We spent our first hour at the rally marching around the capitol with the rest of the protesters; a great throng of people that flowed like a river, counterclockwise, around the Capitol Square. When we crossed Carrol Street, through the current of people, we ended up on the other side several yards downstream from the point at which we began. As one would expect, people carried signs, wore costumes, and chanted out rhythmic calls and responses that reflected the spirit and mission of the rally.
On Pinckney St., between Washington and Harrison, we heard the call shouted through a bullhorn by one protester: Show me what democracy looks like!
The crowd's response: THIS is what democracy looks like!
I noticed a man near the corner of Pinckney and Mifflin dressed in a tuxedo jacket, red pants and a viking helmet standing on the top tube of a tallbike leaned against a tree. He filled the frame's triangles with poster board, turning his rickety bicycle into a sign that read," More stable than Walker." In his hand, he held another sign that read simply, "RECALL."
As we continued to move around the square, the responses of one call would fade as new ones would rise in volume. We rounded the corner onto East Mifflin St. and "This is what democracy looks like!" gave way to a new response: "Union busting!!" The new call was coming from a woman standing on the corner of Mifflin and Wisconsin Avenue, shouting, "What's disgusting??"
Union busting.
After making a complete revolution around the capitol square, we decided to get in line to enter the capitol. Earlier in the week, officials closed two of the four main entrances to the building, making extremely long lines at the two still-open ones. While the line moved slowly by him, a man repeated a section to of the Wisconsin Constitution relating to the public's right to be in the building. On Sunday at 4:00 pm, the capitol will be closed, as per Governor Walkers orders, and occupants who've been camped out for the last 13 days and nights will be forced by police to leave, or face arrest. An interesting proposition, as off-duty policemen are spending Saturday night in the capitol alongside protesters and in support of Wisconsin's workers.
A few feet further a small, makeshift band consisting of several Wisconsin teachers holding lyrics sheets sang a song daring Governor Walker to come to their classroom so they could teach him about democracy and worker's rights. As we moved past them, we could hear more calls of "Show me what democracy looks like!" coming from protesters standing on the capitol steps, with the response coming from those in line to get inside. Regular chants of "Our Wisconsin!" also broke out.
Closer to the entrance, a man dressed in nothing but flip flops, and a skirt and sash made of strings of pastel-colored beads held a sign that read, "Even I look less ridiculous than Governor Walker." Perhaps one of the boldest statements made by any protester yesterday, considering it was 14 degrees outside, and snowing.
A little before 2:00 pm, we finally made it to the revolving door entrance to the capitol, on the Mifflin Street side. Walking in, we saw the walls covered with signs made by protesters demanding respect for the rights of Wisconsin's working families and pleading for Walker and state senate Republicans to compromise. The closer we moved towards the capitol rotunda, the denser and louder the crowd became. The scene was absolutely inspiring in every sense of the word.
Shortly after 2:00pm, the crowd parted for members of a Chicago teacher's union, who marched through the crowd at the ground floor center of the capitol rotunda and then up to, and around, the first floor mezzanine. The best way I can describe the scene as the Chicago teachers marched through the building in a display of solidarity with their Wisconsin colleagues, is to say that it was completely electrifying, and put-a-lump-in-your-throat moving. The crowd erupted in cheers, bullhorn sirens blared, vuvuzelas sounded, and drums banged unified, urgent rhythms.
We were inside for about an hour, watching and listening to what was happening around us. Walking around the second floor of the rotunda, we saw a woman holding a sign that read, "My brother is one of the Fab 14, and I'm proud of him." Indeed, many signs taped to the walls of the capitol thanked the "Fab 14" Democratic state senators who fled to Illinois to stall the budget bill.
Around three o'clock, we were making our way out of the Capitol but we were asked by a volunteer marshal to step aside and make way for the Wisconsin Professional Firefighters Union. So we decided to say a little longer.
The firefighters entered about ten minutes later and made their way into the rotunda, marching four abreast down the hallway, led by a color guard carrying American, Wisconsin, and Union flags. Those flag bearers were followed by the union's drum and bagpipe corps, who were led by a drum major dressed in an orange coat and blue firefighter's hat and played, "America, The Beautiful." In turn, the corps were followed by a procession of firefighters and their families that would later take a full twenty minutes make its way through the capitol rotunda.
The crowd in the capitol cheered loudly and chanted, "Thank you! Thank you!" but became silent once the drummers and bagpipers reached the center of the rotunda. There in the silence, the bagpipers played "Amazing Grace." People bowed their heads and many removed their hats. This was followed by another round of "America the Beautiful," as the crowd sang along.
As the firefighter's union resumed its march through the capitol, the drum corps beat out a bouncy, shuffling cadence with a strong backbeat, and the crowd began to chant along, following the rhythm.
"The workers, united, will never be divided!"
"The workers, united, will never be divided!"
Again, lump-in-the-throat moving.
The chant continued for the full twenty minutes it took for the procession to file through the rotunda. As firefighters and their families walked past protesters, many were patting them on shoulders, shaking their hands, and thanking them for being their and showing solidarity with the rest of Wisconsin's public workers. The firefighters union would not be affected by Walker's budget bill, so they didn't have to be there.
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Looking back on the day, the mood of the people was determined and righteous, but not angry, by any stretch. And their was certainly an air of respect for being peaceful, and for being able to participate in democracy from everyone there. There was most certainly respect for the law enforcement officials overseeing the events. I saw many protesters thanking law officers for their presence and support.
Much has been made in the media about protesters coming in from out of state to inflate the rally's numbers and perhaps cause trouble. While there were definitely out-of-staters, they were not there to cause trouble, or inflate numbers, but to be heard. They were there to support Wisconsin's workers in a peaceful protest, because they know that if Walker wins here, similar bills may be passed in their states as well.
As for the people who made up the crowd, I saw people of all ages and ethnicities. There's always a temptation to dismiss political activism in Madison because outside of Berkley, CA, one would be hard pressed to find a more liberal college town. Yes, the UW students were there, and yes the hippies who were UW students in the 60's and 70's were there, too. But I didn't notice one group of protesters that could have been clearly labeled as a group of one or the other. Rather, the entire crowd inside and outside the capitol looked like Wisconsin. Not just students, not just old hippies, not just teachers, not just firefighters, not just union people. It was all of those people, and more, marching shoulder to shoulder, peacefully standing up for their rights as workers.
