FRIDAY UPDATE: It’s more than a little disconcerting to bring you this update, but the President of the United States has thrown his lot in with the armed protesters who stormed the Michigan state capitol building yesterday.
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
We’re not sure what to say about this right now, except that we hope it’s not a preview of Election Day 2020.
—–
Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs
— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020
NBC News reports on a frightening scene today outside and inside the Michigan state capitol building in Lansing:
Hundreds of Michigan residents protested outside the state Capitol building in Lansing on Thursday, with some pushing inside while the Legislature was debating an extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters held signs, waved American flags and even carried firearms while some chanted, “Let us in!” and “This is the people’s house, you cannot lock us out,” and others tried to get onto the House floor but were blocked by state police and sergeants-at-arms, according to WDIV-TV, an NBC affiliate in Detroit.
A state police spokesman told NBC News that it is legal in Michigan to carry firearms as long as it is done with lawful intent and the weapon is visible…
Still, men carrying semiautomatic long guns in the galleries of the legislature shouting threats down at lawmakers can only be considered a highly alarming development for anyone who’s a fan of representative small-d democracy, and we hope that’s all of our readers. We acknowledge the (we hope) small fraction of Americans who think elected officials work better when being personally threatened with violence, but we think a majority will agree this isn’t how we do things in America even in a pandemic.
Here in Colorado, it’s not legal to openly carry weapons in the city of Denver where our capitol building is located, and inside the only people allowed to carry concealed weapons are lawmakers who controversially consider themselves exempt from the ban on firearms everyone else must observe. Last Sunday, a “Reopen Colorado” protester openly carrying a gun across the street from the building had to relearn Denver’s gun laws the hard way.
With that said, there are certainly those among our local pro-COVID “freedom fighters” who would do this if they could.
Let’s hope they all got the memo last Sunday and know better than to try.
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Well, . . .
. . . Donnie and Jared can claim this one as another of their “milestone(s),” and “great success(es)”!
Be careful of the too smug, however, Colorado gets its three shots at greatness during tomorrow’s nutter trifecta at our Capitol: “May Day Mutiny,” “Open Carry at the Capital,” and the “March for Freeedumb” . . .
Constitutional scholars out there – has anyone ever tested if this kind of stuff is actually "the right of the people peaceably to assemble" per the 1st Amendment? Does someone actually have to get shot before a demonstration is deemed not peaceable? Can there be any regard whatsoever for the "peaceable" health and safety of legislators, capitol security, or anyone else who also wants to exist at the peoples' house?
1st Amendment as in Freedom of Religion? or Freedom of Speech? Apparently in Michigan it is legal to bring guns, but illegal to bring protest poster/signs into the gallery.
"Right of the people peaceably to assemble" is a direct quote from the 1st, and I'm really wondering how stretchy the word "peaceably" is here. People obviously do get shot in politics, and having a whole bunch of armed protesters massed together does not seem peaceable to me – at the bare minimum, I don't see how anyone can deny it's at least a threatening type of intimidation.
Not a Constitutional Scholar, but a scholar of the Yeoman Militia in the time of the English Civil War. The only time parading around publicly armed would have been tolerated up until the war broke out was in official musters of the local militias.
One more rhetorical question and then I'll lay off the sauce for the day – is there such a thing as a health-related assault, like spittling in someone's face during a global pandemic?
HIV positive people who knowingly try to infect others can be charged with assault or attempted murder in 30/50 states. A list of recent cases is here.
Thanks kwtree, just skimmed these and found one arrest merely for "threatening to spit." Maybe these fine gentlemen aren't knowingly trying to spread anything, but their actions are horribly irresponsible.
Believeable threat to spit = assault
Spitting on someone = battery
Doing it while knowingly infected with a a potentially harmful virus: still A&B, but worse
deadly virus – also worser
And I’ll state the obvious: HIV positive folk tend to be LGBTQ, racial minorities, or both, while these guys all appear to be white males.
I would like to see equal prosecution for threat to spread a deadly disease, but it will likely take the ACLU or equivalent to make that happen.
Forget La Corona, I’d want to get a rabies booster.
I'm with you!
a casual observation….
In comparing the distance from the top of the ear to the top of the head on the three protesters on the right, and the same measurement on the troopers, it appears the protestors are nearly microcephalic.
or is it just my perception?
Their rights hooey. You never hear them talk about their responsibilities and obligations to their fellow Americans. These are the same folks who hated Colin Kaepernick.
Notice that most of the protesters aren't wearing face masks. The ones that are aren't wearing them to practice good personal hygiene and social protection. So sad.
Not so random thought – Can you imagine how this might have looked different and ended differently if the protesters were with Black Lives Matter and had a bit more melanin?
more arrests.
more lawsuits.
fewer guns.
For a little comic relief, here's a peek into the planning meeting for one of these protests, courtesy of Trae Crowder:
Trae is the best.
How in TF does this qualify as “legal intent”?
That it's not 'unlawful intent'.
Apparently the world is full of mindreaders.
I'm stunned that the great state of Michigun doesn't have a "no guns" policy in their state capitol building.
I just noticed this morning, the banner the RWNJ hung on the building read "FREEEDOM".
That microcephaly thing seems to be rampant in this group.
This type of operation is what we can expect in place of the orange buffoon's rallies. And this one was aimed at Whitmer because she's a candidate for VP. I have no doubt the reelection campaign was behind every one of the thugs in the assault.
The mob is underwritten by numerous right wing Orange Horde operations. DeVos is part of it. These asshats aren't good at organizing ….but they are really great as asshats. The T***p campaign sets up the pins…these guys are the bowling ball.
Trump's description of these terrorists as "very good people" sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?
That’s fucking brilliant!!! I suggest rewarding their patriotism with a vacation — how about an all expenses paid bus tour to the White House for a couple of weeks? Ttump can personally shake all their hands and give the all medals and a banquet of hamberderbers.
Or a nice long stay in Club Fed.