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Operation gridlock12/8/2023 ![]() Michigan was the site of the largest of the "re-open" protests. Īfter the murder of George Floyd on May 25, many of the Facebook groups created to organize protests over COVID-19 expanded their focus to attack the protests organized by Black Lives Matter By state Midwest Illinois įurther information: COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan § Protests Yard signs for anti-lockdown organization Stand Up Michigan and its petition drive, Unlock Michigan, in Twin Lake, Michigan on August 1, 2020. Historians have noted that the protests are similar to those who grew tired of restrictions from the 1918 pandemic. Ben, Chris and Aaron Dorr, three guns-rights activist brothers, are the organizers of protests in several midwestern states. A large number of " anti-vax" advocates have attended, and some have been the organizers of local protests. Protesters included mainstream Republicans, but also far-right groups including Proud Boys and armed militia movement supporters. The reopen protests have generally been small, with protester numbers ranging from a few dozen to the low hundreds the first protest in Michigan drew twenty thousand protestors, as estimated by the state police. One militia leader told a reporter, "Re-open my state or we will re-open it ourselves." The anger driving the protests was called "both real and manufactured", with conservative groups engaging in astroturfing via centralized organization backed by anonymous donors. Still others insisted the lockdowns were a violation of their constitutional rights. Many others displayed pro-Trump banners, signs, and MAGA hats. Many said they want businesses reopened so they can go back to work. ![]() Protesters opposed the shelter-in-place orders in their states for various reasons. FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group associated with the Tea Party movement, published a "#ReOpenAmerica Planning Guide". The protest in Washington State was organized by a county Republican Party, and speakers included three Republican state legislators. The Trump campaign declined to answer whether it was directly involved with organizing the protest in Michigan, but key protest organizers who did identify themselves were Meshawn Maddock, the wife of Republican state representative Matt Maddock and a member of the national advisory board for Women for Trump, and Marian Sheridan, who serves as a vice chair on the Michigan Republican Party, both founding members of Michigan Conservative Coalition. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer falsely claimed that the Michigan Freedom Fund was a party to this event and that it is funded in part by the DeVos family, but a spokesman said the family had nothing to do with the protests. Protesters in numerous other states said they were inspired by Michigan, and they used Michigan's material on their own websites, Facebook groups, and Reddit pages to promote their protests. ![]() A spokesman for the Michigan Conservative Coalition encouraged groups in other states to copy the Operation Gridlock wording and templates. It was organized via a Facebook group called "Operation Gridlock", which was created by the Michigan Conservative Coalition. One of the first protests to take place was in Michigan on April 15, 2020. Due to the widespread notoriety and media coverage of the May 1 planned protest many other groups started smaller protests prior to the date. On April 30, 2020, at 11pm CST all 53 groups were deleted simultaneously from Facebook for violating terms and conditions. This page and the many groups were led by Naperville, IL native Josh Ellis. The group then setup 53 Facebook groups named "AR2" to run protests at the capitol of every state (plus Los Angeles and Chicago). The page quickly grew to 100,000+ users in less than a week and then was removed from Facebook for violations of terms of service. The Anti-lockdown protests were first spawned with a nationwide call in mid-March by an online Facebook page by the name of "American Revolution 2.0" and a meme that went viral. ![]() īy May 1, 2020, there had been demonstrations in more than half of the states many governors began to take steps to lift the restrictions as daily new infections began decreasing due to social distancing measures. They ranged in size from a few hundred people to a few thousand, and spread on social media with encouragement from former U.S. The protests made international news and were widely condemned as unsafe and ill-advised, although some political figures expressed support for the protests. The protests, mostly organized by conservative groups and individuals, decried the economic and social impact of stay-at-home orders, business closures, and restricted personal movement and association, and demanded that their respective states be "re-opened" for normal business and personal activity. ![]() states against government-imposed lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Beginning in early April 2020, there were protests in several U.S. ![]()
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