The streets of Michigan’s capitol were filled with thousands of people in cars and on foot on Wednesday protesting Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lock down of the state because of the coronavirus, including small business owners who have been hit hard by the shutdown and who are demanding that Americans be allowed to get back to work.

Two protesters held a huge banner that said: “Small Business is Essential.”

Breitbart News was live at the protest talking to those taking part, including one woman who said her small business was shut down because offering a play space for children was considered entertainment and not essential.

“I own a small business and I’m shut down and it needs to end,” the woman, who like many of the protesters, was not wearing a mask, said.

The woman said she is glad so many people turned out for the protest.

“I’m so excited that I’m not alone,” said the woman, adding that she has 30 employees who are also out of work.

“Because I’m a small business owner and it’s super hard to believe that I’m making now money,” the woman said.

When asked how she thinks things will work out, the woman said she was in business back in 2009 during the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic and that it took months for parents to want their children to be in a social setting — even though nothing was shut down during that outbreak.

“For me, I don’t know how it’s going to turn out because if history plays out it’s going to be horrible,” she said.

The woman said all Americans, no matter their politics, should want to get the country back to work.

“No matter what side you’re on, we should all be fighting for our constitutional rights,” she said.

Another woman who spoke to Breitbart News seemed to sum up the mood at the protest.

“What a great day to be an American in Michigan,” she said.

JPMorgan Chase and Company have statistics on just how essential small businesses are in the United States.

“Over 99 percent of America’s 28.7 million firms are small businesses. The vast majority (88 percent) of employer firms have fewer than 20 employees, and nearly 40 percent of all enterprises have under $100k in revenue,” the website states.

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter