he said. "She’s trashing our state.”
Teresa Goodman, a grocery store worker from Homer, Michigan says she initially supported the stay-at-home order. But now she wants lawmakers to compromise so people can return to work.
“Because there are so many people that are not as lucky as us to be able to still have a paycheck right now, and they can’t feed their families because of trivial orders that are violating their constitutional rights,” she said.
Protesters flooded the capitol building later in the day, chanting “Let Us In” outside of the House Chamber that has been closed to the public. The Governor’s emergency declaration expires Thursday. The House has passed a resolution to be able to sue the Governor.
