More anti-lockdown protests planned for May 14, in Lansing and Grand Rapids

Another round of protests against Gov. Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, are being planned for this Thursday, May 14. There are two scheduled protest, one in Lansing at the State Capitol from 9am – 1pm, and one in Grand Rapids, from 5:30 – 8:30pm. Update: the protest in Grand Rapids has been changed from the 14th to Monday, May 18.

The protest that will take place in Lansing this Thursday, is being promoted by the group, Michigan United for Liberty, which is calling the protest Judgement Day. The protest planned for Thursday in Lansing states:

The legislators continue to play scheduling games with us, so we will be there whether they are or not, in large numbers. We will gather to raise awareness of the many hypocrisies of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and to give a voice to the voiceless.

We The People are done with the unfair coverage by the media, claiming we are racist right-wing extremists. We The People come from diverse backgrounds and political affiliations. We know our rights, and we stand for liberty. 

The protest in Grand Rapids, which will take place at Rosa Parks Circle, is being hosted by four names, according to the Facebook event post. However, it is worth noting that both Ryan D. Kelley and Jason Howland were part of the April protests that took place in Lansing. In fact, based on a blog post from AmericanPatriotRally.com, both Kelley and Howland were referred to as  organizers of the April 30 protest in Lansing. 

“We received several death threats,” said organizer Ryan Kelley, “and the second amendment was designed to protect the first.”

“We organized the rally with the constitution in mind,” said Jason Howland, “and this is the way it was designed to work. The guys from the militia are always portrayed by the media in a negative light, and they are genuinely necessary. They did a great job at the event.”

According to the Facebook profiles of both Kelley and Howland, they reside in Grand Rapids. The rally they are organizing in Grand Rapids for this Thursday, states:

Join some of our distinguished Sheriffs as we encourage peace officers across the state to uphold the constitution and refuse to enforce illegal executive orders. Come dressed for a special event and we ask that, if possible, you exercise your 2nd amendment right as a show of support to law enforcement in their fight against tyranny.

One of the reasons the rally in Grand Rapids is hosting Sheriff’s is that those organizing the event believe that law enforcement officials have a constitutional obligation to not listen to politicians who support the COVID-19 lockdown. The American Patriot Rally even has letters that people can send to law enforcement officials, urging them to not support the lockdown. Here is an excerpt from that letter:

“Now, there are many who are saying that this current Covid-19 crisis makes it necessary to suspend the exercise of God-given, constitutionally protected rights; including the freedom to practice religion, freedom of assembly and association as well as the freedom to move about without molestation.

However, no governor, in any state, has the authority to suspend the Constitution.  And no pretended “Emergency Powers” legislation can give it to him/her because the legislature cannot give the Governor an authority that they, themselves, do not have.

And any attempt for a Governor to suspend Constitutional rights is an act of lawlessness and a violation of his/her oath of office.

When you took your oath of office, as a Sheriff, police, or other law enforcement official, you swore obedience and fidelity to the United States Constitution and the Constitution of your state, Michigan.  You solemnly declared THAT YOU WOULD ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION.  You did not swear allegiance to a mayor or a governor or a judge or a president.”

Another interesting statement from Ryan D. Kelley, is that he admits that the primary function of the April 30th protest in Lansing was to get members of the legislature to vote against Whitmer’s Stay-at-Home order. In fact, Kelley said that he received a text from Sen. Mike Shirkey, one of the main anti-lockdown spokespersons in Michigan. Shirkey told Kelley in the text message that, “he was standing up to the Governor,” which meant he and his colleagues would be voting against an extension of the stay-at-home order.

The fact that the anti-lockdown protestors we working in tandem with Sen. Mike Shirkey is confirmed in one of their blog posts, where it states: 

“The irony is that the American Patriot Rally was organized with one thin in mind: to encourage the senate to vote no on extending Whitmer’s emergency declaration, which they did. It was a victory. If Sean had taken the time to be a journalist, he’d have known that we got exactly what we came for,” Kelley said.

The fact that the Senate Majority Leader in Michigan is in direct contact with the anti-lockdown protest confirms that there is a connection between those organizing these protests and Republican members of the Michigan legislature. Although, Sen. Shirkey would likely deny such a connection, it is clear that his opposition to Gov. Whitmer’s stay-at-home order has created a political opening for the anti-lockdown protesters.