So . . . will we rally to defend more of our rights the state is taking away? I sure hope so.I hope people show up in support of this. It’s hard for me to get away in the middle of the day, but I hope to try to make it. I’m still sick over what the police did during the protests in the spring. I hope we don’t see a repeat. See videos below.
Action Alert 5 – Madison: Defend free speech — and song — in our Capitol
Background: The Wisconsin Department of Administration has announced a new policy that would require demonstrations inside the Capitol of four or more people to request permits of the state 72 hours in advance, and could require protest groups to reimburse the state for the cost of policing them, at a cost of $50 per officer per hour. WNPJ member group Solidarity Sing-Along would be severely impacted by the policy, as the group routinely brings more than 100 people into the Capitol rotunda for daily mass singing in support of worker rights and a fair budget, and has been doing so for more than 40 weeks. Representatives from the DOA and Capitol Police refused to clarify how they would respond to groups that continued to protest without a permit.
Take Action: Monday, December 19th will be the first day the Solidarity Sing-Along will be subject to the new policy. Please join the Sing-Along at noon in the Capitol rotunda on the 19th and subsequent days to support the group’s exercise of the first amendment. WNPJ member group One Wisconsin Now has also created an online petition to allow you to express support for the singers and free speech.
Contact for more info: Chris Reeder, Solidarity Sing-Along, solidaritysingalong@yahoo.com
I’m guessing the singers won’t get to this point, but who knows. But the police tactics in these videos are questionable at best, and I expect they same kinds of tactics . . . that seem to violate our rights. Sorry there are so many videos, I did put them all together and ran them on WYOU, I will try to upload in a less fragmented fashion.
As Corporations are people – then a lobby organization like WMC needs a permit to walker into the Capitol (being many “people” in one body) . The cost of Policing WMC and their ilk is pretty much the cost of all the protests and recalls combined. Borne either via taxation through government or cost as a value of volunteers time spent protesting.