Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Openly gun-carrying protesters, some with rifles strapped across their shoulders, were in the minority, but plentiful. As the rally began about 9 a.m., one trooper courteously directed a protester who illegally parked a large rumbling truck with a “Trump-Pence” campaign sign on the side to a nearby public lot. “With exceptions to those tasked with protecting our Capitol, the only way to assure that a violent episode does not occur is to act in concert with the many other state legislatures around the nation that have banned firearms in their capital facilities," state Attorney General Dana Nessel said on the issue last week. Public health officials downplayed the protest's effect on services. Rosanne Ponkowski, president of Michigan Conservative Coalition and one of the protest's organizers, called the turnout "incredible." Coronavirus Let the Horns Play: Thousands Flood Lansing to Protest Whitmer Shutdown Dem restriction deemed weed essential, shut down gardening stores Scroll down for more of today's coronavirus need-to-knows. The brief moment of violence occurred when a protester arrived carrying a brunette-haired doll attached to a noose. See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page. Some Michigan residents say the state stay-at-home order goes too far and are hitting the streets to protest from their cars. Many people at Thursday’s “American Patriot Rally”, including militia group members carrying firearms and people with pro-Trump signs, appeared to be ignoring state social-distancing guidelines. According to Attorney General Dana Nessel, those not wearing a mask or adhering to social distancing guidelines would receive a warning before a ticket could be written. Hundreds of protesters, some armed, gathered inside Michigan’s state capitol on Thursday as state lawmakers debated the Democratic governor’s request to extend her emergency powers to combat coronavirus. Some of the protesters shouted anti-government slogans, including comparing the state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, to Hitler. Unlike two weeks ago, the legislature is not in session today, so protesters – armed or not – won’t have access to inside the capitol. This entry was posted in Coronavirus and tagged Coronavirus, Gretchen Whitmer, Joe Biden, Shutdown.

Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.

Lansing Mayor @andyschor urges those participating in today's protest to not block traffic & to follow social distancing.

State police in protective masks could be seen peering from behind the sealed Capitol doors and keeping an eye on crowds from the lawn. Within four hours, we had 300 people say they were attending and 2,000 people ‘like' the event. Some protesters could be seen not wearing masks or social distancing as instructed by the governor's executive order.

Some endured the weather for hours in raincoats, with umbrellas, camouflage hunting gear or waterlogged sweatshirts. Lots of Michigan State Police and House sergeants at arms blocking door. “Recall Whitmer,” “Uphold all of the Constitution,” “Behind all small business is a family ... all business is essential,” “Tyranny has a face (above an image of Whitmer with an Adolph Hitler mustache drawn on)," “Set us free from tyranny” and “Whitmer is the virus,” were among the slogans on signs. Thursday’s protest in Lansing, Michigan’s capital, was much smaller than the 15 April “Operation Gridlock” protest when supporters of Donald Trump organized thousands of people to publicly demonstrate against what they said was the overreach of Whitmer’s strict stay-at-home order. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. A massive protest is underway at the Michigan Capitol, where demonstrators are rallying against the Governor's stay-at-home order. Just tap this link. Here's the latest news from here in Michigan, as of 1 p.m.: Thanks for joining us today. This time, the protest is over the governor’s push to extend Michigan’s state of emergency. Police allowed several hundred protesters to peacefully enter the capitol building around 1pm, where they crammed shoulder-to-shoulder near the entrance to legislative chambers. The Trump Unity Bridge, the name of a President Donald Trump-decorated trailer that regularly makes appearances at conservative rallies across the state, blasted patriotic music, including Kid Rock’s “Born Free” and Neil Diamond’s “Coming to America.”. Dawn Perreca protest in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, April 15, 2020.

“Once you start to say ‘yes’ to everything that the government tells, your freedom gets backed up to the corner. Connect with your community.

It comes just a day before another planned protest at the state capitol over COVID-19-related restrictions.