I help run a website in Madison, Wis. called dane101.com. During the ferocious budget battle at our Capitol in February and March our little website was able to find it's voice by having people on the ground nearly 24 hours a day and nearly every day from February 14 until March 13. It was an important moment for our site, because while we've always had a connection with the Madison community we suddenly found ourselves connected to all of Wisconsin. We had an obligation to report what was happening on the ground and to counter any of the falsehoods or rumors presented in the mainstream media.
I'm writing this diary because this week we rolled out a series that I want to be sure it gets noticed by the widest audience possible. In case you've lost count, May 24th was the 100th day since mass action began at our Capitol building. In order to acknowledge the significance of the date and keep the purpose of the rallies fresh in the minds of The People, we asked rally participants to send in essays reflecting on what it meant to them and how they've been changed. Nearly all of the responses made my eyes moist and it was an honor for me to have these folks contributing their stories to our site. I hope you'll take the time to read their stories. If they don't move you I'll eat my "Wisconsin Solidarity" t-shirt at Netroots Nation. Below I've posted previews of the essays: (embarrassing side note: Roughly two weeks ago dane101 started to develop a serious case of lag. We haven't been able to figure out what's causing it, so please be patient as the pages might take longer than usual to load)
Day 100: Emily Mills gets caught up in the action at the Capitol
Firefighters and cops - both groups exempted from Walker's union busting plans - have joined the protesters for the last several days, and this morning when their contingent marched into the throngs inside the capitol rotunda they got a heroes welcome. I've rarely been in the middle of such an incredible, deafening din as I was today. The sound was almost overwhelming.
Day 100: Doug Reed's epistle to right-leaning friends and family
You may have noticed that my Facebook page has gone all-Wisconsin-politics-all-the-time. If you haven't already hidden me from your news feed, I feel that a decent respect for the opinions of my friends and family requires that I should declare the causes why I am throwing myself into the fight against this bill.
My politics are proudly liberal, but I strive to keep them from being knee-jerk Democratic party talking points. I have thrown my impassioned opposition toward the Wisconsin budget repair bill for some well-considered reasons, and I ask that you consider my position with an open mind.
This bill has several aspects which have not been reported in the national media. I will give you three of them.
Day 100: Heather Allen becomes the Union Bride
On the Tuesday before our wedding at a rally the firefighters union announced they would be sleeping in the Capitol to protest the bill, so I asked a few friends from the wedding party to sleep over too. We stayed the night, sleeping on the second floor of Capitol. It was quiet and peaceful at night and in the morning when the sun sparkled through the Capitol Dome it was truly beautiful.
Day 100: Photographer Phil Ejercito highlights his 10 favorite budget battle photos - plus one turtle
Phil was one of dane101's two photographers on the ground. Along with Dave Kreisman (more on him below) he went to the Capitol every single day and stayed for what seemed like 24 hours a day. dane101 doesn't have a ton of money, so they did most of this out of passion and a sense of responsibility that the story needed to get out. I'm terribly humbled that they were willing to allow our website be the one that helped them get their images out even though they knew our financial situation.
Day 100: Jenni Dye protests for the love of Wisconsin community
On February 14, 2011, I woke up as an average, twenty-something, lifelong Wisconsinite. On Day 100, however, I will wake up a woman in love. A woman in love with Wisconsin and all the things it has always stood for, which formed the background to the life I’ve led here and the future I have built here.
During the first week of the protests, I was there to support my dad, a high school math teacher. As a kid, there were plenty of nights where my dad wasn’t home by the time I went to bed and I’d wake up to him coming home, kissing me on the forehead, and tucking me back in. My dad and his colleagues work hard and the fact that they were being scapegoated for the budget shortfalls in Wisconsin was a large part of my motivation for being involved in the opposition to Walker’s budget repair bill.
Quickly, though, the protest became about more than standing up for my family.
Day 100: Jill Kerttula and a love for a free and open People's House
Tears came again today. For the first time that I can remember I cannot enter the State Capitol at will. Walker has taken Our House and is attempting to make it his. It is not his. It is Ours. He will not deprive me of access to Our House. For the past two weeks hundreds of thousands of people have shown respect and integrity for Our House. There have been no arrests, no vandalism, no misuse, and for that we are kicked out? I will be at Our House again tomorrow. Our House is not for sale.
Day 100: Catherine Capellaro's Confessions of a Wisconsin Slob
In contrast to the images of near-rioting mobs, the emotion that first comes to mind when I think of the protests—and I was a little embarrassed to share this with the steely Pennsylvanians—was love. When I’d approach the capitol, by bus, in a car, or on foot, I’d feel love for my fellow Wisconsinites, as I’d fold into a massive (or occasionally smallish) crowd.
Long after the details of the protests are forgotten, after the Democrats regain a Senate majority and recall Walker’s sorry ass, I hope to remember the quirky individuals, who came together by the scores, to make up the largest protests in Wisconsin history.
Day 100: Pictures to prove it: The budget battle videos of Dave Kreisman
Dave Kreisman was one of dane101's photographers during the budget battle. In addition to shooting some amazing stills he also captured stunning video from both inside and outside of the Capitol. He was in the room when the GOP cast their illegal vote on March 9.
Day 100: Lori Compas captured images of a historic movement
I was obsessed with being there. Sure, I went to the Capitol to make my voice heard, to bear witness, to stand up for my beliefs – of course that’s true. But it’s also true that I didn’t want to miss a single minute of the most historic demonstrations I had ever been part of. I was addicted to the adrenaline rush; I was a protest junkie.
We were all smiles then, feeling so triumphant, and we flooded the Capitol in a sea of Badger red. We shouted, we stomped, we sang, and our ears rang and the floor shook and we knew we were on the side of right. I felt intimately connected to the thousands of people there, connected and consumed by a thrill of joy.
I’ve never smiled at so many strangers. I’ve never laughed at so many signs. I’ve never felt so proud.
Day 100: Public education supported MK Chang, so she supports public education
According to statistics and studies on the cycle of poverty I’m supposed to still be stuck as part of the poor and low-income group. Thankfully, I’m not, and this is due in large part to public education. I credit teachers and school programs, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) and others, for having pulled me out of poverty. If not for those programs being available in the public schools and the great teachers who worked extra hard with me, I’d most likely still be living in poverty.
So yes, education for me has truly been the ladder of success. Public education, in particular, provides the most rungs on the ladder for all kids to climb, kids like the child I was back then and those from all other backgrounds with different skills and abilities. The wide spectrum of kids serviced is what makes public education so great and one of the truly democratic establishments of our society. That’s why our public schools are so important to me, and that’s why I joined the Wisconsin protests.
Day 100: Carrie Scherpelz thanks Governor Walker
Thank you, Scott Walker! Because of you, I will never be the same.
I'm a shy middle-aged freelance graphic designer. I have never been a union member, and I had never been a protester until February 15 when I attended the first "Kill the Bill" rally on the Square.
I’ve been changed for good, for GOOD. For 100 days now, I have demonstrated my opposition to Governor Walker's bill and his tactics calculated to divide the people of Wisconsin. With many thousands of my fellow citizens, I have been deeply moved by the experience of standing together.