With 19 citations issued to Capitol protesters in the last week, recently appointed Capitol Police Chief Dave Erwin is sticking to his plan to crack down on protesters demonstrating in the Capitol without a permit, which he told to the Associated Press in late August.
Police issued 12 citations to members of the “Solidarity Singers” last week, and delivered seven more to the homes of protestors Monday for not having the required permission to protest in the Capitol.
“There are some incidents where we have some protesters who are really pushing the envelope,” Erwin said in the August interview. “I understand it’s a political environment and some people feel that they have the right to do that, but there’s a line.”
Erwin’s stepped-up enforcement is receiving criticism from Democratic legislators and groups questioning the legality and necessity of the crackdown.
The Madison chapter of the National Lawyers Guild claims Erwin’s actions are politically motivated and inhibit peaceful protestors’ right to free speech in a public place.
“When someone gets a $200 ticket and is handcuffed by seven or ten Capitol police and taken away, it sends a message to people around the state that they’d better shut up and stay home; that seems to be the point,” the NLG said in a statement Friday.
The Department of Administration responded to the criticism in a letter Friday.
“The Chief has been very up front that he supports free speech, a fundamental right that the Chief and his officers uphold,” the letter said. “Capitol Police took enforcement actions this week because a regular group of protestors have failed to apply for a permit for their regular, planned activities.”
The recent charges are renewing the debate about controversial changes to the DOA’s Administrative Code late last year that required groups to apply for a permit at least 72 hours before demonstrating in the Capitol.
