Michigan’s Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has taken another huge leap towards authoritarianism.
According to Whitmer, police are now “monitoring all of the conversations” of protesters, who are planning to descend on the state capitol.
“I think the Michigan State Police is monitoring all of the conversations around this event tomorrow – that they are prepared and are working with the attorney general,” she said.
She said that police also have been ordered to ticket protesters “if there’s reason to do it.”
Whitmer has been heavily criticized in recent weeks for her heavy-handed response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Whitmer’s initial order had no just strangled non-essential business in the state, but even targeted essential businesses.
Stores that were allowed to be open–like grocery stores–were banned from selling certain products, including gardening equipment and paint, and had to cordone off sections of their store.
In addition, Whitmer banned Michiganders from traveling to their own second homes–common on the states many lakes–and even banned boating.
Whitmer’s response spurned strong protests, including the first major coronavirus protest in the nation: Operation Gridlock, which clogged the roads around the Lansing capitol.
Whitmer has extended her stay-at-home order through the end of May–but it appears that she may be losing credibility among her constituents.
Between May 1 and May 8, The New York Times reported that 1 million more people in Michigan started leaving home.