Protesters against Michigan’s continuing stay-at-home order are planning “Operation Haircut” to demonstrate against what they believe are “tyrannical” measures imposed by the state government.
The Michigan Conservative Coalition is organizing the demonstrations that are planned for Wednesday afternoon.
Local barbers and stylists will offer free haircuts on the Michigan state Capitol lawn while following safety guidelines, Fox 2 in Detroit reported.
The group previously organized “Operation Gridlock” last month at the Capitol, leading crowds of protesters outside the building while others stayed in their cars, honking in defiance of stay-at-home orders.
Meshawn Maddock, an organizer for the demonstrations, told Fox 2 the protests are “about our governor overreaching. It feels tyrannical what we are living under here in Michigan right now.”
Maddock said the demonstration was inspired by 77-year-old Owosso barber Carl Manske, who opened his shop despite state orders, a move that resulted in him losing his license to cut hair.
“A 77-year-old barber became a leader in our state with the first person brave enough to risk his license, to stand up to our governor,” Maddock said. “We are proud of him, and we were impressed by him. And immediately a lot of other hair stylists, barbers and all that kind of service reached out to us and said, ‘What can I do?'”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) extended stay-at-home orders again last Thursday, moving the expiration date to May 28.
The latest order does, however, allow some manufacturing businesses to reopen, simultaneously imposing more mitigation measures on companies that decide to open their doors. The new directive requires daily health examinations for employees and bans on nonessential staff.
In Ingham County, home to Michigan’s state capital, Lansing, there have been a total of 629 reported COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, with 10 new cases in the last 24-hour period, according to Johns Hopkins University data.