Protesters gather outside Governor Walz’s home

Ignoring social distancing guidelines, protesters gathered outside of the Governor’s mansion on Summit Ave. on April 17.

The protest was organized by a “Liberate Minnesota” Facebook event, and according to the Star Tribune, around 800 Minnesotans showed up. President Trump even chimed in on Twitter as he tweeted, “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!”

One of the notable attendees at the protest was Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, Jason Lewis. Lewis announced a statewide RV tour to highlight how the shutdown is affecting business owners. He took pictures and shook hands with protesters as well.

Lewis is running against Democrat Tina Smith, who won the seat in a 2018 special election to finish the remainder of Al Frankin’s term.

Similar protests took place in other states with protesters refusing to social distance.

In Michigan, thousands of protesters showed up at their state capital in Lansing to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order. Among the protesters were a group of men holding assault rifles. Across the internet, many conservatives shamed the group of men, saying that it made it look like they were an “alt-right group,” and that they missed the mark on the whole reason for the protest.

Although both governors have stated the necessity of the stay-at-home order is to flatten the curve, many hope to see businesses up and running soon.