'Get our economy back:' Protesters assemble in Brookfield, want 'Safer at Home' restrictions dropped

BROOKFIELD -- Protesters say the extension of Wisconsin's "Safer at Home" order has gone too far and that now is the time to re-open parts of the state.

Gov. Tony Evers extended the order to May 26. Protesters said they have had enough with the order's limits on business, gatherings and day-to-day life. They want Gov. Evers to re-open the states rural areas now and get people back to work.

"We need to get our economy back in line, and we can certainly do it on a cautious basis," said Dave Schimmels of Kewaskum.

"You quarantine the people that are vulnerable. You quarantine the people that are sick. You don't limit everybody's freedoms," said Susan Richards of New Berlin.

Along Bluemound Road outside of Brookfield Square, passing cars honked their horns in support.

Thousands lined the street -- ignoring social distancing guidelines -- holding signs demanding that the order be lifted, saying Gov. Evers does not have the power to extend the order.

"You can see it from all the states around us -- he overextended this well beyond everybody else," said protester Paris Procopis. "I don't know, it's almost like a power trip."

Though Gov. Evers' powers regarding the matter expire on May 11, the order was actually extended at the governor's request by Andrea Palm, secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Service, whose power is not limited.

"The data tells us that 'Safer at Home' is working, and the science of the virus tells us what the path ahead needs to look like," Palm said.

State officials say that the path ahead holds more social distance, testing and, eventually, a gradual re-opening

FOX6 News reached out to the governor's office for comment on the protest, but they did not respond. Wisconsin Republicans plan to appeal the extension to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Brookfield police said they did not issue any tickets or citations in relation to the protest.