Protesters known for singing at the state Capitol started a trend of daily arrests inside the building Wednesday that will likely continue as the Capitol Police and Gov. Scott Walker’s administration attempt to enforce their permitting rules for groups assembling inside the Capitol.
The Solidarity Singers and other protesters critical of Walker have been a mainstay around the Capitol since the collective bargaining protests approximately two and a half years ago, but they have recently run into issues of arrests as their large group violates the current permitting rules in place for groups assembling within the Capitol. The current administrative rules require groups exceeding 20 people to apply for a demonstration permit with the Capitol Police.
The original rules applied to groups of four or more, but a decision by U.S. District Judge William Conley in a case brought by Michael Kissick, a protester and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, increased the number to 20 or more. However, Conley left the majority of the administration’s rules in place, leaving room for Capitol Police enforcement.
Capitol Police have repeatedly said they would be willing to grant the Solidarity Singers a permit if they would apply, but the singers have continued to hold out in protest of the rules.
News of the arrests has sparked a back and forth debate between legislators on either side of the aisle, who seem to be taking party sides. State Democrats, including state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, and state Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, have mostly come out in favor of the protesting singers, saying the ability to sing in the Capitol is a constitutional right.
“I cannot believe this administration is wasting their time and energy suppressing a group of peaceful people,” Sargent said in a statement Thursday. “While Wisconsin’s economy lags behind much of the nation, Governor Walker and Mike Huebsch [secretary of the Department of Administration] have chosen to arrest people for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed first amendment rights.”
State Sen. Fred Risser and state Rep. Chris Taylor, who both represent the Capitol district in Madison, wrote a letter Friday to Mike Huebsch asking for a what they said would be a “peaceful meeting” between protesters and administration officials to settle the differences. The DOA had not responded to the letter at the time of publishing.
Many state legislators on the other side of the aisle have heavily criticized the protesters, saying the entire issue could be solved if the singers would simply apply for a permit to gather in the Capitol rotunda.
State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-West Allis, said in a statement the protesters were only looking for attention.
“It’s sad when a person feels their life is so empty and meaningless that the highlight of their day is to invade an otherwise peaceful capital every noon hour and raise a raucous in the rotunda,” Sanfelippo said. “If these attention-starved individuals really wanted to contribute something helpful to society, they would spend their days volunteering in soup kitchens or homeless shelters rather than putting on infantile demonstrations for public gratification.”
The trial for the case involving the permitting rules is set for January, leaving time for the back and forth efforts from both sides to continue.
Editor's Note: The "capital" in state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo's quote about the singers invading is meant to refer to the Capitol building.
