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It has been an exciting three days. I'm not in Madison today because I have to take care of family business, but here is how it has been.
1. Peaceable, but loud. People march outside, occasionally shouting one cheer or another. "Kill the Bill" is a good one, but the favorite, and growing more so over time, is "Tell me what democracy looks like?" "THIS is what democracy looks like!" - often with percussive accompaniment. Inside, people are jammed into the Rotunda and around the balconies overlooking it. The balconies over the stairs are always crowded, and sometimes jammed. In between deafening chants and cheering (and the occasional boos), people talk to each other, exchanging news and rumors, and pointing out places of interest (conference chambers, and bathrooms, and electrical plugs, mostly).
There is much smiling, and much giddiness. Inside, we wander (and stay warm), or sit down on stairs. On Thursday, there was a massive sit-in to bar the movement of the legislators. (And also because of all the college students, who were just adorable.) (so were the grade-schoolers and babies, who were all with parents.) Folks would shift to let each other through, and I managed to clear a path from the elevator to the banister for a wheeled person with no anger.
2. Increasing. On Wednesday when I went, we re-arranged ourselves to fill two buses, so that the third could go directly to another collection point, leaving us to go directly to the capitol. We were told that there were more people than on Tuesday. On Thursday - which was, actually, not planned for - the people in the buses were sparse, but the capitol was full: the building was packed (see above), and folks were walking en masse around the outside of the building and around the sidewalk next to the street. Apparently people had carpooled in on their own, not having found out in time that the union was providing buses again. On Friday, the buses were jammed, and I got to be the Bus Captain (which was delightful). The Rotunda was packed, the balconies were packed, but you could walk around, and there were a (precious) few staffers available to be spoken with. People were marching around the building; around the sidewalk; and around the streets. Estimates were 10,000 Tuesday, 15,000 Wednesday, 25,000-30,000 Thursday, and at least 40,000 Friday. Some few were from out-of-state, but almost all were Wisconsonites.
- Gotta go do business. More later.
1. Peaceable, but loud. People march outside, occasionally shouting one cheer or another. "Kill the Bill" is a good one, but the favorite, and growing more so over time, is "Tell me what democracy looks like?" "THIS is what democracy looks like!" - often with percussive accompaniment. Inside, people are jammed into the Rotunda and around the balconies overlooking it. The balconies over the stairs are always crowded, and sometimes jammed. In between deafening chants and cheering (and the occasional boos), people talk to each other, exchanging news and rumors, and pointing out places of interest (conference chambers, and bathrooms, and electrical plugs, mostly).
There is much smiling, and much giddiness. Inside, we wander (and stay warm), or sit down on stairs. On Thursday, there was a massive sit-in to bar the movement of the legislators. (And also because of all the college students, who were just adorable.) (so were the grade-schoolers and babies, who were all with parents.) Folks would shift to let each other through, and I managed to clear a path from the elevator to the banister for a wheeled person with no anger.
2. Increasing. On Wednesday when I went, we re-arranged ourselves to fill two buses, so that the third could go directly to another collection point, leaving us to go directly to the capitol. We were told that there were more people than on Tuesday. On Thursday - which was, actually, not planned for - the people in the buses were sparse, but the capitol was full: the building was packed (see above), and folks were walking en masse around the outside of the building and around the sidewalk next to the street. Apparently people had carpooled in on their own, not having found out in time that the union was providing buses again. On Friday, the buses were jammed, and I got to be the Bus Captain (which was delightful). The Rotunda was packed, the balconies were packed, but you could walk around, and there were a (precious) few staffers available to be spoken with. People were marching around the building; around the sidewalk; and around the streets. Estimates were 10,000 Tuesday, 15,000 Wednesday, 25,000-30,000 Thursday, and at least 40,000 Friday. Some few were from out-of-state, but almost all were Wisconsonites.
- Gotta go do business. More later.
