Scroll to bottom for update re: town hall on Voter I.D Bill
We have a PAC, we have a van, we have loudspeakers, and we have a diverse crew of inventive and engaged street activists. We are The Playground Legends and we're harvesting signatures for the Recall Darling campaign. A few weeks ago, we got out the vote in Wards 147 and 150, predominantly African American neighborhoods made up of small homes, apartment complexes and a great public park. Our efforts were highly successful even if Kloppenburg ends up losing. You can read about it here.
Last Saturday, we wanted to expand our efforts into Ward 260, an area marked by heavy industrialization and an infamous 1970s social housing project called the Woodlands. It has a fascinating history telling a classic Milwaukee story of segregation, exploitation, poverty, poor city planning, crime and isolation. Walter, who grew up in the area, piloted the Voter Van towards the projects, and we all expected to have a long day of conversations and cajoling, door knocking and talking, sign making and signature taking.
What we didn't expect was to be turned away by a white man with a gun.
The Woodlands is a 576 unit housing development located on 55 acres, making it the largest in the state. It was developed in order to offer affordable housing for low and middle income families. It has ridden various waves of attention and decay, livability and crime, affordability and boards on windows. Absentee landlords were abusing the tenants and property, and crime and gang violence terrorized the renters and owners, though this had been turning around in recent years due to increased community involvement, various economic initiatives, and increased police presence. Then the recession hit and now times are tough once again.
We arrived, we parked, we got out with poster board and markers and began writing a "Stop Walker / Dump Darling" message. Within two minutes a couple of older white men quickly approached from across the parking lot. One was holding a clipboard, the other was short, had short cropped hair, and wore a jacket with NRA patches emblazoned. He had no uniform, only lots of patches and a big black handgun sticking from his back pocket. He identified himself as security for the Woodlands complex, though offered no proof of his status. He asked us who we were.
"We are The Playground Legends," we replied. At first friendly, his tone changed when he noticed our Recall Darling signs. He immediately told us we were not welcome there. He claimed that residents had lodged complaints about canvassers and that we were to leave immediately, though he also threatened to detain us until MPD arrived, which I guess was done so we could appreciate his generosity in allowing us to leave of our own accord. He made sure that we were well aware of his gun sticking from his pocket like a vent pipe from a stove.
Two African American security guards arrived as backup. The situation was overtly calm, but getting pretty tense. At one point, the guard with the gun was speaking with Walter. Walter is usually a voluble man, prone to peppering his speech with exquisitely crafted epithets. He spoke very calmly, very softly, very politely and made no quick movements. Walter, a veteran of more struggles than we could easily itemize, was in survival mode.
We were angry, but we left. Driving away, Walter asked us, "Why you guys acting so surprised?" None of us really knew what to say, so he went on: "This bullshit has been going on my whole life! You can come in here and get signatures to recall Alberta Darling and nothing's gonna change. Who gives a shit? The whole community is trapped. They've got nothing, and they're scared. How are you gonna change that?"
This is what disenfranchisement looks like: There are almost 1,000 people living in the complex, and of these, 8 people voted in the State Supreme Court elections of 2009. There are no poll taxes these days and there are no dogs. There are no literacy tests to take but there is also no flow of information and no interaction allowed. The gatekeepers prevent it.
This is what disempowerment looks like: An unknown person with a gun in his pocket, telling us we can't meet with people who have lost the ability to vote or the will to vote or both.
This is what disenfranchisement looks like: Voter ID laws soon to pass requiring documentation for registration that few people in these communities possess.
This is what disempowerment looks like: Districts in our neighborhoods where outsiders rarely go, where politicians never go, and where community organizers like The Playground Legends are turned away with implicit threats of privatized martial control.
+++++++Update+++++++
Playground Legend member Joe went to a town hall on voter ID tonight. Here's what he had to say about it:
Rep. Richards and Sen. Larson were there (Pasch cancelled because of passover). Larson is amazing. That guy is everywhere. Here's what I learned: 1) there is little hope of stopping the bill. 2) Jeff Stone is the author (note: He was the one defeated for Milwaukee County Executive, but can still make nasties as State Rep). 3) There have been a number of recent investigations into voter fraud in WI. None of them found anything. The 2008 investigation found 18 fraudulent votes of more than 3 million total. 4) IDs will be free to get around poll tax charges 5) the estimated cost to WI is $40 million. 6) under the current plan the only way to get an ID is to go to the DMV (no deputies like for voter reg). 7) in 2008 over 50% of voters at Riverside High School registered on election day. 8) The bill has some Democratic support. Larson didn't want to name names though.
We should not refer to these egregious bills as "Voter I.D." I propose substituting "Voter Suppression Bills" whenever you hear the term.