Today, Friday December 16th, 2011, was supposed to be the first day that the administration of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker enforced its new "pay-to-protest" rules at the state Capitol.
Walker chickened out. Shortly before today's well-advertised Solidarity Sing Along got underway at noon on the Capitol steps, a spokesperson from the Department of Administration, Jocelyn Webster, "clarified" the policy. From the Wisconsin State Journal:
Webster said the administration is working with singers who gather at the Capitol each day to sing anti-Walker songs in order to ensure they are in compliance. Even if they don't get a permit, however, Webster said they will not be arrested.
"There's a fundamental misunderstanding of this policy if there was a belief arrests were going to stem from this policy," Webster said.
That last part is really funny, considering that the confusion was caused by the administration's own refusal to answer that very question at any of the three education seminars they held about the new policies. Asked point blank if the Solidarity Singers, who sing at noon every weekday in or just outside the Capitol, would be arrested, a DOA spokesperson and the chief of the Capitol Police called the questions "hypothetical" and would not answer.
I think Walker was confused if he thought implementing this illegal policy would intimidate the Solidarity Sing Along protesters. Not a chance:
photo by Jenna Pope
Here is a video of part of today's Sing Along. I would guess conservatively that 300 people came out to show support and sing. The new policy states that groups numbering more than 100 on the Capitol grounds are supposed to have a permit.
We did not have a permit, nor will we ever apply for one.
The Sing Along will be back inside the Capitol on Monday, and if DOA spokesperson Webster is to be believed, there will be no arrests, but some of us couldn't wait until Monday and had a swinging after-party inside the rotunda immediately after the outdoor Sing Along.
About 30 or 40 of us sang songs, chanted, and displayed signs inside the rotunda. At one point, Democratic State Senator Spencer Coggs was conversing with one of our protesters. The lone counter-protester in the building came up behind Coggs and within inches of the back of Coggs's head started pointing and yelling "Union Pigs! Union Pigs!" Senator Coggs was having none of that. He turned around, gave the man a look like "WTF?", and when the man didn't stop yelling in his face, Senator Coggs walked him back, face to face, then returned to his office.
The weasel counter-protester tried to claim that the Senator had assaulted him, but when he called out "Help! Police!", the rest of the crowd in the rotunda who had witnessed the encounter just laughed. Coggs is a former union steward and a champion of civil rights and civil liberties. He's not going to be intimidated by any Andrew Breitbart wannabes. Coggs was one of the 14 senators who left the state earlier this year to delay the passage of Scott Walker's union-busting bill.
One of the protesters brought a loudspeaker and microphone, and used it - just to tweak the noses of the DOA and Scott Walker. Amplified sound is not allowed inside the capitol without a permit, which is probably one of the few reasonable restrictions in place, but it was a great way to push back against the clearly unconstitutional push by Walker. He was able to hook up a smartphone or iPod to the loudspeaker, so we danced and sang along to "Shout", then listened to a George Carlin routine about freedom.
It was fun speaking into "the people's mic" on the first floor of the rotunda, while on the ground floor, school groups and tourists wandered around the official state holiday tree and got a demonstration of the first amendment in action. It was so naughty. The rank-and-file Capitol Police were in no hurry to stop us, but eventually they did walk up the stairs to where we were and persuaded the loudspeaker's owner to put it away. I spoke to him later and he said he was able to talk his way out of a ticket.
I left after about an hour and a half but another group of protesters had planned an action for 3 p.m. that day, so the party might still be going strong as I write this.
Lots more photos and discussion at the facebook page for the Solidarity Sing Along.
Good background on the Sing Along and the new DOA rules in AnnieJo's recommended diary.