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.