‘Liberty is essential’: A look inside the lockdown protests

Protests against lockdown orders are spreading. Even as health officials say it is too soon to end stay-at-home orders, some residents see government overreach.

One side of East Broad Street looked like many downtown roads across COVID-19 America: empty sidewalks, locked restaurants, a handful of cars.

But last Wednesday, the other side of the Richmond street – the lanes leading to the Virginia statehouse – had 12 blocks of bumper-to-bumper honking cars, with passengers waving posters out of sun roofs. The noise was so loud it was hard to hear anyone from three feet away, much less the social-distancing guideline of six.

It was a protest calling for the reopening of America’s economy – one of many such demonstrations in state capitals in recent weeks. Most are drive-by only, to stay within the new distancing of the COVID era.

“It’s time to let us work” reads one sign taped on the side of a vehicle. “LIBERATE VIRGINIA!” says another. “The state is not God” reads a third.

“Operation Gridlock” began in Lansing, Michigan, on April 15, with rallies following across the country. This weekend, protesters thronged Madison, Wisconsin, in the latest installment. The Richmond protest offers a window into the mounting frustration and the motivations of those turning up to demand an end to lockdowns.

Overall, the American public does not appear to support the protesters. A YouGov/Yahoo News survey conducted from April 17 to 19 found that 60% of respondents opposed protests aimed at ending sheltering-in-place. Republicans as a group did not support them, either – a plurality of 47% of GOP respondents thought they were a bad idea, according to YouGov.