Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union this Sunday, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said protests at the state’s capitol last week contained some racist elements.
“Some of the outrageousness of what happened at our capitol depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country,” she said.
“The behavior you’ve seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan,” she added.
The protesters were speaking out against the state’s stay-at-home orders meant to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“The fact of the matter is we are in the global pandemic,” she continued. “This is not something we negotiate ourselves out of and is a political matter, this is a public health crisis that has taken the lives of almost 70,000 Americans.”
“Whether you agree with me or not, I’m working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan,” Whitmer said.
Michigan has a total of 43,207 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,020 deaths as of this Saturday.
Watch:
“We have to listen to the epidemiologist and health experts and displays like the one we saw at our capitol is not representative of who we are.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reacts to protesters descending on her state’s capitol, including some who were armed. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/lfPgGnpkGC
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 3, 2020
