Protesters met outside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) home Thursday in Lansing to show their disagreement with her stay-at-home order.
The gathering’s event page said it took place “near the taxpayer-funded mansion to advocate re-opening Michigan NOW, as well as ask Whitmer why she does not follow her own order and ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe?'” according to Fox 2 Detroit.
Attendees wanted to send the governor a message, said event organizer Brian Pannebecker.
“We didn’t want to surrender our civil liberties just for a little temporary safety,” he noted, adding, “Younger people, healthy people, in businesses where we can go to work and do our jobs without putting anybody else in danger, including ourselves, we should be allowed to go back to work.”
Friday, the governor extended the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15, according to Breitbart News.
“In a newly-released order, Whitmer said residents must now wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces such as grocery stores,” the report noted.
“Additionally, the governor loosened restrictions on outdoor activities like lawn care, boating, and golfing as long as social distancing guidelines are abided by,” the article continued.
However, the Michigan Legislature planned to hold a special session Friday “to create an oversight committee to examine how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has responded to the crisis as well as consider bills that would strip the governor of some of her powers.”
The Detroit Free Press report continued:
The extraordinary move, at a time when Whitmer is looking to extend her stay-at-home order past its May 1 expiration and encouraging all Michiganders to confine themselves to their homes as a way to stop the spread of the coronavirus, is a sign of an escalating rift with Republicans in the Legislature, who are eager to have her reopen the state’s economy.
Sunday, Whitmer said despite the recent protests, she had no regrets about any of the restrictions of her stay-at-home order, according to Breitbart News.
“We could take the same kinds of actions other states have, but it doesn’t rise to the challenge we’re confronting,” the governor commented during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“These stay home orders weigh incredibly heavy because I know there’s an economic cost. I know there’s a mental health cost. People are struggling with this isolation that we have, you know, on top of all of the other stressors,” she explained.
“But the fact of the matter is we have to be really smart about how we proceed,” Whitmer concluded.
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