This is one of the hardest posts I ever had to write and to add insult to injury, I completed it and then lost a bunch of work. So I’m just now getting around to trying to post something about what happened last Tuesday. I still can’t believe a government could just pick up and relocate a group of people to a remote location out of sight and out of mind and . . . oh, nevermind. The irony of this happening at Thanksgiving just gives me images of what we did to Native Americans early in our country’s history . . . I thought we had learned from that, but I guess not.
Last night, they held another “listening session” to . . . well, I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish, but I think it just further exposed what a clusterfuck this whole thing was. Sorry for the language, but I am furious. I just can’t believe that my government disregarded everyone’s rights and treated my friends in such a hateful and demeaning manner. Just to be clear, I understand that what we did was illegal. That’s kinda the whole point, say it with me “NO LEGAL PLACE TO GO”. There is no legal place to go. We knew we could get tickets. That was to be expected.
What I did not expect was a drug raid style forced removal where they essentially stole our possessions, relocated us to an isolated area, and didn’t provide transportation back to where we came from. I didn’t expect to be lied to, be called a liar, have my things illegally searched, get screamed at and personally attacked by alleged professionals that I considered friends, I didn’t expect the county to waste all this money, refuse to communicate and treat my friends like shit. I didn’t expect to have my trust betrayed when they said they would help individuals and then used confidential information that they gave and used it against them. I didn’t expect my friends to be treated with disrespect and be further demeaned.
Could you imagine doing this to any other group of people? How the hell was this an acceptable solution – especially when Lake Farm Park was available and there would have been transportation and bike paths. Sorry, I’m pretty bitter and after having to look through these pictures again, I’m just so sad and frustrated that our government thought this was ok. This was not ok.
QUICK RECAP
Occupy Madison was asked to move out of the 800 E Washington location. They first asked us to move by Friday, November 9th. We worked with the city and gave us until Sunday, November 11th. One elected officials tried to help – without response. A few of us moved some tents and items and went to Lake View Hill at 1202 Northport Ave and tested the waters. We set up at 1:00 on Saturday and stayed the night without incident. The next day, we moved the rest of the camp there and were out of the E. Washington site by noon. Of course, there was a flurry of activity with people visiting us to try to figure out what was going on. County Board Supervisor Melissa Sargent and City Alderperson Anita Weier held a “listening session” on Monday evening to hear from the community. However, during the middle of the “listening session” where input appeared to be relevant, the sheriffparks’s? department was out posting notices to be gone by noon the next day. After an hour or more of the meeting was over, they handed out the notice. We of course objected, given that there was no way to move that quickly. They promised to work with people, to meet with the one on one and I thought work things out. Tuesday was a very long day, at some point they came down the hill and told us they had a van for people to go to shelter at 4:30, one person took them up on that. They finally started working with people individually on Wednesday and Thursday, so we told them what it would take for us to move and why a tent was preferable to their “system”, but Friday something was happening. Communication had sucked the whole time – well, it was non-existent except for memos marched down the hill. We have asked them to communicate with us better. We heard they were opening Token Creek and we were supposed to go there – which is absurd because there is no public transportation. Friday, around 3pm we got an official visit from Andy Heidt, who was the primary person working one on one with people turned negotiator. Betraying all the trust that he had built with people – after sharing their personal stories with him and telling him their hopes and dreams and needs and wants – now, he became the face of the county asking them to leave. He relayed the offer to go to Token Creek. The group asked tons of questions, he marched back up the hill, came back with some answers but not many and told us we were supposed to be out by Saturday at 6:00 and that he needed to know by 5:00 what our answer was about Token Creek. The camp meets daily at 5:00 and we prepared a statement, I went home and drafted it, brought it back to camp by noon the next day and held a press conference at 4:00 to give them our answer. Before the answer was even read, Lynn Green, the Director of Human Services comes marching down the hill to give us another notice that we had to be out by 6pm on Sunday. Sunday night, at a little after 10pm they swarmed the camp, with 5 sheriff and parks vehicles with flood lights and gave everyone there a ticket (well, most everyone), including neighbors and supporters of the group. $169 a piece – I got one too. (Since then, Parisi has been telling people he is ordering the tickets to be dropped – I don’t know if he can do that, and he hasn’t told us that.) Here’s a recap of the messy weekend. Monday, nothing happened. No communications. Tuesday morning at 8:00 I got a call that a neighbor had seen a whole mess of sheriff’s department and parks vehicles and trucks and so I rushed over and this is how my day went . . .
UNBELIEVABLE TUESDAY
This story will be told mostly in pictures, with a few words in between. Mostly, because I am still speechless.
I slept with my shoes on for a few nights because you just never knew what might happen and as I was rushing out of the house, I got another call, they had been swarmed and were being told they had to go to Token Creek. They were being asked to stand by their tent, then leave the property and not take anything and go to the church and they were told they were going to Token Creek. I kept saying, “they can’t kidnap you”. “They can’t steal your stuff”. I think I was utterly in shock. When I got there, I drove up Drewry Lane to park near the camp and this is what I saw.
I was met by 4 officers. I told them that I had belongings on the hill and I could pack them up and take them home. They said that the park was closed, that I couldn’t go there and that I had to go to the church. I told them I didn’t want to go to the church, that I wanted to get my belongings. They said I couldn’t have them, that I had to go to the church. I said nevermind, I don’t need to go the church, they insisted and escorted me over there – following me in my car. They had the whole park surrounded with officers.
When I got to the church I told them I was there to be processed and they gave me this piece of paper.
I waited at the church as people were arriving and telling us what happened. Most were not allowed to take anything with them, but eventually they must of gotten worn down and they did let some people escape with some of their belongings.
We waited there until we saw all the trucks leave with our stuff. Transportation never came, so neighbors and allies brought people out to Token Creek. When I got there, they were telling us that we couldn’t come over by our stuff, that we had to stay away.
I was furious. But others took it in stride. Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile. eh?
As more people arrived, they allowed us to come and see our stuff, wrapped up in the blue burritos.
This is my stuff all laid out for inventory – luckily I didn’t have anything embarrassing in there. Yes, my stuff was illegally searched, I was not under arrest and I did not give them permission. Mine was one of the first to be searched.
I had mail for some folks in there and they made the person it belonged to sign for it separately.
At some point, people started to object to their items being searched and chaos eventually erupted. But they also stopped searching people’s items and started letting them sign for their items. Franjo was one of the main advocates for just giving back our stuff and not searching it and when people started asking where the search warrants were, they stopped.
The absolute worst part was when she showed up. Marcia MacKenzie is the county attorney and she was there to answer legal questions, but then refused to answer legal questions and got into a shouting match, yet again, with people. I told the Homeless Issues committee that the single best thing the county could do is to keep her away from us. Just look at this attitude.
This is the guy that gets paid to document everything that was going on. What are the chances that if we request that footage it is not now mysteriously unavailable?
It was an incredible waste of resources
Cuz when they were done sorting through our stuff and making us sign for it, they loaded it all back on the trucks and dropped it off over here.
Rob got so bored waiting, he rotated the tires on his car.
Eventually, 6 hours later, around 2pm, people had all their stuff back and had NO LEGAL PLACE TO GO, so, they did the only thing they could do at the point, sent people home that had vehicles to take them back downtown and started setting their camp back up. Which took days to do.
And just like on Survivor, they celebrated FIRE! Which the county was unreasonably refusing earlier.
I’m dedicating this post to number 21.
IF YOU THINK THIS WAS WRONG . . .
Please contact the elected officials and staff who allowed a group of people to be exiled to their own little internment camp.
County Executive Joe Parisi – parisi@countyofdane.com
County Executive Staff Jeff Kostelic – kostelic@countyofdane.com
Director of Human Services Lynn Green – Green@co.dane.wi.us
County Ombudsman Andy Heidt – Heidt@co.dane.wi.us
Land and Water Resources Director (above Parks) Kevin Connors- connors.kevin@co.dane.wi.us
Parks Director Darrne Marsh – marsh@countyofdane.com
Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney – mahoney@co.dane.wi.us
County Board Supervisors – county_board_recipients@co.dane.wi.us
UPDATE
A week later, no transportation. No water. No showers. No laundry. Porta-potty not emptied. No services – attempts to help seem to have evaporated.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone from the community who has tried to help fix what government screwed up – by bringing food, water, offering rides, bringing wood and other needed items. You all rock!
What’s the bit about no legal place to go? Aren’t you legal now at the new park?
County Executive Joe Parisi; County Executive Staff Jeff Kostelic;
Director of Human Services Lynn Green; County Ombudsman Andy Heidt; Land
and Water Resources Director Kevin Connors; Parks Director Darrne
Marsh; Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney
(cc – County Board Supervisors – county_board_recipients@co.dane.wi.us)
How do you sleep? How do you look in the mirror?
I just read this: https://www.forwardlookout.com/2012/11/im-speechless/16600
You
lived it and/or are responsible for what is being done. I know some of
you (some well, some less so); I know you to be people of conscience,
people who care. I’m baffled by how people of conscience can take part
in these immoral actions, so I ask again, how do you sleep?
TJM
With special permission, for 90 days. After that, it will be illegal again until the parks open – and then people can go to Lake Farm Park where there is transportation (city buses 3/4 of a mile walk) for 2 weeks at a time then move for 2 days, then move again for 2 weeks. People stayed because they didn’t have transportation back and they had no legal place to go . . .but this location has no water, no transportation, the outreach workers won’t even come out there . . .
“…disregarded everyone’s rights..” Perhaps you aren’t getting the message from my (and others’) posts…but here we go again…
What ‘rights’ are you describing? The ‘right’ to free Metro bus tickets? The ‘right’ to free, _on-demand_ transportation because a free shuttle to and from the park just isn’t good enough? The ‘right’ to squat on public property, indefinitely, without complying with a permit?
“Occupy” Madison isn’t a movement. It’s a whimsical collection of people who can’t or won’t cooperate with the existing homeless infrastructure in our city and county. You don’t have my sympathy, nor do you have that of most other law-abiding Dane County residents. We support help for the homeless – and in fact we contribute plenty of money, time, and material to worthy organizations in the area. What we DO NOT support is a political game run by an ex-politician who is looking for attention, serving as the mouthpiece of a group of unrepentant law-breakers.
I don’t believe the issue is about “free” anything. It’s about access to services. When is the last time you waited and rode a bus anywhere? Or, couldn’t find a motel room, and you “had” to sleep in your vehicle – to put a situation mildly. The overall intent is what to look at – services, not so-called free things.
It is quite the stretch to compare the removal and relocation of everyone’s property from the illegal encampment at Lake View Hill to Token Creek County Park to what happened in early settlement history to First Americans… whose land Europeans came in and STOLE To refresh your memory, Europeans came to North America, illegally set up camps and homesteads on the land, cooked with huge fires, and
then drove the rightful land owners, the First Americans off the lands and killed them… either indirectly with spreading disease, destroying their culture, and starvation or directly with weapons. Yes, the County coordinated a forced removal of the belongings of all the people who were ILLEGALLY camping on Lake View Hill… but only after many, many, many polite requests that all the campers / advocates move on their own! The County sent multiple messengers (whom you made fun of) out to notify the campers that they were breaking the law… and asked the
campers to leave. They gave a deadline for the campers to leave on their own. The County issued tickets for being in the park after hours. None of this got through to any of you.
You, Brenda, and the other campers sneered in the County’s collective faces and essentially flipped them off!!! Then YOU act shocked when the County comes and “forcibly” removes all of the property there? Be grateful that they didn’t confiscate everything and take it to the sheriff’s department for the individual “occupiers” to retrieve there! Or worse, that they didn’t take it to the dump and get rid of it. The County could have chosen much worse; they removed the belongings and made you relocate to a place that at least had some of what the “occupiers” demanded (a place where they could have a fire and a place where it was legal to camp). These are County resources you are asking to use, so the County should decide what campground would be acceptable.
Brenda, you’re like a petulant child that stomps her feet and screams when she doesn’t get her way!!! Grow up already. When you break the law, at least be willing to face the consequences of your actions. You helped get these people “banished” to the edge of the city by raising such a raucous and being more and more demanding that NO ONE was willing to be a neighbor to these folks anymore. You created lots of noise and offered few / no solutions… only made it harder for this group of people. Congratulations on your great “advocacy” for this group.
(I sure don’t recall these kinds of escalations or problems with the REAL Occupy group in the late fall of 2011!)
Actually, I was talking about constitutional rights . . . you know, the sheriff needing to have a warrant or cause to search my items without my consent.
Why don’t you file a lawsuit against the Sheriff, Brenda? IMHO, trampling a constitutional right is a very serious allegation. Besides there is ample video / photos / witnesses to document what actually happened. If legal resources or money is a problem ACLU will surely help.
What I want to know is whether something illegal really happened or this is merely your perception, Brenda.
Brenda: I think your posts would get across to the audience better if you tried toning down the hyperbole a bit.
“Kidnap”, “Steal”, “illegal search” these are strong words. If they didn’t happen you shouldn’t claim they did.
OTOH, if they did indeed happen, sue the hell out of the county and from the settlement monies you can do so much good for the homeless. More than the county will ever do.
I’m cracking down on anonymous comments, if you want to comment, use your real name or an email that doesn’t make you anonymous. If you have complaints about this, contact me.
The headline on this post, “I’m Speechless,” filled me with great hope. Imagine my disappointment when I clicked on the header to find 1,954 words of speechlessness. I’m guessing that when you do admit to speech it’s in the Fidel Castro category: measured in hours, not minutes. BTW: a word search failed to find the word “job” or “search.” Perhaps a future missive will detail such efforts among people who are, apparently, rugged enough to go camping under the stars.
One of our main objections to Token Creek is that if you have to be at Labor Ready by 5:30 and there is no transportation and no way to really ride your bike safely, this eliminates major job opportunities. Plus, if the van comes at 9:30 and is back at 4:30, you can’t work. This severely limits people’s ability to do anything. Lake Farm Park would have been preferable (less than an hour bike ride to labor ready) and a bus is 3/4 of a mile.
If you and your merry band of followers would be willing to stay in the city and work within the existing shelter and support structure (instead of squatting indefinitely on county property,) the need for transportation from Token Creek would be rather moot.
This is ENTIRELY about “free everything.” Have you seen Occupy’s list of ‘demands’ posted here? https://www.forwardlookout.com/2012/11/occupy-will-move-by-december-9th-if/16545
And please, the pity party isn’t fooling anyone. If we are really talking about access to services, let’s talk about the homeless folks who actually participate in the shelter/support structure here in Madison. How many county resources are being pulled away from helping these people in order to satisfy the demands of a tiny Occupy group who can’t or won’t work with what’s already out there?
Just wondering – since you’re so fired up about constitutional protections – when did anonymous speech stop becoming a right?
https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity
I guess you didn’t spend too much time worrying about that in law school.
Perhaps you don’t like the mirror being held up to your face, but your whiny, abusive attitude towards county officials crosses the line from advocacy to annoying irrelevance.
that sounds great in theory . . . but it doesn’t work in reality – people run out of days in shelter, some get banned, sometimes the women’s shelter is full, some are couples who want to stay together, etc. And, even if you solve all that, where will they put their things during the day?
You’re really good as hurling abuse at everybody and anybody that’s attempted to assist the homeless, but you sure aren’t willing to endure any criticism of your behavior, actions, or attitude whatsoever.
I agree with you, Stan. A lot of resources, such as funding sources, human services expertise like Lynn Green, Andy Heidt, as well as who knows how many other social service workers / homeless service professionals, professional safety services, etc. and time are being diverted from the hundreds of other homeless individuals in Madison / Dane County and instead are being concentrated on the demands of this small group.
(I wonder if my post will be deleted as it was last night… along with 22 posts from other people who aren’t being swayed by the tune that “Piped Piper Brenda Konkel” keeps blasting AT everyone!… so much for the spirit of open “discussion” of the issues / concerns at hand.
Brenda Konkel, you can dish out criticism of everyone else, but you sure can’t stand being criticized… or let anyone read the criticism of her actions that are posted here.)
I hear your issues. But rather than work to reform the system, you’re waging a campaign of public harassment and criticism of city/county employees – the very people you need to be working with to make things better. It raises legitimate questions about your motives and tactics, and it’s damaging sympathy for your cause.
Yes, what’s up with that Brenda? Why the sudden allergy to anonymous comments? [Let’s see if the censors will let this one through]
Crackdown starts only when things start to get a wee bit uncomfy for you? When people start asking you hard questions?
My posts got deleted too.
The irony of it is here’s Brenda whining about “unlawful seizures” and without blinking an eye she’s all out play censor and “seize” comments that don’t sing a paean to her antics?
Very succinctly stated. In addition to the criticism of city/county employees, I would add Brenda’s unending vitriolic criticism of any and every non-profit involved in the community attempting to support, shelter and/or house homeless individuals, especially Porchlight and Tellurian. Brenda’s criticism of these two agencies has been particularly brutal without any evidence on her part (as a supposed “advocate”) to problem solve with and/or suggest possible solutions to the litany of problems she states exist. Nope… just much easier to create a “straw man” then go about knocking it down, rather than actually offer solutions … that is, solutions that go beyond screaming for the city or county to “do more” for the homeless. Try actually doing some constructive problem solving, thinking outside the box, etc.
All we hear is how unhappy Brenda and her citizen followers / supporters are with the shelters and available services and/or wait lists for services and/or housing. Unhappy with the shelter and lack of permanent housing? Go open your own long-term shelter and build enough SRO’s for the hundreds of homeless individuals in need. And don’t forget to build / convert enough buildings to provide housing for all the homeless children and families in Dane County. And, oh by the way, don’t forget to provide AODA and/or mental health treatment, long-term case management for the significant number of people who need the treatment and support, etc. Build your own system to serve the homeless … without camping out / squatting illegally on public or private land… you think the available systems are so terrible!
It is quite the stretch to compare the removal and relocation of everyone’s property from the illegal encampment at Lake View Hill to Token Creek County Park to what happened in early settlement history to First Americans. You really want us to buy the analogy that somehow the removal of squatter / “occupier” encampment by the Dane County sheriffs is the equivalent of the First Americans land being stolen by the Europeans who invaded this continent? If the analogy holds, then the squatter / occupier campers are the “Europeans” in this scenario as you / they have illegally squatted on one piece of property after another that didn’t and doesn’t belong to you, then turned around and expected your illegal behavior to be overlooked and/or embraced by the neighbors AND made demands for all sorts of special treatment on top of it!
Yes, the County coordinated a forced removal of the belongings of all the people who were ILLEGALLY camping on Lake View Hill… but only after many, many, many polite requests that all the campers / advocates move on their own! The County sent multiple messengers out to notify the campers that they were breaking the law… and told the campers to leave. They gave the campers deadline to leave on their own. The County issued tickets for being in the park after hours. None of this got through to any of you.
You and your little group of followers sneered in the collective faces of the County and essentially flipped them off!!! Then you act shocked when the County comes and forcibly removes all of the property there??? Be grateful that they didn’t confiscate everything and take it to the sheriff’s department for the individual “occupiers” to retrieve there! Or worse, that they didn’t take it to the dump and get rid of it. The County could have chosen much worse; they removed the belongings and relocated your “friends” to a place the county decided would be acceptable with firepits and latrines (two of your demands).
You created so much racket and ill-will, perhaps the county decided being far away from everyone was the only acceptable alternative. Brenda, you’re like a petulant child who stomps her feet, goes to her room, slams the door, packs her toys and threatens to run away from home when she doesn’t get her way!!!
Grow up already. When you break the law, at least be willing to face the consequences of your actions!! You helped get these people “banished” to the edge of the city by raising such a raucous and being more and more demanding that NO ONE was willing to be a neighbor to these folks anymore. You created lots of noise and no solutions… only made it harder for this group of people to navigate back into the “mainstream” community via jobs, housing, etc. Congratulations on your great “advocacy” on behalf of this group of people.
so sad… guess you only like to hear yourself and your little group of citizen cheer leaders.
Really? No one will go out there? Really? Everyone call the Meriter Health Hut program and ask if no one has gone out there. The Hut at St. Vincent de Paul,
Phone: 608-441-1322 Mobile: 608-516-1322
This is a shout-out to all you many unsung heroes of non-profits who work behind the scenes to make a difference. You know who you are!
I have a fear that my post will again get gobbled up by Censor Brenda. But so long as it stays I want to say: “THANK YOU!”
Its sad that true hard work and years of toil on the front lines goes unrecognized while publicity-seeking antics get the front page in a week.
I have a question… since so many citizens were willing to assist these folks, as well as a church across from DCHS, why didn’t you just ask the church if you could camp on their property?
Has to be zoned conservancy and they have to be willing to obtain a campground license and they don’t want to take on that liability. Plus, they don’t want to make their neighbors mad.
I am a very public person and stand behind every word I say and I take all the grief for having ideas that others don’t agree with. But I do it as Brenda Konkel. Others, who apparently are some how ashamed of what they have said, hide behind anonymous names and i don’t think that is fair. If you want to comment here, use a real name or email address, that has been the rule that we have followed for years now.
I don’t think any of the people who are opposed to your actions and your tone are ‘ashamed’ of what we say. Rather, we don’t want to be next on your list of victims to be publicly harassed. This isn’t about ‘fair.’ This is about two-way dialogue – or your unwillingness to tolerate viewpoints that contradict your own.
BS. You have a public persona where you play sweet, innocent, and helpful (“oh, I don’t really know how I ended up being chosen to go get everyone’s names… and I don’t know how I ended up being a case manager for 28 people”) and a private persona… which is the real Brenda… the one that goes around bashing people, spreading lies (especially to the “occupiers” so they won’t work with anyone), and creating as much discontent and ill will between as many people as possible. You have a “take no prisoners / scorched earth” attitude toward anyone who disagrees with you or gets in your way of your (self appointed) mission to “help” this group of people. You’ve taken great delight in PUBLICLY skewering many public officials and human service workers… BY NAME… in your posts / blog. Your unrelenting very personal public BASHING of such a broad swath of individuals is unwarranted and disgusting. And as Stan pointed out, the only way to get a point across regarding our disagreement of what you / the occupiers are doing and demanding is to have some kind of shield of protection from your public attacks.
I agree with you, Stan. A lot of resources, such as funding sources, human services expertise like Lynn Green, Andy Heidt, as well as who knows how many other social service workers / homeless service professionals, professional safety services, etc. and time are being diverted from the hundreds of other homeless individuals in Madison / Dane County and instead are being concentrated on the demands of this small group.
Waiting to ride a bus / having to ride a bus is a hardship? Since when?
Stan I am openly inviting you to visit the Occupy encampment, every decision, every debate, and plenty of joy and pain are shared in the open and under the sky. Last night Mr. Parisi engaged in a respectful dialog with the group for the first time, I cannot be sure but I believe he is realizing that none of this had to happen. The encampment has moved 26 times over the last year, it has voluntarily and peacefully moved each time. It would still be legal if the campgrounds were still open. This is not about asking for money or housing (although nobody would turn down housing), it’s about rethinking the barriers that make homelessness a crime in Madison. It is illegal to sleep outdoors in Madison. Even if you want to force people into punitive sheltering system that only covers 90 days per year. We are not even close to full employment, homelessness is a reality, we can get involved or simply place blame and go to bed. Come on out, it might change your perspective.
So far, is has cost the county $11,151.97 for the move. $5,431,97 in sheriff overtime. $830 in supplies. $4890 in parks salaries. And that is just what they are admitting to.