People protest against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus outbreak at the state capitol. | Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP
As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan faces harsh criticism from Republicans for her stringent stay-at-home order, hundreds of protesters on Wednesday lined streets in Lansing, the state capital, with some chanting, “Recall Whitmer.”
The protest, called “Operation Gridlock,” was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund, a DeVos family-linked conservative group. The Facebook event called on attendees to “TAKE ACTION IN LANSING“ but “Not on foot — STAY in your VEHICLES!“
But many of the demonstrators, some waving Trump campaign flags, ignored the organizers‘ pleas and flooded the streets, according to NBC news. Protesters chanted, “Open up Michigan,“ and at one point erupted into a “Lock her up“ refrain in reference to Whitmer.
The Democratic governor last week issued one of the nation’s strictest stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, choosing to not align the state with a federal agency’s revised list of critical infrastructure, which would allow some Michiganders to return to work. Though the list is advisory, Whitmer’s decision to tighten instead of loosen restrictions has sparked backlash from Republican legislators across the state.
The governor’s latest-stay-at-home order, which is scheduled to be in force through April 30, has been criticized as too restrictive and confusing for businesses. While people can still buy alcohol and lottery tickets in person, the order closes businesses that sell products such as hardware supplies and gardening seeds. The order has also affected grocery stores and department stores, some of which have roped off sections not deemed as essential to comply with Whitmer’s order.
“Non-essential in Michigan: Lawn care, construction, fishing if boating with a motor, realtors, buying seeds, home improvement equipment and gardening supplies. Essential in Michigan: Marijuana, lottery and alcohol. Let’s be safe and reasonable. Right now, we’re not!” the Michigan House speaker, Lee Chatfield, posted on Twitter on Saturday.
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican-turned independent, also took to social media on Saturday to express his frustrations about the governor’s order.
“As a federal official, I do my best to stay out of state politics,” Amash tweeted. “But I have a constitutional duty to ensure states don’t trample on the rights of the people. @GovWhitmer’s latest order goes too far and will erode confidence in her leadership. She should immediately reassess it.”
But Whitmer, who is running the state with the third most coronavirus cases in the nation, said Michigan’s crisis “demands a unique solution.”
“Michigan has the third most Covid-19 cases in the nation right now, and we’re not the third-largest state in the nation,” Whitmer said on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday. “That tells you we’ve got a unique crisis on our hands, and it demands a unique solution.”
She continued: “Unless it’s a life-sustaining activity, we’re asking people to stay home, to do their part and for a couple more weeks to buckle down. We’re seeing our curve start to flatten, but we all have to continue doing our part.”
Her reasoning for tightening the restrictions hasn’t stopped state politicians from piling on their complaints.
The Michigan Senate majority leader, Mike Shirkey, used Facebook on Friday to accuse Whitmer of “DESTROYING OUR HEALTH BY KILLING OUR LIVELIHOODS.”
“Contact our Gov. Tell her we can be as safe at work (in most cases) as we can be at home,” Shirkey’s post said. “Tell her we are doing our best to follow the new Big 3: hygiene-distancing-masks. Tell her we agree…we need to dramatically restrict uncontrolled, casual gatherings and interactions. And tell her if she wants us to follow and trust her…she needs to trust us!”
Whitmer was thrown into the national spotlight for her handling of the outbreak, and politicians on both sides of the aisle defended the governor as President Donald Trump lashed out at her for her comments about the federal government’s response. As soon as Michigan Republicans joined in to criticize her, a Michigan-based Trump campaign spokesman joined in on the attacks, accusing Whitmer of “authoritarian rule” over the state.
But other politicians have jumped in to defend the governor. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said Whitmer had talked to her about her approach to slow the spread in Michigan, and that “everything she’s done is to try to save lives.”
“She talked to me about it. She was scared to death what the impact could be to Michigan residents,” Dingell said on Wednesday on MSNBC. “And everything she’s done is to try to save lives. And, look, I have been in my house for 31 days alone, no human interaction. Because you lead by leading. And I’m frustrated. But you have to do what you have to do right now because we don’t want people to die. This is an invisible enemy which we can’t be partisan on, by the way. I refuse to take a shot at anybody.”
Michigan protesters turn out against Whitmer’s strict stay-at-home order
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