GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After four consecutive weeks of protests at the State Capitol in Lansing, a crowd of demonstrators descended upon downtown Grand Rapids Monday evening to show their dissent against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay at home order.
The event called American Patriot Rally - Sheriffs Speak Out started at 5:30 p.m. at Rosa Parks Circle on Monroe Center Street NE.
This protest, like the ones in Lansing, was organized by people frustrated with Michigan's restrictions that were put into place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The stay at home order has been in effect statewide since mid-March.
One of the protesters, Kevin Heath from Marne, said he thinks there's no reason that Kent County shouldn't be allowed to reopen.
"Open it up. Open up Grand Rapids," he said. "We don't need a babysitter. If you've got areas that are infected, then yes you've got them shut down." Heath claims that Kent County isn't infected with coronavirus, and he was protesting so the region could be reopened. He also has friends who own small businesses.
"About another month of this and they're going to be on some really hard times," says Heath.
Outside of the three country metro Detroit region, Kent County has the highest number of positive coronavirus cases with 2,858 reported on Monday.
"Do the job we put you there to do," said Jason Buzzalini, another protester at the event. "Remember we're your boss, you're not ours."
Some Michigan sheriffs have said they will not enforce the governor's orders, and Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf also spoke at the event; he has called the governor's actions "unconstitutional." He also compared Karl Manke, an Owosso barber who reopened before the order lifted, to Rosa Parks.
"If you law enforcement out there, myself included, if we're out enforcing an unlawful law and violating someone's constitutional rights, United States code 42.1983 says we can be sued," said Leaf.
The sheriff also compared the stay at home order to unlawful arrest.
"What's the definition of an arrest," he said. "It's basically taking away your right to free will, your right to move about. That's an arrest. And an unlawful arrest is when we do it unlawfully. So when you are ordered into your home, are you under arrest? Yeah, by definition you are."
The rally also featured Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. He opened his speech by singing 'God Bless America' and leading the crowd in a "USA" chant.
Rally held Monday in Grand Rapids against state's stay at home order
The Grand Rapids Police Department was present at the rally, but leaders said beforehand that the department in "no way" was participating in the event. Officers were there to patrol and ensure the safety of everyone involved.
“I and our entire department fully support the right to free speech and expression,” GRPD Chief Eric Payne said. “There are expectations for those exercising that right to do so in a safe manner. This group, as with all others that hold expressive speech events in our city, will be held to that same standard.”
Some also showed up in opposition to the protest. Karen Dunnam, a Grand Rapids resident, set up a memorial honoring the people killed by COVID-19 in Kent County.
"We're losing people," says Dunnam. "We've lost relatives neighbors and friends here in Kent County. I'm tired of it too, but mask it or casket."
Monday, Whitmer announced that two regions in the state will be partially reopening--Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The state's stay at home order is still in place until May 28.
The governor has said she supports the demonstrators right to protest, but she has condemned the use of Confederate flags, Nazi symbolism and calls for violence at the Lansing events. She also said in the interview with The View last week that the rallies could elongate the stay at home order.
"These protests, in a perverse way, make it likelier we're going to have to stay in a stay-home posture," Whitmer said. "The whole point of them supposedly is that they don't want to be doing that."
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