Onsted Graduate’s Facebook Page Explodes in Wake of Quarantine

Onsted High School graduate Garrett Soldano makes a point during an interview posted on his Facebook page – Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine.

By Jeff Steers
JTV News

Onsted High School graduate Garrett Soldano started a Facebook page called Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine exactly one week ago today.

He wondered if there were a number of Michigan residents with the same strong opinions as himself.

That was 350,000 Facebook friends ago.

The 1996 OHS graduate has been on radio, webinars, and television all week leading up to the event near the Michigan capital on Wednesday called Operation Gridlock.

The event was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition. There may have been a few Facebook supports of Soldano’s in the crowd as thousands protested the latest “Stay home, stay safe” order from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Michigan has nearly 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with more than 1,900 deaths. The state has been hit hard with the numbers – ranking fourth in the United States for number of cases.

Soldano told a pair of interviewers that his Facebook group is not in opposition of the quarantine.

“We are not against the quarantine,” Soldano said. “We have said that from the beginning. We are arguing for our constitutional rights.”

The chiropractor turned movement leader started his Facebook group on April 9 after the governor extended the “Stay safe, stay home” order through the end of the month.

“I had no idea this group would get this large,” Soldano said. “I wondered (out loud) if there were 500 people just like me.”

It only took a matter of hours to find out as Soldano had 500 in the first few hours and more than 8,000 overnight. It took off over the weekend and now sits at more than 350,000 according to the Facebook post.

Soldano, an all-state football player at OHS and a team captain on the football team at Western Michigan University, said the group cares about the people who are dying. But he believes the state can open back up for business by the end of April.

The Facebook page has a safety plan and survey for businesses in the state. “I think we can open by the end of the month,” Soldano said. “I will have a plan on the governor’s desk by Friday (April 17).”

Soldano said he has already talked to a number of legislators on the issue. He does not believe that Gov. Whitmer is steering Michigan in the right direction or using good strategies in the process.

“We need a plan … people need hope,” Soldano said in an interview posted on the group’s Facebook page on Wednesday. “She (Whitmer) is not inspiring hope … she is leading with fear.

“Leadership is meant to inspire.”

But not everyone agrees with the Mattawan resident on the issue. Some point to the protesters on Wednesday not keeping proper social distancing and getting out of automobiles. That could lead to more cases of coronavirus, some argue.

Soldano said he and his family have been threatened because of his beliefs.

“I am not backing down on this,” he said.