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10 | APRIL 30 • 2020
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Letters from page 6
Protests Were
Irresponsible
Freedom of speech is one of
our country’
s greatest assets.
As a resident of Michigan, I
wasn’
t surprised by the “Free
the State” protest April 15.
But I was appalled by what
I saw occurring during the
conservative demonstrators’
“Operation Gridlock.”
Hundreds of opponents of
Michigan’
s statewide “Stay
Home, Stay Safe” executive
order protested arm-in-arm.
They were filmed congregating
in tight groups and handing
out candy to children with
bare hands. Few of them wore
protective masks and even
fewer abided by the 6-foot
social distancing rule. Nazi
symbols and other racially
defamatory signs and messages
were openly displayed. Some
even brandished weapons like
semiautomatic rifles. The long
caravan obstructed the main
intersection of a level 1 trauma
center, blocking ambulances
and health care workers from
entering.
What prompted Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer’
s strong
position was the perilous situa-
tion in the state. The governor’
s
primary responsibility is to keep
citizens safe and protect human
lives. She is dealing with a dif-
ficult-to-control pandemic. By
limiting outdoor activities, she
attempted to curb the spread of
the virus.
The state has been dispro-
portionally devastated by the
coronavirus. As of April 20,
Michigan had the fourth high-
est number of confirmed cases,
even though it ranks 10th in
U.S. population. It had exceed-
ed 31,000 confirmed cases and
had accumulated more than
2,300 deaths. Its death rate per
capita is one of the highest,
and there have not been a great
number of tests performed.
Perhaps the most infuriating
aspect of the protest was when
the president said, “They seem
to be very responsible people
to me,” and tweeted “Liberate
Michigan.” These responses
encourage Charlottesville-like
behavior. Valid scientific, med-
ical and public health advice
should be our focus instead. By
encouraging people to come
out prematurely, he is poten-
tially putting the entire state in
danger.
If the demonstrators were
responsible, they would have
abided by the governor’
s
statewide edict that was
intended to protect everyone.
If anything, they acted
irresponsibly by disregarding
the mitigation rules! By
congregating in a close-knit
mass, theoretically they were
contaminating each other —
and perpetuating the pandemic.
The way the protest was carried
out endangered lives because
this is precisely how COVID-19
spreads. Their actions will only
extend the time until all of us
can safely return to work.
My heart goes out to the
many small business owners
who have lost everything and
may never recover. And what
about the millions of jobless
workers? I can appreciate that
everyone wants to return to
work so that our economy can
be restarted. But if you become
ill or die, you can’
t help your
family.
I want the president to be
successful. But to achieve that
outcome safely, we need to
unify the nation. There should
be adequate testing for the
virus, and we must listen to and
follow the prudent advice of the
experts.
— Bob Matthews
Via website