Wisconsin Protests, Saturday, February 26, 2011

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SATURDAY NIGHT ENERGY AT CAMP CAPITOL

11:00 p.m. - Lynn Welch reporting: On the last night the State Capitol will officially be open to the public, those inside describe a festive atmosphere as a larger crowd has gathered. A circle of drummers and dancers engaged a larger group of overnighters with a real "Saturday night energy," described Oma Vic McMurray, a Madison resident staying her second night in the building.

"We did have a big influx for the events today, so there are a lot of new people and it has that Saturday night energy." Vic McMurray said, describing a much different atmosphere than Friday night's sleep-over. "People were just tuckered out after the huge disappointment with the Assembly voting (Friday night) and it was easy sleeping."

In addition to drumming and dancing, civil disobedience training continued Saturday night as people prepare to be asked to leave the building at 4:00 p.m. Sunday.

All those participating in what could be the last night of the historic Capitol Campout are required to sleep on the ground floor of the building. It's a tight squeeze, said Vic McMurray, "Tonight the ground floor is filled with people in sleeping bags. I had a spot under the rotunda on first floor and now that's gone and there are four of us in a little 48-inch area under the stairs. It will be shoulder-to-shoulder. But that's OK."

NEWS IS ROLLING IN FROM CAPITOL PROTESTS ACROSS THE NATION

Watch the video below of a huge crowd in Ohio today, where collective bargaining is under assault by Governor John Kasich.

ASSOCIATED PRESS MISCOUNTS SIZE OF PROTEST AND NUMBER OF COUNTER-PROTESTORS

11:00 p.m. - Lisa Graves reports: Saturday night, the AP under-estimated the pro-rights crowd by minimizing it in saying it was more than the 70,000 last weekend, when it was much larger than last weekend's crowd. (As CMD reported earlier this week, the AP's headlines and coverage has been under par -- Who Is Writing the AP's Headlines on the Protests -- the GOP?)

And, then it just pulls a number out of the air and asserts that "Several thousand counter-protesters came out last Saturday to support Walker, but they were hardly visible this time."

Hardly visible is right.

CMD challenges the AP to provide any documentary evidence whatsoever that there were several thousand counter-protestors today. There were very few and no where even in the ballpark of several thousand. We demand that the AP correct this and get the story straight. The AP is the wire service for many papers and Yahoo News! Its distorted coverage distorts public opinion.

Join us in calling the AP at 608-258-9235 to demand a correction.

CMD REPORTS: WHAT ELSE IS IN WALKER'S BILL?

7:38 p.m. - Brendan Fischer reports:

While news coverage has focused on how Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill attacks the state's 300,000 public sector workers (and by extension, the entire middle class), the law is increasingly recognized as an attack on the poor. It curtails (and perhaps eliminates) access to the Medicaid programs relied upon by 1.2 million Wisconsinites, limits access to public transportation, and hinders rural community access to broadband internet. The bill keeps the poor unhealthy, immobile, and uninformed.

Governor Walker and the GOP have said they will not balance the state's alleged "budget deficit" by raising taxes and increasing revenue. Instead, they will focus on decreasing expenditures in a way that disproportionately impacts the poor and middle class. At an event at Wisconsin Law School on February 24, former U.S. Solicitor of Labor and professor emeritus of law Carin Clauss said "we have to acknowledge that we are imposing what amounts to a de facto tax hike" on the poor." She noted that "this bill will kick people off medicare, require increased payments into health and pension funds," and "could hamstring mass public transport," all of which decrease take-home pay and increase costs for poor- and middle- class Wisconsinites.

Read the full article here.

NIGHTTIME ACCESS TO THE CAPITOL BUILDING

7:00 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports: Capitol police this evening explained that access to the Capitol building, where many have held vigil camping out for nearly two weeks, remained open at 6:30 p.m. as a once lengthy line containing up to 500 people had dwindled. Police closed the building to the public Friday night at 9:00 p.m., allowing those inside to leave, but not allowing anyone else in. Police said tonight that they would "play it by ear," in making a decision when to close the building.

Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs said Friday that the campouts would end Sunday when the building is closed at 4:00 p.m. for maintenance. Next week, the State Capitol building will resume normal hours, Tubbs explained.

Labor lawyers this week have been holding informal civil disobedience training inside the capitol and Friday night distributed a handout describing what people should expect and what they can do if asked to evacuate the building. Prefacing the fact that the information is not intended as legal advice, the 2-sided sheet advocates "making informed choices about if, how and when to leave."

6:48 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Capitol police have not yet closed the Capitol. It is likely the building will close by 9:00 p.m. but police authority will be "playing it by ear."

CROWDS SWELL AS PEACE REIGNS

6:30 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports:

Crowds at today's "Rally for Worker's Rights" at Wisconsin's State Capitol building swelled beyond the massive crowds that gathered for the biggest rallies last Saturday.

CNN is reporting that the crowds were between 100,000 and 125,000 in freezing cold and snow. Those at the event described wall-to-wall protesters jamming all adjacent downtown streets as others marched in an ongoing procession 10 people deep around the Capitol Square. Stuart Levitan, a historian of the city, described it as "the biggest crowd in Madison's history."

To Madison Police Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain's astonishment, the growing protest against Gov. Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill has remained peaceful.

"There have been no arrests today," DeSpain told CMD Saturday evening. "Once again, these protests have remained civil and everyone in the law enforcement community is proud of the people of Wisconsin."

Capitol police this evening explained that access to the Capitol building, where many have held vigil camping out for nearly two weeks, remained open at 6:30 p.m. as a once lengthy line containing up to 500 people had dwindled. Police closed the building to the public Friday night at 9:00 p.m., allowing those inside to leave, but not allowing anyone else in. Police said that they would "play it by ear" tonight in making a decision on when to close the building.

Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs said Friday that the campouts would end Sunday when the building is closed at 4:00 p.m. for maintenance. Next week, the State Capitol building will resume normal hours, Tubbs explained.

Labor lawyers this week have been holding informal civil disobedience training inside the capitol and Friday night distributed a handout describing what people should expect and what they can do if asked to evacuate the building. Prefacing the fact that the information is not intended as legal advice, the 2-sided sheet advocates "making informed choices about if, how and when to leave."

POLICE CHOKING OFF ACCESS TO CAPITOL

5:19 p.m. - Erica Pelzek reports that people look disgruntled with what one marshall called "a forty-five minute wait" to get in to the Capitol through revolving doors only, other nearby doors remain shut. People are still peaceful and determined to stay.

5:03 p.m. - Erica Pelzek reports that Ian's Pizza on State Street is standing room only, and people are pouring out the front door. The pizza company is so crowded, it continues to hand out free slices at various stations on street corners.

5:01 p.m. - Mary Bottari estimates that the crowd surrounding the Capitol is well over 100,000.

4:52 p.m. - Erica Pelzek reports that people are surrounding the Capitol on an inner ring and the lines from opposite entrances, where hundreds are waiting to get in, have now merged into one large circle. Protesters march around the Capitol square and up and down State Street.

NEUENFELDT ON KOCH

4:19 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Phil Neuenfeltd President of WI ALF-CIO says with a smile "it's okay to take tons of money from out-of-state, but labor support from out-of-state is bad!"

4:00 p.m. - Erica Pelzek reports that she spoke with several correctional officers today at the Capitol who came from all over Wisconsin, including Racine, Kenosha, the Fox Valley and Milwaukee.

"MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON" COPILOT CHEERS ON FELLOW WI WORKERS

4:00 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Oregon (WI) native who became famous for being the co-pilot on what is now referred to as the "Miracle on the Hudson" spoke for pilots and teachers, who helped his son, now in eighth grade, earn an ACT score high enough for him to get into UW Madison -- now. Said Jeffrey Skiles of his hero status: "We all worked together that day. We are all heroes [on a flight crew]. And every one of them was a union member."

3:58 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Jim Garrity, a Madison snow plow driver, says "I'm standing in the house of labor."

3:56 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that a UW Hospital nurse says, "Walker thinks that most of us are from out of state. Doncha know I'm not fakin' this Wisconsin accent? Hey Gov, doncha know, the Pack says pack up and go!"

3:53 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Jeff Johnson, a high school art teacher from Milwaukee said he needs to get back to his students and tell them that 100,000 people are here standing up for their rights. "I was gone from class so much last week because too few voices were here to speak for you," he told his students.

3:45 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that University of Wisconsin - La Crosse physics professor Eric Barnes says, "We voted this week to form an AFT union with 87% in favor."

3:40 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that actor Robert Newman says, "I've been watching you all on TV for the last week and a half and you look great! This must be a union production."

3:37 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Bradley Whitford continues: "When a governor puts the intent of the Koch brothers ahead, who fired hundreds while giving themselves $11 billion bonuses, and targets teachers, this will not stand."

"WE FISH THROUGH ICE"

3:26 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Wisconsinite Bradley Whitford of
"The West Wing" takes the stage on behalf of a long list of unions, "especially on behalf of the acting President of the United States. Thanks for coming out here to exercise those pesky rights." Whitford goes on to say, "This will not stand. The Governor has to understand that Wisconsin is a tough constituency. We fish through ice."

3:15 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that Mary Bell, president of WEAC, fakes a phone call to Governor Walker during her speech: "You have another call coming in? Well if an out-of-state billionaire is more important than a quarter million Wisconsinites..."

3:05 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that singer Peter Yarrow said: "People asked me why I am here. It's because the eyes of the world are on you. Do not stop! A voice has been raised. If you hang in there, you will kill the bill." Yarrow then played "Blowing in the Wind."

3:00 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that the crowd inside the Capitol is so loud that their chants can be heard outside above Yarrow's performance.

2:45 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that singer Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, adapts "If I Had a Hammer" and the crowd erupts on justice reference. "Yes to workers, no to Walker!"

2:37 p.m. - DefendWisconsin reports that Capitol doors will lock at 6:00 p.m. tonight. A Department of Administration press release states that "Beginning Saturday, people will not be allowed to carry blankets or sleeping bags into the building." According to the press release, protesters will be allowed to remain on the ground and first floors of the building. Protesters are free to leave the building at any time, but will not be permitted to re-enter until 8:00 a.m. the following day.

2:32 p.m. - Lynn Welch reports that pre-rally entertainment includes UW Alumni Band and 13-year-old Sam, a Wauwautosa middle school student. Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is up next.

2:11 p.m. - Watch a live stream of the protest from Department of Transportation traffic cams.

1:36 p.m. - Mary Bottari reports that it is very difficult to get inside the Capitol building. There are only one or two points of entry through revolving doors, making for very long lines.

1:34 p.m. - Mary Bottari reports that the crowd on the square is easily as big as it was last Saturday, the largest turnout day, and we are hours away from the beginning of the main event. This may be a rally of historic proportions in Wisconsin.

1:17 p.m. - Brendan Fischer has published a new piece: SOMETIMES GOOD GUYS DON'T WEAR WHITE

From PR Watch:

They may look more Slayer than healer, but the hand-printed medic logo safety-pinned to their sweatshirts suggest otherwise. The street medics, a loose organization of volunteer healthcare providers tied together by a shared ethic of collaborative service, have helped keep the Madison protests healthy and safe.

I spoke with Brian, a street medic for several years, to learn more about the organization. "Street medics grew out of a community of medical providers offering their services to the civil rights movement in the 1960s," he said. The movement was revitalized in part by civil rights veteran Ron "Doc" Rosen around the time of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, and membership has grown to the point where they are a regular fixture at protests, rallies, and other mobilizations.

Read the full report here.

PRANK KOCH CALL PROMPTS MORE LEGAL QUESTIONS

From PR Watch, Mary Bottari reporting:

Madison -- The heat ratcheted up on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as more questions were raised about the 20-minute phone call from a Buffalo-area alternative news reporter posing as David Koch, a billionaire whose corporate PAC directly supported Walker and who has given millions to groups that have run ads to aid Walker's rise to the state's highest office. (Find a transcript of the call here).

The section of the tape that has come under the most scrutiny involved Walker's comments that he considered planting "troublemakers" into the crowd. People on the ground here in Madison were quite aware that the first five days of protests were packed with children. The Madison school district and many surrounding districts were closed. Thousands of elementary school children and their parents marched at the capitol in support of local teachers. On the first day and second days, thousands of high school students walked out on their classes and headed to the capitol. The atmosphere was festive and fun, popcorn stands on the corner and thousands of homemade signs.

Read the complete report here.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011 MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

HISTORIC CAPITOL CAMPOUT TO END WHEN POLICE KICK OUT PROTESTERS ON SUNDAY

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

The enormous "protest village" that has taken hold inside the state Capitol the past two weeks will officially end this weekend.

Capitol police announced Friday that they would kick out protesters and close the Capitol doors at 4 p.m. on Sunday, a move that would allow crews to begin cleaning up after possibly the longest and most intense protests in state history.

"Everyone agrees that our state Capitol is a source of pride for our state and that we should take a break to take care of the building," said Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs.

Read the entire post here.

WE AGREE WITH THE POLICE: KEEP THE CAPITOL OPEN

Editorial from The Cap Times:

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association has called on the governor to keep the Capitol open to overnight campers. And police officers from across the state have stepped up, as firefighters did earlier in the week, to join the crowds of Wisconsinites who have slept overnight at the Capitol.

"As has been reported in the media, the protesters are cleaning up after themselves and have not caused any problems," says WPPA Executive Director Jim Palmer, who urged the governor to "not do anything to increase the risk to officers and the public."

Click here to read the entire editorial.

PROTESTS CONTINUING FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, THOUSANDS RALLIED ACROSS THE STATE ON THURSDAY

The Capital Times reports:

The protests reached a zenith on Thursday, as thousands of people went to 26 rallies and marches in 18 communities across Wisconsin, in what the state AFL-CIO labor organization called the biggest day of demonstrations outside of Madison in the state's history.

Click here for the complete story.

NO SENSE, NO SERVICE, WALKER KICKED OUT OF LOCAL RESTAURANT?

(CMD has not yet confirmed this story, but it is all the buzz in Madison.) At the Merchant in Madison, Patrick Sweeney (one of the owners) politely asked Scott Walker to leave the establishment when other customers began boo-ing him. A bartender at The Merchant said that, "his presence was causing a disturbance to the other customers and management asked him to leave." I spoke to a bartender there just before posting this article. If you'd like to give them a call to say thank you, I am sure they wouldn't mind or give your patronage and thanks in person the next time you are in Madison."

BATTLE FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES

Koch Brother's Funded Americans for Prosperity Announced a $345,000 ad campaign and groups supportive of Wisconsin workers fought back against the conservative action committee.

1. ROBERT GREENWALD, BRAVE NEW MEDIA FOUNDATION here.
2. AFL-CIO WISCONSIN FIREFIGHTER AD: here.
3. NEW AFL-CIO TV AD ON THE KOCH CALL. here.

View PR Watch's photo montage of the protests in Wisconsin.

Go to live report.