While another protest is planned for Thursday at the Michigan Capitol, Governor Gretchen Whitmer reacted on Monday to the threats of violence directed at herself and others by urging lawmakers to do what they can to tamp down the angry rhetoric.
“To threaten someone else is beyond the pale,” Whitmer said Monday after being asked about threats and posts on social media that have reportedly included racist remarks and violent imagery. “I would appreciate if others would do their part to lower the heat.”
The Michigan Capitol Commission, which oversees the state Capitol and its grounds, declined to set a rule at its Monday meeting to prohibit firearms from inside the building. The commission instead set up a five-person committee to talk with legislative leaders, the governor’s office and legal experts to determine whether it can legally take such an action, even though state Attorney General Dana Nessel has issued an opinion suggesting it is within its power to do so.
The commission held a public teleconferencing Zoom meeting, which was “zoombombed” with violent and racist messages toward legislators and commission members, ending the meeting abruptly without a concensus on the issue.
Private Facebook groups have fueled the fire of protesters with conspiracy theories and disinformation, and are mobilizing armed rallies. The Detroit Metro Times gained access to four of the private Facebook groups with a combined 400,000 members. Facebook removed one of the groups on Sunday after being contacted by the Metro Times. Common themes among the groups include the assassination of Whitmer, lynchings, beatings, and bloodshed.
“We haven’t had any bloodshed yet, but the populous is counting to three, and the other day was two,” Dave Meisenheimer wrote in Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine, which has more than 385,000 members. “Next comes watering the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants.”
See the source at Detroit Free Press.