A Uc-Aft Written Report From Wisconsin
Sunday, March 28, 2021
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Sandy Baringer, the UC-AFT staffer for Riverside has gone to Wisconsin to back upward the protests against nuptials bashing together with populace employees. Here is her study from the frontlines:
“I'm reporting from the teachers' estimator lounge at Madison Area Technical College, 1 block from the Wisconsin Capitol building, where thousands of teachers together with populace workers are rallying peacefully inward the streets, inward Feb inward a mutual depression temperature climate, for half dozen days going on 7: excuse the caps; I am beingness emphatic here.
First thing. NO ONE is trying to block the people's access to their Capitol - dissimilar the Orange County District Attorney attempting to indict UCI students for FELONY CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY for occupying 1 of their academy buildings, together with dissimilar sure enough UC administrators who straight their campus constabulary enforcement personnel to block educatee access to academy buildings. There are bedrolls about the rotunda, camping ground chairs, shared food, music, people alongside laptops. Law enforcement crowd command is really respectul together with professional: 1 door is the designated entrance, together with other doors are exit-only, which keeps the population within alongside the parameters of burn safety. Signs are allowed inside, but no sticks. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 really creative together with invigorating collection of signs are taped to the within walls about the rotunda. Many windows inward the Capitol accept large signs posted supporting the protest. The Tea Partiers seem to accept disappeared. There was snowfall yesterday, together with children of protesters are using posters to sled downwardly the northward side of the Capitol lawn. There was a 1 1/2 hr speaker lineup at noon, utilizing a really first-class outdoor audio organization nether a tarp, plugged into the Capitol edifice electrical outlets. There volition last a lineup of a one-half dozen musicians alongside acoustic guitars at the 5pm rally, headlined past times Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine.
Second thing. Even though it is THIRTY DEGREES OUTSIDE NOT COUNTING WIND CHILL, at that topographic point are withal THOUSANDS of people here. I cannot gauge its size because it is larger than whatever UC rally I accept always attended, including the UCLA rally inward Nov 2009, fifty-fifty though the ENTIRE STATE of Wisconsin has a population of around 5.7 1 K m people (Los Angeles County has 9.5 million).
Third thing. These protesters are non all college students. Approximately a 3rd to a one-half of them accept grayness hair. Judging from the nuptials affiliations on the signs people are holding, around one-half of them are teachers, together with they are non afraid to scream together with act undignified. MARCH ii is coming upward a calendar week from this Midweek - that's ix days from now. I promise our faculty volition last exterior where they tin last SEEN together with HEARD.”
“I'm reporting from the teachers' estimator lounge at Madison Area Technical College, 1 block from the Wisconsin Capitol building, where thousands of teachers together with populace workers are rallying peacefully inward the streets, inward Feb inward a mutual depression temperature climate, for half dozen days going on 7: excuse the caps; I am beingness emphatic here.
First thing. NO ONE is trying to block the people's access to their Capitol - dissimilar the Orange County District Attorney attempting to indict UCI students for FELONY CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY for occupying 1 of their academy buildings, together with dissimilar sure enough UC administrators who straight their campus constabulary enforcement personnel to block educatee access to academy buildings. There are bedrolls about the rotunda, camping ground chairs, shared food, music, people alongside laptops. Law enforcement crowd command is really respectul together with professional: 1 door is the designated entrance, together with other doors are exit-only, which keeps the population within alongside the parameters of burn safety. Signs are allowed inside, but no sticks. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 really creative together with invigorating collection of signs are taped to the within walls about the rotunda. Many windows inward the Capitol accept large signs posted supporting the protest. The Tea Partiers seem to accept disappeared. There was snowfall yesterday, together with children of protesters are using posters to sled downwardly the northward side of the Capitol lawn. There was a 1 1/2 hr speaker lineup at noon, utilizing a really first-class outdoor audio organization nether a tarp, plugged into the Capitol edifice electrical outlets. There volition last a lineup of a one-half dozen musicians alongside acoustic guitars at the 5pm rally, headlined past times Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine.
Second thing. Even though it is THIRTY DEGREES OUTSIDE NOT COUNTING WIND CHILL, at that topographic point are withal THOUSANDS of people here. I cannot gauge its size because it is larger than whatever UC rally I accept always attended, including the UCLA rally inward Nov 2009, fifty-fifty though the ENTIRE STATE of Wisconsin has a population of around 5.7 1 K m people (Los Angeles County has 9.5 million).
Third thing. These protesters are non all college students. Approximately a 3rd to a one-half of them accept grayness hair. Judging from the nuptials affiliations on the signs people are holding, around one-half of them are teachers, together with they are non afraid to scream together with act undignified. MARCH ii is coming upward a calendar week from this Midweek - that's ix days from now. I promise our faculty volition last exterior where they tin last SEEN together with HEARD.”