The continuing daily protest at the Wisconsin Capitol referred to as the “Solidarity Sing Along” will receive an award from the ACLU of Wisconsin. The announcement was made during today’s Sing Along by a representative of the ACLU of Wisconsin.
For its dedication to the cause of first amendment rights, the group will be honored with the “Civil Libertarian of the Year” award at the ACLU chapter’s annual Bill of Rights banquet on March 17th.
(photo by Craig Spaulding)
The Solidarity Sing Along began on March 11th, 2011 inside the Wisconsin Capitol. Prior to that, the largest protests in Wisconsin’s history had been going on for weeks in and around the Capitol in response to Governor Scott Walker’s plan to eliminate collective bargaining rights for most of Wisconsin’s public employees. The large protests waned as the Walker administration instituted Capitol access rules and protesters began to work on recalls of Republican politicians, but the Sing Along has still been held at noon every weekday, including holidays. Participants sing pro-Labor songs, songs promoting peace and justice, and songs calling for the ouster of Walker. Even an occasional polka is sprinkled into the mix, with participants dancing to “Roll Out the Recall.”
Walker’s Department of Administration has tried unsuccessfully at times to discourage the Sing Along events. Most recently, they tried to implement a policy that would have required a permit for any gathering of more than 3 persons inside the Capitol. The permit rules were largely dismissed by legal experts and shrugged off by the Solidarity Sing Along participants. The Walker administration has, so far, made no attempt to enforce their new rules.
The Solidarity Sing Along group usually numbers between 50 and 100, but the size has swelled to several hundred at times when the DOA has threatened to deny access to the Capitol for the event. As the group nears its 300th event, the number of people who have participated in at least one Sing Along numbers in the thousands.
The group’s most visible participant is Chris Reeder, who leads the daily singing sessions and coordinates the production of the Solidarity Sing Along songbook. Responding to the news, he said on the Solidarity Sing Along facebook page:
The work is far from over, but it's incredible to get this recognition for our little rag-tag bunch of singers, activists, musicians and protesters...Thank you to everyone who has put in so much time, over so many months, to speak out and sing out for what you believe in.
It is that continuous singing out, speaking out, and non-violent refusal to give up any of its constitutional rights of free expression that have earned the award from the ACLU.
Now is the time when we dance...
(video by ladyforward1)