25,000 people turned out for Thursday’s protests in Madison, Wisc., according to the Associated Press, in the third day of demonstrations against Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) controversial proposal to strip most state government workers of their collective bargaining rights.
Protesters filled the Capitol building, chanting “Kill the Bill!” and “Recall Walker Now!” WisPolitics reports that even as late as 10 p.m., some demonstrators continued to chant and bang drums in the building’s rotunda:
Because the Assembly did not adjourn, the Capitol must remain open, meaning protesters can bunk down for another night in the Capitol if they so choose.
Some people had brought along sleeping bags to spend the night.
“The fact that the Democrats have walked out, it shows they’re listening to us,” Neil Graupner, a 19-year-old technical college student from Madison, told the AP. Graupner was one of those who planned to stay in the Capitol overnight.
WisPolitics reports that the atmosphere in the Capitol “took on a new edge” on Thursday. The number of protesters also raised the actual temperature in the building.
With an estimated 5,000 protesters jammed in the building, the Capitol was noticeably warmer and more humid than normal for the middle of winter. A number of leggie offices opened their windows to let in fresh air, a rarity in February even on a day when the temperature eked into the 50s.
“Bananas! Bananas! This bill is bananas!” Students from Horlick High School in Racine chanted as they marched outside around Capitol Square, according to The Wisconsin State Journal.
College students also joined in. The Badger Herald, student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reports that several hundred students organized a walkout yesterday morning, and marched together down to the Capitol.
Meanwhile, high numbers of teacher absences forced many Wisconsin schools to close for another day. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that a dozen districts near Madison were unable to open. Many schools that remained open were hard pressed to find enough staff and substitutes to operate. Two district superintendents told the Journal-Sentinel that teachers who were absent without a reasonable excuse will be disciplined, but they did not specify how.
Nine demonstrators were arrested for disorderly conduct by Capitol police Thursday, according to the State Journal. On Thursday evening, the Madison police told TPM they had not yet had to arrest anybody, and praised the behavior of the demonstrators.
“It’s all been very peaceful outside,” Madison Police Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain told TPM.
Here’s a video from the Capitol sent to us by reader Jenny Paul:
Protests are expected again on Friday, and schools in Madison, Milwaukee and other districts have closed because of the high number of expected teacher absences.
