Right-Wing Protesters Target Homes Of State Health, Corrections Directors

By Laina G. Stebbins, Michigan Advance

Right-wing protests against members of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet have gotten personal, as groups of loud demonstrators against COVID-19 restrictions have begun showing up outside the residences of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Director Robert Gordon and Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Heidi Washington.

Attorney General Dana Nessel talked about the incidents during a national press call Wednesday. Groups of people reportedly yelled, screamed through bullhorns and honked their horns at both homes after dark — at Gordon’s home Tuesday, and Washington’s home on Saturday.

“This is America, and I believe strongly in Americans’ right to protest,” Gordon said in a statement. “[Tuesday] night was something different: people came to my home in the dark of night, screaming through bullhorns, scaring my children, and trying to intimidate me. That is wrong, and, in case anyone is wondering, it’s a waste of time.

“We are going to keep following the proven, science-based steps to save lives and get Michigan through this pandemic. I know it’s challenging for everyone, especially for small business owners, but it is what is necessary for us to get to the other side with as many of our loved ones as we can,” Gordon continued.

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DHHS has issued several epidemic orders during the COVID-19 crisis, including a mask mandate, limit on indoor gatherings and closure of businesses like restaurants for indoor dining. The department began issuing orders in October after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act (EPGA) was unconstitutional.

Health officials across the country have been subjected to threats and several have quit, including Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio’s former health director.

DOC spokesperson Chris Gautz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to MIRS, Gautz said Wednesday that protesters drove by in a caravan, shouting and honking, waved banners and placed fake tombstones on her lawn.

“Everyone has a right to protest, but I think going to someone’s home is a step too far,” Gautz told MIRS. “This is not the first time these protesters have come to her house. They have been there several times over the years and it really needs to stop.”

Nessel spokesperson Ryan Jarvi declined to provide a statement, and instead deferred to those from the DHHS and DOC.

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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has also been the target of right-wing protesters at her home lately, as supporters of outgoing GOP President Donald Trump continue to spread false information about the election outcome and demand that state officials investigate the unfounded claims.

Whitmer especially has seen no shortage of threatening and personal attacks on her since the COVID-19 outbreak began in Michigan, with several armed protests outside the governor’s mansion in Lansing. Those threats of violence came to a head in October, when state and federal law enforcement foiled a domestic terrorist plot to kidnap and murder the governor.

Six of the suspects in the plot were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday.

Still, violent and hateful rhetoric against Whitmer remains a regular occurance on social media and online message boards. One of the highest-voted posts on a pro-Trump Reddit knockoff site features a picture of a man holding a picture of Whitmer as Adolf Hitler.

“Gretchen Whitmer should be arrested,” reads the title of the post, which currently has more than 13,000 upvotes.

Comments on the post are heavily violent and misogynistic.

“You misspelled hung,” one user wrote. Replies to that comment include suggestions for her to be set on fire, raped, shot, buried in the desert, subjected to ancient torture methods and more.

This story was originally published by the Michigan Advance. For more stories from the Michigan Advance, visit MichiganAdvance.com.