For the past two years and eight months, there have been people protesting against Gov. Scott Walker at the Capitol building more or less every day. That is remarkable for many reasons, but last month, when what appears to be a non-belligerent attendee at a typical protest was violently thrown to the ground and arrested by no less than five Capitol Police officers, it was proof that, remarkably, tensions still run incredibly high and what the administration is doing to quell the standoff is not working.
Last year, the Walker administration changed the rules regulating protests at the Capitol and said activists now had to apply for a permit to be legally allowed to protest on its grounds. They viewed the step as a positive development that could finally end the heated impasse.
It hasn’t. If anything, it’s motivated the small group of dissenters who continue to sing, dance and chant the anti-Walker message that hundreds of thousands of protesters began voicing nearly three years ago.
While we understand such rules regulating protests are not unusual or different from other states, video from last month’s incident clearly shows excessively aggressive action on the part of Capitol police officers against Damon Terrell, the protester who was tackled and arrested. Regardless of the new permit requirement, to silence a citizen who is voicing his or her political beliefs with such pent up hostility, as is evident in the video, is and always will be wrong.
If the administration wants to put an end to the bad press surrounding its reaction to the unrelenting protests that have been a stubborn stain on its image, then something needs to be done. And a start would be punishing the officers who tackled and pinned Terrell to the ground.
Next, the administration needs to realize that having rules that allow for subjectivity in emotionally charged standoffs, like the one between Capitol Police officers and protesters, will lead to police brutality. Unless something changes, incidents like this will continue to happen, and the administration will not be able to hide behind its policy empowering officers to act subjectively forever.
One would think that after 30 months, either the protesters pride and resilience would wear out or the administration’s unease at continued bad press would result in an easing of tensions. But thanks to the small, relentless group of protesters who continue to show up in the news because of the way their government has reacted to their expression of first amendment rights, the battle rages on.
The Walker administration needs to realize that the state’s unwarranted hostility against one, or any, of its citizens is not the answer.
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