Locked Out

At 8 A.M. Monday the capitol was supposed to reopen to the public as required by state law.  However citing public safety concerns the Department of Administration (DOA) kept the doors shut.  Many protesters remained in the building from the day before, though their numbers were dwindling, and the  DOA cited them as part of the reason for not opening the doors.  The problem is that by state law the building must be open during official hours (8am-6pm M-F) and whenever official business was being held.  It was Monday, and it was between 8am - 6pm, and there was official business in the form of hearings, but the doors remained locked.

Gathering outside the doors, around a thousand people gathered, shouting "Let us in!" and demanding to be allowed access.  The ACLU lodged a lawsuit demanding entry, and democratic lawmakers attempted to force the building to be open.  All failed.  Entry was allowed to some, but not to the protesters.  People felt as if their voice was being silenced.  Here they were, citizens and taxpayers of Wisconsin, being denied entry to their statehouse.  During the last two weeks, the occupation of the statehouse had become an important part of the protest to many people.  Now it was being denied to them.

To the Republicans this was likely a welcome change.  They made no secret of their disgust at the occupation and their desire to remove the "slobs" who filled the hallways making noise.  This removal of the protesters comes right before the Governor has his session to release his budget bill.  Certainly he desired to clear the capitol of his critics before he gave his speech.  All statements for the DOA indicate that they intend on limiting access to the capitol tomorrow as well, most likely to keep the protesters at arms length and maintaining peace and quiet at the capitol.

However the unions and their supporters have no intention on remaining quiet or away.  They stood out side in large numbers until late tonight, making their presence heard.  They intend on returning tomorrow, likely with a much larger crowd, to make sure that the Governor can hear us during his budget address.

Union Thug

Here is one of the many union thugs threating violence at the capitol.

Union Thugs

So after 14 days of protests, with hundreds of thousands of people picketting and occupying the capitol building, the police have made zero arrests and a handful of citations.  We have been accused of being thugs, violent, and Republicans claim that they avoid the capitol out of fear of safety.  The Senate Majority leader has claimed that it is not safe for staff to move around the capitol, thus requiring that the protesters be removed.  Staff appear either intrigue by the going ons or annoyed at having to navigate congested hallways, but none appear uneasy or afraid.  After all of those claims the police have felt no need to arrest anyone and in fact have a friendly relationship with the protesters.  They speak highly of the behavior of the protesters and vis versa.  One can only assume that those who claim that Madison is on the verge of violence are observing a completely different protest than the one that is occurring in Wisconsin.

Signs of our time

As plans were being drawn to evacuate the capitol, many feared what would happen to the many signs that dotted the capitol. Throughout the capitol, protesters tapped their signs to the wall. These were unique signs that expressed their desires, intentions, and creativity. It was fascinating walking through the building reading the signs and appreciating the art to them.

The marshals assumed that the janitors would most likely through those signs away when they were cleaning. We were trying to figure out if we should encourage people to take them down as they left or if we should help gather them up. Word was then passed down to us that the Smithsonian in Washington requested that the Wisconsin Historical Society collect all of the signs to be preserved for posterity. They recognized that no matter the outcome of this movement, that those signs were part of a historical event and need to preserved.

Whose house? OUR HOUSE!

The occupation of the capitol has ended...or is supposed to end. Since Feb 16th, the protesters have maintained a continuous presence at the capitol. They had a day care, first aid station, drum circle, yoga classes, and established a community. On Sunday, it was scheduled to end at 4 p.m.

The pretense for the removal was to clean the capitol. While the protesters cleaned up after themselves and mopped he floors on their own accord, it was still dirty and possessed a lovely aroma. While this needed to be done, it was clear that they wanted to remove the protesters from the capitol and restore normalcy.

Working alongside the marshals, we sought to encourage a peaceful and orderly exit. Not everyone was going to leave and we knew it. We established an area for those who were willing to risk arrest to gather. We encouraged this to maintain order and to maintain solidarity. The number of people who decide to stay was around 600 protesters. They were all willing to risk being arrested. However, speaking to several police officers, it was clear that most had no intention of arresting anyone and it was clear that more than a few would have disobeyed an order to arrest the protesters or forcibly remove them. As the situation became tense and the protesters were separated between those who stayed and those who left, I noticed an officer sitting on the bench. Watching him, I noticed that he was wiping tears off his eyes. He was moved to tears by the situation. While they may not support the cause that the people were fighting for, they had nothing against them and appreciated their behavior non-violence.

As we were moving people out the situation became tense. Only one entrance was opened for people to exit. At one of the main set of doors that was locked, people gathered on the other side demanding to be allowed in. Protesters gathered on the inside and began chanting "let them in!" However, they eventually marched off to another part of the capitol. At the only exit so many people gathered outside that the police feared that they would attempt to rush the people. This caused many people who wanted to leave to be trapped in as the police tried to figure out how to get people out. Eventually, everyone who wanted to exit were able to get out.

Initially, the plan was to remove or arrest anyone who did not voluntarily leave. However, after negotiation with the police, the protesters agreed to move to one floor so that the rest of the building could be cleaned. Nearly all of the occupants agreed, except for several dozen people who stayed on the ground floor. I'm not sure why they refused to move. But they gathered on the floor refusing to move. People on the floor above shouted at them to join them and "strength in numbers." They were informed that if they did not move to the designated floor that they would be arrested. Only a handful of them moved. They were willing to risk arrested than move from their spot.

By 9 p.m. Sunday night, it was confirmed that the police were not going to remove any of the protesters or arrest them. No one had been arrested. They worked with them to bring them food and make sure they stayed out of the way of the cleaners. The police seem to be walking a tight rope between doing their job, and allowing the protesters a safe atmosphere to exercise their first amendment right to the extent they have bended and ignored rules.

While the occupation of the Capitol was initially scheduled to end today, it appears that it will survive to another day.

Day 13

A cold, snowy day in Madison started off the day which organizers hoped would be the largest protest march in Wisconsin history. The previous record was set one week prior. First thing in the morning rumors were abounding that the buses would bring in people from all over the state were having to leave the people behind because they didn't have enough space. Hours before the rally began we were already at numbers equal to the previous rally. Marching through the snow and cold people young, elderly, disabled stood up for their rights.

Two weeks into the struggle, threats of lay offs and delays of medicaid payments, have failed to deter the protesters. Not only were they not frightened, they were emboldened. They saw the threats for what they were and came out in greater numbers. The crowds were likely around 100,000. At the same time tens of thousands of people gathered in cities across the country, including Topeka, Kan., Los Angeles and Portland, Maine, to stand in solidarity with Wisconsin.

Entering the day, I assumed that tensions would be higher. People would be scared or nervous due to the governor's threats, but instead people were happy. They exerted confidence, humor, and joy that showed that they believed they would win. In the matter of two weeks they exerted a show of strength that seemed impossible before hand. As the minority party in government the Democrats delayed a process that seem inevitable to result in a defeat and the opponents of the bill staged the largest protests in Wisconsin history, surprising even the Vietnam War protests.

As this day ends we feel strong. While we are aware that the governor won't cave, he has painted himself in a corner with his rhetoric and he know he would never do anything that indicts that he was wrong. However, we hope that the senators will listen. They will realize that if they don't know listen to the people they will suffer when the next election cycle comes. We have hope that we will win, but are pragmatic and know that nothing is certain. Whether we win or lose, we have shown that we are united, powerful and will fight for what is right.

Union Bride

They get married, then march in a protest.

Shame! Shame!

Early on Friday morning, the assembly entered the 61st hour of continuous floor debate on the Budget Fix bill. The assembly democrats had more than a hundred amendments they offered. Suddenly before most knew what was happening a roll call vote occurred, leaving 25 democrats unaware of the vote. This led to the democrats standing up and shouting "shame!"

This both disappointed and excited the labor movement. A vote was lost, to unseemly tactics, and were one step closer to the bill passing, any hope of the current bill being amendment was lost. However, Governor Scott Walker expected the bill to have been signed as of Friday the 18th. A week later the bill just passed one house of the legislature. In the meantime, the assembly Democrats had excited the protesters through their stubborn stance in spite of the inevitable defeat. Assembly Democrats stood up, represented the will of those they represented and pushed hard to slow down the bill.

End of the Occupation

So the long occupation of the capitol is coming to an end.  Police have announced that they orders to remove protesters immediately, though they will do so by 4pm on Sunday and that no one will be able to sleep over again.  The immediately response is one of defiance.  People don't want to give that space up, not until we defeat the bill.  Many have indicated that they will non-violently resist.  Previously when there have been rumors that they were going to clear out the capitol the unions send large contingents of numbers.  Tonight when this news broke, about a thousand people were in the capitol.  Rumors are out that off duty police will be coming to join the protesters in the camp out in the capitol.  However, it is yet to be seen if the Capitol Police are ordered to forcibly remove the protesters if they actually well.  The police and protesters have a positive relationship.  They have been peaceful and considerate of the law enforcement officers.  Most likely the only major complement most will have of the protests is that they have to work longer hours than they usually do.

I know for myself that the end of this occupation will be loss.  Not a set back for the movement, a cultural lose for the protest.  College students, teachers, nurses, firefighters, and iron workers have come and lived together under the capitol dome.  They developed such a unique community and society that cannot be replicated.

The Whole World is Watching

A common sign and statement uttered by protesters outside Madison is that the whole world is watching. It can easily be assumed that people have an overinflated view of themselves and their movement. Why would the care about some state they probably never heard of when they have issues in their own countries and major protests, rebellions, and upheavals occurring in many Middle East states.

However, several organizations in foreign countries have written personal messages of support to the Labor Movement in Wisconsin. Solidarity of Poland, the party which helped end the communist government wrote a letter of solidarity; one of the leaders of the Tahrir Square protests in Egypt sent a personal message of support and other movements have indicated their support. The BBC and the Guardian have placed Wisconsin as headline news more than once. In addition, it is the massive donations of food, in the way of pizza grams from numerous countries, that have caught people's attention.

Protesters believe that the reason for the attention is due to the movements toward democracy in the Middle East. Countries are trying to increase their freedom and break from dictatorial rule. Then in America they see elected leaders rolling back on rights, which to some are seen as fundamental. Worker rights are included in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. We believe that those countries and their citizens are worried about what it means if America, long a symbol of democracy, attacks and eliminates rights which are held as fundamental.

Whatever reason for that support, people are the ground feel empowered. They feel that they have the support of the world, that they are watching us and rooting for us. It makes our effort seem bigger and more important then it may be, but it encourages us.

Solidarity

Across the country moveon.org is having rallies in support of Wisconsin. If you have time I encourage everyone to go and stand in Solidarity with Wisconsin.

Coast to Coast Solidarity

Twelve hours a day Joanie was watching television coverage of the Pro-Labor rallies in Madison, Wis. from her home in San Fransisco. She felt compassion and sense of solidarity with the protesters. One day she hops a flight to Madison and camps out in the Capitol building besides hundreds of others. She could no longer just sit at home and watch events unfold, she wanted to be there where the action was and help the labor movement defend its values.

While the vast majority of those protesting are Wisconsinites, there are a minority who represent states across the U.S. who come to show solidarity. A group of 500 hundred teachers flew in from L.A., union members drive up from Chicago and the Twin Cities, and people representing Massachusetts, Nevada, Iowa, Washington State have marched and protested with those from Wisconsin. I have heard a story about a state representative from Maine hopping in her car to drive to Madison, accumulating donations of food along the way.


What has driven some to travel so far is the belief in the movement for labor. That we must stand and defend union rights in Wisconsin or similar bills will be passed in numerous other states. The massive show of force and the courageous actions of the democratic legislatures has lead many to believe that we can win if we remain strong and united. By standing there in Madison they feel that are part of history while it unfolds and that they are helping us win.

Hostage Crisis

Lay off notices are being sent to government employees and people in nursing homes may not receive payments from the state. Why? Because Scott Walker isn't getting his way. Political disagreements occur and don't need to get ugly. So why is our governor more willing to hurt citizens and elderly of this state than to sit down and negotiate with the unions. It seems like he is so determined to get his way that it doesn't matter who gets hurt.

We feel as if he is threatening us, "do what I want or I'll off a hostage" is the message, which we're getting. However, the hostages are government workers and elderly in nursing homes. The sad thing is the concessions have been offered, the unions are willing to take cuts. It is Scott Walker who refuses. He is so determined to bust unions that he appears willing to do anything.

I do feel a sense of uncertainty, that we may be risking too much. That this man will not back, will not admit he was wrong, and will not accept any compromise. However, if we don't than he will most likely lay off workers, and this bill opens up the way to gut Medicaid programs. The worse part is he doesn't need to any of this. He has the ability to balance the budget and end this. He just has to agree not to restrict bargaining rights. This must end and we must protect workers and the vulnerable of this state.

This is a peaceful protest

During a prank call by the Buffalo Beast, a blogger out of Buffalo, NY, Governor Scott Walker indicated that he had considered and not acted on the idea of putting troublemakers among the protesters to cause problems.  This indicates that he was going to consider disrupting the peaceful protests with potential violence.  Maybe he didn't mean it that way, but many believe that his what he means.

What is deeply troubling to many is that there are many babies, infants, and children at the protests.  Were violence to occur, they would likely be hurt.  A former teacher expressed his disgust over Walker stating that the other day he brought his two young children with him.  Others are unhappy as they worked hard to ensure that this is a peaceful protest.  Many protesters bear signs declaring "This is a peaceful protests", and volunteer Marshals are present ensuring that problems are defused.  The Madison Chief of Police demanded that Walker explain his comment, as he and his officers have worked hard to ensure that democracy is able to be exercised in safety.

However, if that was considered, is the Governor afraid of this protests?  Does he feel that he needs to discredit the movement to win?  If that is the case, then it reveals the weakness of his side.

The Fab 14

Signs and buttons inside and outside of the Wisconsin Capitol, proclaim people's love for the Wisconsin 14 or the Fab 14. The WI 14 are the 14 democratic senators of Wisconsin who have been heroes to the protesters and the union supporters. On Thursday morning of the 17th, the Senate was convening to begin discussion on the budget fix bill. Its passing was a forgone conclusion. The Republicans held the senate with a 19-14 margin and were pushing it through at high speed. The Republicans noticed that 14 members of the senate were missing. The Sergeant of Arms was dispatched to retrieve them so they could begin. The search was hampered by hundreds of students preforming a sit-in, making it extremely difficult for him to get to the offices. Once there he could not account for any of the democrats. As time went on it was discovered that they were in Illinois. There absence prevented a quorum and by senate rules they need 3/5 majorities to pass fiscal bills. Their absence makes them 1 vote short of a quorum.

Since then Governor Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald have claimed that they are preventing democracy from occurring and they were acting unethically. To some this is wrong, they have delayed the process by leaving and preventing a quorum. Others see them as obstructing democracy and ignoring their duty to the voters and taxpayers. They want them to return to have a yes or no vote on the bill and move on.

To the unions and the protesters this was an act of political courage. They become the heroes the hour. Recently, many have seen the democrats as being spineless, afraid to make a stand that may be politically dangerous. Often we have been left down by elected leaders, who look at the political winds before acting. However, they took a bold act, that took courage and conviction. Whatever their faults may be, they saw the massive crowds and opposition toward bill and most have recognized that would have support if they acted to block the bill. So they used the most effective tool in their disposal and that was leaving the state of Wisconsin and went to Illinois.


Walking through the protesters there are signs that state "We love the WI 14" or "Fab 14" and other signs indicting their support for them. Since then, Senators Erpenbach and Miller have made calls, made appearance on news shows to state why they left and have given calls to supporters to encourage them.


Most likely it was the actions and courage of those senators that embolden Indiana House Democrats to leave their state when a similar bill was proposed. There action was one of many that has help grow the movement and show that the unions and labor will fight back and will not meekly accept an erosion of their rights.

Marshals

The protests consists of dozens of different unions, people from different cities across the state, and various groups. When that many people are gathered in one place safety and security are obvious concerns. To handle that, the police have brought in hundreds of deputies from across the state. However, they are not the only people there handling security and safety concerns. AFSCME, in conjunction with the other unions, the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and Advancing Wisconsin, has organized volunteer marshals. They are not security personal, they are volunteers who help protesters get enthused, organized, and defuse situations. They are the people walking around in reflective vests leading people in chants. They direct the flow of traffic, they stand next counter-protesters to prevent a crowd from forming, and try to make this protests as positive as possible. These people have become a vital part of the movement.


The people who are marshals are a diverse lot. Fred, a retired teacher, is to stand in solidarty with current teachers; Bob is from St. Louis, Mo., works for American Federation of State County Municipal Employees and came up to volunteer and help the organizers of the protest; Tylon is an international student and a member of the Teacher Assistant Association; and Nicole is non-unionized nurse, who could not stand by and not act when the unions were under assualt. They are there because they want to make this protest work, they want to make sure that this is a positive message.


Fox News has focused itself on the signs comparing Walker to Hitler and Mubarak. The marshals request that people not show those signs and politely request that they be removed. We cannot demand that they not have those as we strongly believe in First Amendment rights. However, the number of those has drastically decreased while the number of protesters has increased. They have effectively reduced those signs.


When counter protesters walk through with signs support Walker, criticizing the unions and teachers, and being confrontational the marshals will encourage people to keep moving, to not engage. They have a right to be there, but once we ignore them, they usually leave. However one impressive sight was those counter-Protesters were rarely engaged by the pro-union people. They ignored them. They didn't acknowledge them.


With massive crowds of people the marshals often served as guides. Encouraging people to walk in the appropriate direction. This traffic control made the rallies and marches more effective and safer. When massive crowds converge and don't move, people can get hurt.


One day police officers approached the marshals and thanked them. The next day ,a letter to the editor stated that the reason way the protests were so peaceful was not due to the police officers, but due to the marshals. Police officers can be intimidating to some and people may react badly to a well intentioned officer simply trying to defuse a situation. However, a volunteer inserting themselves are more effective, because they are also protesting and they are there for similar reasons.

Pizza-grams

Standing out in the cold on Monday morning, my toes were freezing, my fingers numb and I was desperately wishing that Governor Scott Walker had released this bill in July. As I was pacing back and forth trying to keep the blood flowing in my feet, one of teachers picketing announced that they had pizza provided by teachers from L.A. Over the next few minutes, I looked around and saw pizza delivery drivers from numerous restaurant bringing hundreds of pizza to thousands of protesters. The food came from all over the country and even the world. Websites were set up for people to donate food through local restaurants. We refer to this as pizza-grams. One of the local restaurants has maintained a list of all states and counties that have donated. As of Feb. 22 these people in these countries have donated: Morocco, France, Antarctica, Czech Republic, South Korea, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Poland, Mexico, Singapore, Costa Rica, Armenia, Nicaragua, Israel, Hong Kong, Haiti and Iceland. Plus all 50 states and D.C. and Puerto Rico. This was just the donations through Ian's Pizza. That restaurant suspended dine-in and delivery service just to handle donated food.

And it is not just pizza. One cold icy day the Subway workers chipped their money in to buy food for the protesters. Local coffee shops have donated coffee to keep the protesters warm. I am aware of at least four different businesses that are giving coffee to the protesters. Other people are giving bottled water and warm clothing.

People across the world support what we are doing and something as simply as ensuring that we feed makes a differences. Our spirits are lifted as we have warm food and coffee. Not just due to the food, but the knowledge that people are giving what they can to help us, gives us a moral boost. People may not be able to be there on the street or in the Capitol with us, but they are giving us support to continue our movement.

Why we fight

Listening to the media it is easy to get the perception that the people in Wisconsin are whiners. Or if you listen to Fox News or other conservative “news” sources you may get the impression that we are violent thugs - Limbaugh and Beck have said as much. This rhetoric is used to mis-characterize the movement and to vilify us. To make us not a grassroots movement that cares about their state, but individuals more concerned with greed then helping carry the load of a fiscal crisis.


So why are we here and we are fighting?

The reasons are as diverse as the people who possess them. However, I will break them into a few simple categories. First, I will start with the graduate students. They are angry and here because of the cut in their benefits. The change in benefits will cause many to no longer be able to afford health care. The life of a graduate student is one of manageable poverty. He or she struggles to make ends meet and enjoy the fact that he or she has health care. If the bill passes, many will be force to live without health care.


The public workers impacted by the bill fear what losing their right to bargain will bring. That right allowed nurses to set a limit on mandatory overtime, has allowed teachers a say in how they teach, and has allowed workers to have desired standards of safety in the workplace. The right to bargain has an impact beyond benefits and wages.

The firefighters and police are fighting even though they are exempt. The budget proposal impacts public workers with the exemption of firefighters, police officers, and state troopers. It is certainly not a coincidence that the only three unions exempted are the only three which endorsed Governor Walker. I am sure that he did not exempt them out of a desire of political payback. However, the state troopers have withdrawn their endorsement and the firefighters and police both actively oppose the bill. They oppose out of a strong belief that they will be next. Why would he stop at those unions when their benefits cost the state a great deal. They know that the attack on union rights will be at their door soon enough.

The private labor unions are actively opposed out of a sense of solidarity. They have struggled for their rights and have seen their membership dwindle over the decades. Now that the attack on labor has begun they will not back down. They fear that after they have busted or crippled the public unions Governor Walker will attempt to make Wisconsin a Right to Work state, which often will greatly weaken unions and have a lower standard of pay.

Then there are non-union members who fill out the ranks of the protesters. This rank includes the businesses in Madison and other communities that sees a great deal of business come from union workers and an attack on their benefits and rights will decrease their revenue. Others have friends, family in the labor or simply possess a belief in the importance of union. My support for union arises from my knowledge of American history and what unions did for all workers. They set safety standards, the 40-hour work week, the weekend, overtime pay, unemployment benefits, and many other benefits that most workers benefit from today. In addition to that historical knowledge, I believe that continued unionization allows a democratization of the workplace. Allow them to speak for themselves to improve their role as an employee and to make them more effective.

Additionally, everyone seems to feel some sense of embattled. That a group of people are under attack and their rights are being assaulted. We believe that an entire group of people are under assault for no justifiable reason. That if we lose it will mean the low erosion of rights and power.



However, if you listen to the news, the Republicans still spout the line that it's all about benefits and sharing the burden. They continue this after they rejected out of hand a compromise that would pass the bill with only the bargaining rights removed. They do so because if they frame this fight as one over benefits and money then the governor will win; if it is correctly framed as rights, then the republicans lose.

WTF is Going on in Madison?

Why is Madison a "city in chaos?" Well it isn't but some people stated that it is. The city is now undergoing major peaceful demonstrations and protests on a daily basis due to Governor Scott's budget proposal. But those not in the area many not understand how it developed and what is happening.

The budget fix bill has several major provisions. One is to reduce pension payments and benefits and have the workers pay the difference. The other is to significantly restrict bargaining rights to the point that the public unions will be toothless. Other provisions greatly restrict the power of public unions with a clear aim of busting them. Governor Walker focused on the benefit cuts as being essential, while the opposition is greatly concerned with the restrictions on the unions and fear what it means for workers in Wisconsin.

This began simply enough. As the bill was announced on Friday the 11th, the graduate students organized their colleagues, students, and friends to go to governor's office to give him Valentine cards. These heartfelt cards requested that he "not break their hearts." As the governor would not see them to receive the cards, they left them outside his door and proceeded to gather outside by his office window and declared their opposition to the bill. This action started an ongoing succession of rallies which continued until today.

The next few days people gathered in growing numbers, angry at the bill. More people came out, mostly public union members and their supporters. However, Thursday the entire tone of the protests changed. On Thursday 40 percent of the Madison teachers called in sick the night before shutting the school district down. The students organized a walk out, graduates students began a teach out. The geology department sent a message regarding concerns that everyone was getting ill and that the cure was at the Capitol building. Thousands of people gathered at the capitol, with students preforming a sit-in, blocking access to the building. When the Senate was finally able to convene to consider the bill, they noticed that 14 members were missing. The democrats were missing, making them one member short of quorum. Thank God for parliamentary procedures.

Missing those senators, effectively blocked the vote. To ensure that they could not be forced to go the capitol they drove to Illinois. This reinvigorated the union members. From feeling that their efforts would be in vain, they had a sense of hope. The senators bought them time to organized, to make their voices heard.

The following day, the Milwaukee teachers suddenly all got sick and district was shut down, as well as was Madison. The two largest districts were closed. Members of all major unions, private and public began to arrive. The numbers swelled from 20,000 to 30,000 people, perhaps more. These people represented a vast strata of the populace. Obviously government workers such as teachers, sanitation, laborers, and corrections were there in strength. However, police and firefighters, who endorsed Gov. Walker and were exempt from the bill - which I am sure was just a complete coincidence - were present. The firefighters showed a tremendous show of strength having hundreds of members from all over the state present. Private labor unions, like SEIU and AFL-CIO members arrived in large groups. They saw this as an attack on the entire institution of labor. A clique seen on many signs "an injury on one is an injury on all." Walking

next to the laborers and iron workers were high

school students. They organized their own groups to support their teachers. They were some of the most entertaining aspects of the protest. They showed enthusiasm and energy not matched by other groups. also the college students. They enjoyed marching down the downtown street in massive groups to arrive at the capitol. Always an impressive site. The students were also identified by their protest signs with references to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other nerdy references.

That night on Friday we received another sense of hope from the governor himself. A compromise was offered by the unions. They would accept the bill as long as the language regarding bargaining rights was removed. Walker steadfastly refused, yet he still claimed that the unions were whining over benefits. He made it clear that he was an old fashioned union buster. This was the image that we needed people to see.

By this point the movement for labor rights hit a huge level. On Saturday, 68,000 people came out in support. It was a site to see and largest protest in Wisconsin history. We are making a statement that we stand by our state workers and their unions. We were able to fill the loop around the capitol building with a continual march of protesters who stayed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in massive numbers. In fact, we grew throughout the day. At the same time this was occurring the Tea Party held a rally for the bill. They claimed to be the silent majority and that they vastly outnumbered the pro-union protesters. They arrived and numbered around 2,000. They were outnumbered 34: 1. Its was glad to see that the "silent majority" revealed their strength to us.

The next two days ice and snow storms hit the area. Still massive numbers show up despite the weather. On Sunday, 5,000 people gathered inside the capitol and the next day 20,000 or more people marched outside in the sleet. Yet, we still marched and spoke our mind. The sleet or snow would not stop the movement. Though my frozen feet wished it would.

Now, we wind up the rallies and the massive show of force. As of today we will hold occasionally rallies as people must work, take care of families, and not become ice cubes in the cold. As we are preparing for the long haul. It is becoming clear that this fight will most likely drag on for another week or much longer.

Occupying the Capitol

I am currently sitting in the capitol building of Wisconsin at 11:00 p.m. and I am surrounded by hundreds of people. You may be asking what the hell would people be doing in the capitol at this time. Heck, why would you go to the Capitol at all? Those are good questions. About a week ago, during the week of Valentine's Day, the University of Wisconsin (UW) Teaching Assistant Association (TAA) along with hundreds of students moved in to protest the Budget Fix proposed by Governor Walker. That bill would cut benefits to state employees and end bargaining rights with the aim of weakening the union to the point that they would be impotent. This sparked thousands of people to act across the state. As part of that action, the protesters "occupied" the capitol 24/7.

This action led to Republican senate majority leader describing the capitol as being a powderkeg and dangerous. However, it is anything but. The capitol is being treated as there home. A structure was put in place, rules were established, and respected. On a pillar in the capitol a information board was created with rules of behavior.

"1) This house is your house, feel free to decorate it, but no defacing."

"2) No Alochol or drugs."

"3) Clean up after yourself."

"4) Quiet time after 1am for people to sleep."

If one looks around the capitol there are personal signs and messages.They are messages of defiances and messages of appreciation. They show the great differences of opinion and backgrounds of the people here. One of the more moving things I have seen was the door to members of the democratic assemblymen. Hundreds of sticky notes with messages simply stating "Thank you" or "Keep Fighting." The notes were so many that they took part of the wall and door frame.

In addition people have made this their home. Yoga classes take place every night. A drum circle occurs in the early evening. People dance and have fun. Volunteers wander the hallway picking up trash, mopping the floors, and scraping stickers or gum off the floor. They feel that it is their responsibility and not the janitors to do so. And considering the fact that several thousand people are moving in and out of the building at all. A "library" was set up in the hallway. Throughout the day food is provided. The food is one of the more amazing aspects of this. People in the community are donating money. but in addition to that people in 47 states plus D.C. and citizens of South Korea, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Germany, China, England, the Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, and Italy are giving money to feed the protesters. Subway workers chipped in to provided food at the capitol. And on Monday people from all over the country were buying enough food to feed several thousand people.

During all hours of the day volunteers walk through the hallway picking up trash. Other volunteers monitor the building, ensuring safety and security. While there is a sizable police presence, organizers prefer that volunteers handle the problems. However, the relationship with the police is mostly positive. People respect them and treat them accordingly. While some may speak of the volatile nature of the capitol the police do not act as if they expecting violence as evidence by their texting, relaxing, and chatting with protesters while on duty.

Every night several hundred people sleep here. Graduate students, undergrads, teachers, fire fighters, nurses, university employees and private sector workers sleep here.

They do so out of a desire to show force and solidarity. Show that they are in this for the long haul. To show that they will and must be heard. That their voices will not be silenced or ignored. They will be heard and they will make a positive difference upon Wisconsin.