We staked our claim just outside of the polling place that serves The Woodlands, an African American housing project that is in Republican recall target Alberta Darling's district. She never sets foot there, but we have been a constant presence since March.
The polling location is off the street in a very nice YMCA. There was a steady stream of voters all day, some driven by volunteer groups, some arriving by foot or car. We won't know the results for a while, but the people in this community are clearly engaged. Wisconsin Jobs Now worked multiple districts all day. We Are Wisconsin canvassers in their bright red shirts were in the neighborhood, and our modest grassroots group, The Playground Legends, were there for visibility and sidewalk soapbox.
Kossacks Mad Mystic Hammering and Badscience set up our new banner, stake our roadside turf. (It will still be useful for round two against the governor.)
We amplify, encouraging cars to pull in to the polls, as well as talk about voter's rights, and benchmarks in voting history. Two mics this time, nice call and response, q & a.
Young men take to the microphone. Rap, fart noises and political exclamations abound.
Impressive sidewalk acrobatics, makes me feel both amazed and old.
Not to be outdone! Edward gets serious air time. I spoke with him at length, and was very impressed: haven't met many 15 year olds as self possessed and world wise.
I photograph ominous Man In Black photographing us. In spite of the street fun, there is a lot of tension around the polling place. Everyone is paranoid. The opposition is constantly trying to find scandal. There was a facebook and twitter buzz that Rightwing Teabadgers were digging for scandal in the fact that Wisconsin Jobs Now workers who drove people to the polls were wearing their "Wisconsin Jobs Now" t-shirts in the polls. This is no more illegal than wearing a "Save the Whales" t-shirt. Candidate endorsement shirts and signs are illegal, everything else is fine. These two women were twice confronted by a conservative, aggressive and very rude election commissioner. Here's what they had to say about it:
Well, Badscience and I are off to a local (co-op) pub in Milwaukee to be with friends as the results come in. I just wanted to give you a sense of our little piece of this massive resistance and engagement movement. We aren't going away, regardless of tomorrow's big story. We are Wisconsin!
Take a picture of me!
No, take a picture of us!