From Chris Taylor . . . no surprises, Walker doesn’t want the homeless using the Capitol basement.
WALKER ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO OPEN CAPITOL BASEMENT
Concerns about homeless individuals and possible protests used to justify permanent closure
Madison—Today, Representative Chris Taylor met with the Walker Administration to address the continued closure of the Capitol basement. The basement was closed to the public earlier this year when protests erupted following the roll back by Governor Walker and legislative Republicans of most public collective bargaining rights.
On October 3, 2011, Representative Taylor wrote to Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch requesting that the Capitol basement once again be open to the public. The Department of Administration Deputy Secretary today indicated that the administration would not open the Capitol basement to the public, with the exception of the Sunday meal served to needy individuals by Savory Sundays.
The Deputy Secretary gave three reasons for the continued closure: 1) Law enforcement may need to use the area as a staging site should large-scale protests again occur in Madison; 2) The Walker Administration does not want the basement to be used by the homeless population. School groups allegedly have complained about homeless individuals being present while students visiting the Capitol eat their lunch. The Deputy Secretary, however, did not indicate any specific incidents that were cause for concern; 3) The Walker Administration did not want to discourage homeless service and advocacy groups like Madison’s Porchlight from coming up with other shelter prospects for the homeless population.
“None of the reasons given for the permanent closure of the Capitol basement, which for the last decade has traditionally been open to the public, are compelling,” stated Taylor. “We haven’t had protests that would necessitate using the Capitol basement as a staging site for months. Should a particular law enforcement concern arise, the basement can be temporarily closed to accomplish this purpose. Second, this Administration should not condition access to the Capitol based on whether an individual has a home or not. My understanding from talking with Capitol police is that the vast majority of homeless individuals coming into the Capitol pose no threat to anyone, and those whose behavior is inappropriate are removed. Finally, though homeless service groups like Porchlight are doing everything they can to meet the needs of the homeless population, there are simply not enough community resources to fully address the issue. Porchlight has specifically requested that the Capitol basement at least be open during the weekends.
“It is disappointing that the Walker administration continues to limit public access to the Capitol, and to participating in the legislative and electoral process. Until this administration, Wisconsin was known for actively encouraging citizen participation in our government. Now, that whole tradition has been tarnished by the Walker Administration,” concluded Taylor.
