From the Grassroots to the Capitol
The first time I walked into the occupied Wisconsin State Capitol building, I was moved to tears. People, noise, and positive energy were everywhere. In the center of the rotunda, several drummers pounded on everything from bass drums to plastic buckets. Every so often the crowd would break into a massive chant: “Whose house? Our house!” or “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” Whenever the drums stopped beating, protesters lined up to speak on a microphone to the thousands filling four floors of the open rotunda. This scene continued all day for the two-and-a-half weeks the Capitol was occupied. Like many other Wisconsinites, I made this building my home away from home, spending several days there per week over a month and a half.
Despite Governor Scott Walker’s attempts to destroy public workers’ unions, privatizing utilities, and slashing Medicaid, a powerful and remarkable uprising has brought the people of Wisconsin together in a strong showing of nonviolent resistance. This movement sprung up and grew so quickly, it took everyone by surprise. It rose from the grassroots with no discernable leadership as a solid response to a devastating proposal by our new governor.
In January, after less than a month in office, Wisconsin’s Tea Party-backed governor signed a bill giving corporations a $140 million tax break. Then, on a cold Friday afternoon in February, Walker announced that he wanted to pass a $137 million “budget repair” bill. This began the biggest political upheaval in Wisconsin history. Though the bill has now passed—illegally—there is a court order against implementation until the legal issues can be sorted out, which could take months.
In addition to taking healthcare away from those who need it the most, the bill will devastate public education. Federal dollars will not be available for public transportation. The governor will be allowed to sell state-owned utilities to private corporations in a secret no-bid process. Many state government posts that have traditionally been nonpartisan will be controlled by the governor. How could something like this happen in Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Progressive Party and the first state to adopt collective bargaining rights for public employees 52 years ago?
Three days after Walker announced his bill, on Monday, February 14—Valentine’s Day—the people began fighting back. Teachers, firefighters, police officers, healthcare workers, service workers, union workers, non-union workers, parents with babies and small children, high-school students, college students—all flooded the Capitol building.
And they didn’t leave. They formed a community and designated areas for information, first aid, and food. There was an area for families with small children to rest, and even an area for knitters. Volunteer marshals in bright-colored vests walked through the crowds answering questions and helping keep things running smoothly. Cleaning crews formed to take care of “our house.” Everywhere were signs that read, “This is a peaceful protest,” and speakers continually reminded the crowd of the power we had when we kept the demonstrations peaceful. Homemade signs hung on every inch of wall space with blue painter’s tape to reduce the possibility of any damage to the marble walls. For so many, there was no place to be but at the Capitol during those days.
The firefighters were exempt from the draconian measures of the bill, yet they were at the Capitol every day in strong numbers, in uniform, carrying their signs of support. Everywhere they paraded, a path opened for them and they were greeted with applause. One group of firefighters came with their drum and bagpipes, dressed in kilts, and their music stirred joy in the crowd.
There were several rallies, with up to 150,000 people in attendance. Jesse Jackson attended several, and we were also inspired by visits from filmmaker Michael Moore; singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked; Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary; actor Tony Shalhoub (TV’s Monk); Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa Jr.; and others.
Toward the end of the week of February 20, there was a growing concern that the police would try to remove the protesters. For several nights we waited¸ and I believe that the police, including Capitol police, Madison Metropolitan Police, Wisconsin State Patrol, and police from cities all over the state, chose not to arrest protesters over and over again even when they received orders to do so. Many police officers would finish their shifts, go home and change their clothes, and come back and join the protest.
However, we remained concerned that police would eventually empty the building and arrest those who refused to leave. Most of the people at the Capitol had never considered risking arrest for a political reason before, and they didn’t quite know what to expect.
In response, a small group of people who had experience with nonviolence training came together, organized under the Grassroots Leadership College. That week, we created a handout and distributed thousands of copies to protesters. Though we tried to hold some “formal” training sessions in nonviolence, many of us simply circulated through the crowds, distributing the handout and encouraging people to make a conscious choice ahead of time and remain nonviolent.
On Sunday, February 27, things came to a head. After several days of threatening to arrest protesters, police announced a more definitive order to the media and to the crowds inside the rotunda. They would close down the building at 4:00 pm, presumably for cleaning. Everyone would have to clear out with all of their gear by that time or risk arrest. It was not lost on us that Walker was scheduled to give his biennial budget speech the next day, and it would not look good to have the building full of protesters yelling while he presented his budget to the state senate and assembly.
I arrived at the Capitol that afternoon to find that some of the organizers inside the Capitol, union bosses, Democratic leaders, and police had agreed that everyone would leave peacefully before 4:00 pm. However, many had not been in on the negotiations and decided to stay after the deadline. This was not a deal they had made and not one they could abide by.
The rotunda was packed, and the energy was electrifying. There was drumming and chanting. By 6:00 it became clear that the police forces in the Capitol could not arrest and remove the protesters, even if they wanted to. At about 8:00, some of the organizers called a meeting and said they had made a deal with the police and we could stay in the building overnight as long as we went to the ground floor.
I was not happy about this decision being made, again without any input from participants. We had a right to stay in the Capitol without making a deal with the police. It seemed that the police were slowly squeezing us out of the building. My affinity group decided our work was done there for the day and we would go home.
Upon our arrival the next morning, we were shocked to discover that the doors were locked. For the first time, I saw anger in the crowd, but people supported each other and reminded each other that we would remain nonviolent. The Wisconsin Constitution says that the Capitol building must be open to the public whenever there is legislative business going on. Eventually there was a court order to open the building five days after people were initially locked out. For the first time in Wisconsin history, we had to go through security screening upon entering.
During the week that the Capitol doors were locked, there was a small group of protesters who never left and were still sleeping there. The court order also mandated that those occupying the building overnight had to leave at closing time, so on Thursday night, under extreme coercion from Democratic leaders and union bosses, the final small handful of young people occupying the building left peacefully. This ended a remarkable two-and-a-half-week occupation that many Wisconsinites thought was a primary element in providing energy to the protests against Walker’s policies.
Today, people are still protesting at the Capitol. There is a popular daily noontime singalong of union songs in the rotunda, led by Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. There are frequent vigils in the evening, occasional weekend rallies, and weekday activities like demonstrations at banks on the Capitol Square that draw larger crowds. A small group of citizen activists still walks around the building or stands in the rotunda area holding signs.
There are also new rules we are expected to abide by. The security screening continues for anyone wanting to enter the building. Signs are allowed only on the ground floor of the rotunda. Every day, this new Department of Administration restriction, which violates our First Amendment right to free speech, is being challenged as people bring signs to other floors. Sometimes the police write citations, and sometimes they ignore the signs.
It is important to note the connection between what happened in Wisconsin and the wars our government is fighting around the world. Because of the trillions of dollars we are spending on war, we don’t have enough money to take care of the people of Wisconsin. It is easier for people to get involved in a political situation if they are being directly affected by what is happening. I hope that soon people can realize we must end the wars, not only because of the money we are spending, but because of the incredible human suffering the wars are causing. We had a demonstration against the drone bombing of civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan last fall, and about 10 people participated. As the solidarity among so many people from so many different backgrounds grew in such an amazing way in Wisconsin, I hope we can soon stand with the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and other places around the globe.
As we move on, Wisconsin citizens are committed to continuing the struggle. Progressive coalitions of citizens are forming in Wisconsin to continue to bring people together through large organized rallies; they are developing creative nonviolent actions to keep this issue in the spotlight. Wisconsin Wave, People’s Rights Campaign, We are Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Movement, Wisconsin Resists, and other groups are made up of a wide spectrum of citizens, including many individuals who have never been involved politically before but who are now meeting regularly to plan how to keep the movement alive.
