Lockdown Backlash Builds: Protests Organized in Multiple States | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This informational nugget was sent to me by Ben Shapiro, who represents the Daily Wire, and since this is one of the most topical news events, it should be published on BCN.

The author of this post is James Barrett.

    It's not just happening in Michigan, it's also building in North Carolina and Ohio. Backlash to the "lockdown" orders is coming in multiple forms in multiple states, including a "gridlock" protest against Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's overzealous "closing and banning," the "Reopen NC" movement against North Carolina's Gov. Roy Cooper's (D) "not warranted, nor sustainable" stay-at-home orders, and a demands by Guy Fawkes-masked protesters calling on Gov. Mike DeWine (R) to "Open Ohio."

    As The Daily Wire reported Monday, Michigan's Whitmer is under increased fire over what more than 200,000 petition signees say is her "failure," "lies" and overreach.

    "Recall Governor Whitmer," a change.org petition with over 200,000 signatures reads. "Her failure's during the Covid-19 Corona Virus is causing more Michiganders to get sick. Closing and banning various non essential business's and activities while leaving others open. Further promoting the pandemic. She has lied since day one with her #Fixthedamnroads which she has failed to do anything in this regards. The response to #PFAS was negligence and completely removing funding for #PureMichigan clearly shows her lack of anything positive for the State of Michigan."

    Along with the recall petition, the Michigan Conservative Coalition has announced "a vehicle rally to surround the Capitol Building" scheduled for Wednesday at noon. The goal, as Fox News explains, is to "bring traffic to a gridlock in Lansing and protest the 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' executive order by Whitmer, a Democrat, mandating what businesses could stay home, what some businesses could sell and ordering people in her state against any gatherings - no matter the size or family ties."

    "Michigan's typical small business owners obey laws, but they may not notice the progressive agenda being pushed by our radical leftist Governor Whitmer," said Rosanne Ponkowski, president of the organization behind the demonstration.

    Similar pushback has begun in North Carolina, as noted by former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson: "Now this is viral growth: a North Carolina Facebook group called #ReopenNC began last Thursday and has 21,000 members already; it is calling for a protest tomorrow. North Carolina, population 10.4 million, has 81 #COVID deaths and 331 people hospitalized."

    "We are residents of North Carolina that stand for The Constitution and demand our officials Reopen NC no later than April 29, 2020," the ReopenNC Facebook page reads. "We are losing our small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy. The shutdown is not warranted, nor sustainable for our area. The vulnerable can be isolated or protected in other ways, without sacrificing our entire state economy. It's important to note, several other states have not enacted stay at home orders."

    And last week in Ohio, as noted by Fox News, "dozens of protestors carrying placards and wearing Guy Fawkes masks ignored Ohio's social-distancing guidelines to demonstrate on steps of the state's capital building in Columbus against Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and his administration's handling of the outbreak. Demonstrators held signs reading 'Open Ohio,' 'Quarantine worse than virus,' and 'Social distancing or social conditioning. We do not consent.'"

    While the governors of the "locked down" states are continuing to try to keep residents from breaking social distancing mandates, Americans have lost jobs as a devastating rate. Over the course of just three weeks after much of the country went on lockdown, 17 million Americans filed for unemployment, while a recent report found that almost a third of apartment renters failed to pay rent in the first week of April.