Firefighters Sleep in Wisconsin Capitol to Prevent Police Crackdown on Protestors

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Mike Elk

Mike Elk is a labor journalist and staff writer for In These Times

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February 22nd, 2011 2:38 AM

Firefighters Sleep in Wisconsin Capitol to Prevent Police Crackdown on Protestors

Yesterday, rumors started to spread throughout the Wisconsin State Capitol that police would crack down on protestors sleeping in the building. Governor Walker has in private expressed frustrations with the Capitol Police for allowing protestors to stay in the Capitol. Over the last few days, the Capitol Police have begun to take gradual measures to make life more complicated or some would say difficult for those staying there.

Capitol Police began to forbid people from leaving the Capitol after 11 pm. Protestors are not even allowed to leave the Capitol to go out to smoke -- a major complaint of protestors.

Likewise, the Teacher Assistants Associations (TAA), which has been coordinating the various cleaning and food operations of the protestors occupying it, have had difficulty operating their headquarters. The TAA has been allowed to occupy a room in the Capitol as their headquarters or situation room. They have used this room to help coordinate protests within the Capitol. Up until today, they had been able to arrange a special high speed Wifi so they could work their coordinating.

Today, however, the Wifi connection mysteriously ended and it's not clear exactly why. Whatever the reason, the TAA Wifi connection ending has made it more difficult for TAA organizers to coordinate actions and movements throughout the Capitol.

But while recent actions indicate that the Capitol Police are trying to make life more difficult for the protestors, the police are not likely to crack down and kick protestors out in a violent fashion. However, eventually over time the Capitol Police's actions could create the type of tension that could justify kicking them out. In order to preempt this, several blue collar local unions, firefighters in particular, have now decided to send more of their members to occupy the Capitol due to worries that the population of college youth there now would make it easier for Governor Walker to use the police to force them out. While Governor Walker might draw sympathy for kicking out hippie, college students, Governor Walker would not want to risk the images of dragging out firefighters.

It’s unclear how much longer protestors will be allowed to occupy the Capitol, but it is clear that tensions there are high.