A troubling tactic spreads with another noisy sidewalk rally at a state official's home after dark.
"Robert Gordon is a tyrant," one person yells during a video Tuesday night's demonstration, taped by participants and reported by The Detroit News, which says more than a dozen people gathered. The state health director last month issued an epidemic order, renewed through Sunday, that requires masks inside public spaces and limits some business and recreational activities.
Gordon, a father of two, says protesters were "screaming through bullhorns, scaring my children and trying to intimidate me."
Robert Gordon: "People came to my home in the dark of night, screaming through bullhorns, scaring my children."
Craig Mauger of The News describes a 42-minute Facebook video posted by Adam Richard of Lansing:
"Open Michigan now," the protesters shouted together at one point. ...
During a media briefing Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Dana Nessel called remarks made during the recent nighttime demonstrations in Michigan "very concerning." She said there was also a recent protest at the home of Heidi Washington, who leads the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The first flare-up, an election-related one, was Dec. 5 at the Detroit home of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
The latest event involved "protesters carrying American flags and chanting," tweets MLive reporter Malachi Barrett.
Protesters sang Christmas carols and said they would not be "forcibly vaccinated."
"This is the real deal, guys. This is how we take our country back," a man can be heard saying in the video.
The demonstrators taunted Gordon by repeating his name into a megaphone and telling him to "open up."
"What happened to the flu, Robert?" another person could be heard yelling."
In a statement quoted by The News, Gordon acknowledges the right to protest and adds:
"Last night was something different: People came to my home in the dark of night, screaming through bullhorns, scaring my children and trying to intimidate me. That is wrong, and, in case anyone is wondering, it's a waste of time. We are going to keep following the proven, science-based steps to save lives and get Michigan through this pandemic.
"I know it’s challenging for everyone, especially for small business owners, but it is what is necessary for us to get to the other side with as many of our loved ones as we can."
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Gordon two weeks after taking office in January 2019. He has degrees from Harvard ('94) and Yale ('98).
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