Signs demanding businesses to reopen filled the street. Some ignored the precautionary measure of social distancing, others still kept their distances as they pushed for change. As temperatures rise and the economy declines, citizens across the nation are participating in protests against stay-at-home orders.

Multiple protests were held throughout the state of California, including in the Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. On April 22, protesters gathered outside of Los Angeles City Hall, mostly staying within their cars. Other protests, however, did not adhere to physical distancing guidelines, such as the “March for Freedom” protest at Huntington Beach on April 20. 

The Huntington Police Department stated to ABC7 that some protesters were “carrying signs with large signs that could be used as weapons,” but no arrests were made.

Also in Orange County, hundreds of protesters gathered in San Clemente on April 20, expressing their frustration shared by millions of Americans out of work. 

“The pressure to answer that question [of reopening] is very real. I wish I could prescribe a specific date. There is no light switch and there is no date,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

In San Diego, around 50 people gathered near Waterfront Park in the “Liberate San Diego” rally on April 24. American flags and signs urging state leaders to reopen non-essential businesses filled the scene — a common sight among these protests.

“I only have probably three weeks left of finance,” Scott Sorenson, a protester who owns a real estate staging company, said to the San Diego Union Tribune. “I haven’t even got the [personal protective equipment] yet. I have four employees, trying to keep them on. But I have about three weeks left.”

Other protests in San Diego County include the Encinitas protest near Swami’s Beach on April 19 and the “Freedom Rally” protest on April 18. At both events, at least 200 people attended, many carrying American flags, posters and Trump merchandise, as well as not practicing social distancing or wearing masks. Among the many signs, some read “COVID-19 is less of a threat than government control,” “This is punishment not protection” and “Liberate America.”

“I think they’re listening. I think they listen to me,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. “They seem to be protesters that like me and respect this opinion, and my opinion’s the same as just about all of the governors. Nobody wants to stay shut.”

These protests echo the ones held across the nation. In Olympia, Washington, more than 2,000 stood outside the state capital on April 19. The same day, protesters filled the street in Denver, Colorado. Footage of a woman shouting, “Land of the free. Go to China if you want communism. Go to China. You go to work, why can’t I go to work?” to health care workers, who were standing in the street as a counter-protest, spread across the internet, gaining more attention for the protests. Many other states, including Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, witnessed multitudes of protests as well.

This wave of protests was perhaps sparked by the protest in Lansing, Michigan on April 15. Thousands drove to the state capital after the Michigan Conservative Coalition and Michigan Freedom Fund, rightwing lobbying groups with links to the Trump administration, planned and advertised the rally via Facebook.

Facebook is a common medium in organizing and promoting these protests. The Facebook group called “Reopen California” was responsible for holding the “Liberate San Diego,” as well as others throughout Southern California.

Despite the increasing number of protests across the country, an Associated Press-NORC survey found that three-quarters of Americans backed the stay-at-home orders and did not agree with the protesters’ views. The poll found that majorities of both Democrats and Republicans gave high marks for state and city governments. In Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University conducted a poll of 2,000 residents and found 95% were in support of social distancing. Of those who viewed the virus as a real threat, 76% identified as conservatives and 91% identified as liberals.

Many experts and public health officials warn that reopening the public too early, as well as attending these protests involving crowds of people, can cause a surge in COVID-19 cases. 

Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, who works at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, tweeted, “I predict a new epidemic surge (incubation time ~5-7 days before onset symptoms, if any, and transmission to associates around that time, even among asymptomatics) … so increase in 2-4 weeks from now,” in response to the Olympia, Washington rally.

Newsom imagines more protests in the near future, but cautions people to still follow basic safety guidelines.

“I just want to encourage people, when you practice your free speech — which I don’t embrace, I celebrate — just do so safely,” Newsom said. “This virus knows no political ideology.”