Pass it on

From Dane101 reporter Michael Donnelly:

“Last night, I witnessed the most powerful event I have ever seen first hand.

At the time, the subtlety of it was such that several members of the national press I talked to believed there was no story there. I could not disagree with them more.

Several days ago the Governor’s office put out a press release stating that the Wisconsin State Capitol Building would be closed Sunday at four p.m. and that everyone inside would have to leave. The building had been occupied for nearly two weeks preceding that.

On Sunday morning, members of the TAA and other unions met to work out their strategy for the afternoon. The core of their plan was to remain peaceful but refuse to leave. At four, many of the people who were in the Capitol left, but hundreds stayed. The police present - and there were a lot of them - told the people on the ground floor that they had to move up to the first floor. Most did, but a handful politely refused.

And then nothing happened.

The police didn’t threaten or shout. They didn’t arrest anyone. They left all the protestors right where they were. In direct defiance with the Governor’s will, they didn’t do anything.

It took several hours for what happened to sink in. When you’re expecting an event that doesn’t happen, it’s tough to know when to relax. Many of the people there expected to be arrested. Not only were there no arrests, both police and protestors made strong statements in support of one another. Read Capitol Police Chief Tubbs’s statement in that link - it’s powerful stuff.

Please let everyone know about this. Some national media outlets are sure to report that this was a violent, unruly mess. Don’t let them get away with it. I was there. I have video. I talked to protestors and to cops. No one was scared, no one was violent. Don’t let the importance of what happened be overshadowed by misinformation.”