(Developing: Will be updated as warranted)
A protest similar to one that overtook the Michigan capital on Wednesday appears to be forming in Kansas over restrictions intended to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The Convention of States Kansas is calling for people to converge on Topeka for an in-car rally next week to show their opposition to Gov. Laura Kelly’s decision to extend a stay-at-home order until May 3.
As of Thursday morning, 47 people said they planned to attend the April 23 rally and 179 were interested. The comments section of the post was closed to the public.
The governor’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 19, but Kelly said it needed to be extended because the virus is not expected to peak in Kansas for another week to 10 days.
The group is callingthe demonstration “Operation Gridlock,” which is what the protest in Michigan was called.
The Michigan event was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund, which has ties to the DeVos family.
“It is time to open Kanas back up for business,” the Convention of States group said in a post on its Facebook page.
“It is time to converge on Topeka and show Governor Kelly that WE THE PEOPLE of Kansas can be safe, responsible, and LOUD!
“High noon – Thursday 4/23… Stay in your car, honk your horns, and wave flags… Make sure she hears you and tell her to OPEN KANSAS UP!”
The plans for the rally comes about the same time that 43 Republicans in the Kansas House asked the governor to develop a plan for reopening the economy.
Kelly said she wants to get the state up and running as soon as possible but has urged that it needed to be done slowly and deliberately.
In Lansing, Michigan on Wednesday, it was reported that several thousands cars crowded onto the streets of the state capital to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to extend that state’s stay-at-home order.
Whitmer signed what is believed to be one of the more restrictive stay-at-home orders in the country. The state has the fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
The governor’s executive order reportedly prevents residents from using motor boats and limits the number of people in a store at one time to no more than four customers for every 1,000 square feet.
National Public Radio reported that a couple hundred people climbed out of their cars and gathered around the steps of the state Capitol building, many within six-foot social distancing guidelines and not wearing masks.
Another protest erupted in Kentucky on Wednesday when demonstrators interrupted Gov. Andy Beshear’s coronavirus briefing.
