Armed protesters storm Michigan Capitol over stay-at-home orders
Michigan governor doubles down on state of emergency; Mike Tobin reports.
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An African-American state lawmaker was flanked by armed escorts while walking to Michigan's Capitol Wednesday following weeks of protests that saw armed demonstrators clad in tactical gear storm the building last month to demand the reopening of the state's economy and the rollback of social distancing measures.
At least three activists were spotted carrying rifles while escorting Rep. Sarah Anthony, a Democrat whose district is located in the capital city of Lansing, according to a video posted online.
Anthony did not return messages from Fox News but told Yahoo! the security detail was comprised of local African-American and Latino activists. The move came after an April 30 protest in which hundreds of demonstrators stormed the Capitol to demand an end lockdown measures enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
While guns are allowed inside the Capitol, some lawmakers said they were startled to see boisterous, armed crowds yelling at them. Some wore bulletproof vests to protect themselves.
“There was something that triggered extreme fear in myself, as a woman, as an African American woman just as a legislator,” said Anthony, according to WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids. “It did bring some comfort just to know that folks out there have my back."
On a video posted to Facebook during the April gathering, Anthony said she looked from her office across the street and saw demonstrators holding Confederate flags, Nazi symbols, nooses and other racist imagery.
Some critics have pointed to the gathering as an example of the double standard people of color face when assembling in large numbers, even in a manner that's nonthreatening.
“You know, if we did that, we’d be killed,” Michael Lynn Jr., a black Lansing firefighter and community activist who helped organize Anthony’s security detail, told Yahoo!
"We want to change the narrative, first of all. We want people to understand that people of color can come out here with guns just the same as anybody else can," he added.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., also voiced frustration during the protest, tweeting: "Black people get executed by police for just existing, while white people dressed like militia members carrying assault weapons are allowed to threaten State Legislators and staff."
Anthony called security measures taken by the Michigan State Police a "complete failure." She said she learned this week that police could have escorted her to her car after leaving the Capitol grounds. She noted that Capitol sergeants otherwise do an adequate job of keeping lawmakers safe inside.
Whitmer decried the protesters, calling them the "worst racism and awful parts" of U.S. history.
"There were swastikas and Confederate flags and nooses and people with assault rifles," she said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "Some of the outrageousnesses of what happened at our Capitol depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country."
Anthony noted that trying to work while people openly carried firearms was "unnerving," she told the Lansing City Pulse. "I’m still not exactly sure on the connection between confederate flags and Nazi symbolism. They just had no connection to the stay-at-home orders."
Hours after the event, Whitmer extended her state of emergency declaration. On Thursday, she extended her stay-at-home order until May 28, but with a few exceptions.
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The Michigan Capitol Commission is looking into whether it's time to end the long-standing practice of allowing guns inside the Capitol.
“We are in a public health crisis and the last thing we need to do is be debating if we feel safe in our workplace to do the work of the people,” said Anthony.
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