"If you're looking for role models, don't look for politicians. Look for these people out there protesting every day. I think it's great we're finally 50 years later seeing a crackdown on folk music. I guess if Scott Walker had been around 50 years ago, he could have stopped Bob Dylan before he influenced The Beatles, we'd all listen to Pat Boone still. But I do think you're going to see the real heroes here, and I would love to see the eyes of America turn to those people in the Capitol. They're out there protesting injustice, petitioning for redress of grievances, as the founding fathers did, every single day. And they make me proud to be an American."
-John Fugelsang
The sing along began as the capitol occupation ended. It serves as a place where union members, activists, and citizens can come together and rejuvenate their spirits through song as they fight the dividing actions of Governor Scott Walker and other Republican legislators.
The first Solidarity Sing Along (SSA) occurred on March 11th, 2011. It has happened every weekday at noon ever since.
631:
Consecutive weekday noon hour SSAs at the capitol
715:
total SSAs
400+:
citations
200+:
citations in the past two weeks alone
150+:
people cited in the past two weeks alone
Dozens:
celebrities attended
(including Billy Bragg, Tom Morello, Jeff “The Dude" Dowd, Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Jill Stein, Len Wallace, Carlos Arredondo, Medea Benjamin, and many more.)
Hundreds:
out of town and out of state participants
Hundreds of thousands:
dollars in fines
Please learn more about the Solidarity Sing Along and consider donating to the First Amendment Protection Fund.
All donations are used to defray the direct legal costs associated with defending citations in court including:
Jury Fees
Serving Subpoenas
Printing Transcripts
Court Filing Fees
Fines
And now, a few of my favorite moments from the SSA...
>UPDATE:11:19pm Please watch this incredible raw footage of seven arrests in 2 minutes.
UPDATE:3:00pm Today I attended the SSA and was handcuffed, taken to the basement, searched, and given a citation. The charge is stated as "participates in an unlawful Assembly without Authorization".
I was asked by my arresting officer, "Are you going to leave?" When peaceably assembled and asked to leave a public building that your tax dollars help pay for, I hope your answer is the same as mine.
You can watch what happened HERE.
A badger watches over the inside of the Wisconsin state capitol building.
An SSA participant holds a paper from the day before. More than 100 people were cited that week including observers despite what the article's title states.
Masks of the Capitol Police Chief, David Erwin, lighten the mood amongst SSA members.
Brandon Barwick takes the day off from the sing along in response to being targeting as the "leader". He has been cited for not having a permit. Other citizens initiated the sing along spontaneously. A little boy runs in circles.
Two Capitol Police officers use an LRAD to deliver a message from Capitol Police Chief Erwin informing people in the rotunda that they are subject to arrest.
Carlos Arredondo, (Boston Marathon bombing hero) and wife, Melida, attend the sing along with Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink. They stand next to a World War II veteran, all in town for the Veterans for Peace convention.
After a Sing Along was over the Capitol Police put two Veterans For Peace members in cuffs and put them in the squad car. They were no longer singing and the C.P. wouldn't tell us what the charges were. Both men are from out of town and were here for the VFP conference.
Andrea Bilger takes portraits of SSA supporters for "Wanted" posters. See Andrea's entire project
HERE
*A huge thanks to all of my SSA friends for their help with this project as information providers, incredible subjects to photograph, and all around, great people I am proud to go to jail for justice with.