A select group of Michigan residents staged a gridlock in protest of the governor's extended order for residents to shelter in place until the end of the month. Wearing no masks, gloves and breaking social distance preventative measures, protestors chanted that "all workers are essential" to Michigan's economy expressed that it was time for them to go back to work.
As reported by the Metro Times:
Protesters descended upon Lansing on Wednesday, arguing that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order is excessive. The protesters say Whitmer's expanded executive order, which has shut much of the economy down through April in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus, goes too far, closing the home improvement and gardening centers at grocery stores and barring people from traveling to their cabins up north.
"People always say: 'Conservatives never protest because they are too busy working,'" a Facebook page for the protest reads. "Well, guess what. You’re not working— so it’s time to PROTEST."
After extending the shelter in place order until the end of April, a number of conservative politicians and talking heads criticized Gov. Whitmer's policy decision as "extreme." At the gridlock protest, some protestors compared her actions to those of a tyrant.
However, Whitmer calmly assured people that the order is the best medicine for the health and well being of Michigan residents. Speaking from her office in Lansing on Monday, Whitmer urged, "Right now my immediate concern is trying to keep everyone in Michigan safe."
She continued, "I want you to have your freedom. I want to have mine, too. But those days where we can resume some normalcy, they are on the horizon if we keep doing what we need to do to get past this moment."
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