Protest against state closure planned for Sunday in Olympia

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Around the country, there has been a growing number of demonstrations with protesters demanding their states reopen and let people get back to work amid the coronavirus pandemic and stay-home orders issued by governors.

On Sunday, at least two groups are set to send that same message to Governor Jay Inslee in Olympia.

“Governor, respect the constitution,” said Tyler Miller. “Governor, let us get the state back to work.”

Tyler Miller with the Kitsap County Republican Party is organizing an event he calls “Hazardous Liberty! Defend the Constitution!” He says he and hundreds of others will be at the state capitol to demand more be done to return a sense of normalcy to Washington state.

“There’s a movement to open county by county, city by city, locality by locality because everyone is going to be different,” said Miller. “Stevens County is going to have different needs and ways of approaching it than King County, than Kitsap County. We need to unleash the creative and innovative power of the individuals and localities to address this themselves.”

Miller tells KOMO News the biggest frustration he’s hearing has to do with what has been deemed essential and what hasn’t, citing a clause in the state constitution regarding everyone being treated equally.

“The intent of that clause is to make sure that everybody in the state, every citizen of Washington, is treated fundamentally equally,” said Miller. “The state doesn’t pick winners and losers with how it conducts business and right now that’s exactly what’s happening.”

In particular, he points to the construction industry.

As for his protest and those joining him, he says he’ll remind people to practice social distancing but that he can only do so much. In some states like Michigan and Ohio, protests there have shown people shoulder-to-shoulder.

“I’m trying to make that as clear as I can and I’m doing everything I can within my liberty to tell people what I think they should do but ultimately it’s going to be up to them. I’ve encouraged people if they want, to bring some PPE, some masks to wear if you feel that’s necessary.”

“We said from the very beginning, my intent was not to compound the problem,” added Miller.

KOMO News reached out to Inslee’s office for comment on the planned protests but did not hear back as of Saturday night.

In a one-on-one interview with KOMO’s Keith Eldridge on Friday, Inslee was asked about people’s growing frustrations with wanting to get back to business.

“We’d rather be playing with our grandchildren,” said Inslee. “We’d rather be in our worksites working. We all share that. I don’t know anyone in Washington who isn’t frustrated by the experience we’re having right now.”

With more than 600 COVID-19-related deaths in the state, he says everyone must do their part to make sure that number doesn’t get any higher.

“And if we’re going to save more people from that fate we’re just going to need to buckle down a bit longer. And I’m proud of Washingtonians who are doing just that.”

The Washington State Department of Health did release a statement in regards to the gatherings, reading:

“We are in the midst of a pandemic and these are unprecedented times. The Department of Health urges people to NOT take actions such as gathering that can threaten everyone’s health and safety, including our most vulnerable people who are higher risk of death from the virus. Large gatherings will quickly undo all of the benefits we have gained over the past month through physical distancing. We encourage people to follow Governor Inslee's proclamation to stay home and stay healthy.”

KOMO News plans on covering the protests in Olympia and will provide full coverage on-air and online.