From madison.com: Two homeless men were taken to jail Thursday morning after they set up camp in what had been the “Walkerville” protest village on West Mifflin Street across the state Capitol, Madison police said.
Hallis D. Mailen, 50, and William H. Gruber, 46, were cited for obstructing a sidewalk and placing articles on a sidewalk or terrace area.
According to police, the two had staked out an area between the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs at 30 W. Mifflin St. They had signs — including one referring to a hunger strike — several pieces of luggage, a cooler, chairs, bags and other items.
Officers were sent to the former “Walkerville” site at about 11 a.m. after police received complaints.
Police spokesman Joel DeSpain said the men refused to leave and summoned several others, some of whom claimed to be with different political organizations and agreed to take care of men’s belongings.
One of the arrested men maintained he was now a “political prisoner,” DeSpain said.
The tents of “Walkerville,” which had a permit from the city, came down June 17, a day after the state Senate followed the Assembly’s lead in passing Gov. Scott Walker’s two-year budget.Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_8cb1453a-9e85-11e0-aaa2-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1QGoCmf3A
So, according to the City of Madison Police, it is ok to have a bunch of stinky, filthy, vile protesters, if they protested against the governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker.
But have a couple of homeless guys do the same thing, they get thrown in jail.
Keep classy, City of Madison Police Department.
Sunrise, 6:38... Rainwalk, 12:24...
8 hours ago
As the article mentioned, the "Walkerville" protest applied for and received a permit. In many of the permit areas, the protesters were required to take down their tents during the day to avoid obstructing the sidewalk (which they did). These men did not bother with a permit, and they did not remove their tents from the sidewalk during business hours. But don't let facts get in the way of your anti-Madison screed, Dan.
ReplyDeleteRight Jill, and I am sure if the cops removed the Walkerville people, there would have been shouts and claims of Walker doing shutting down Walkville and stifiling free speech. You know this would have happened and the Madison cops would have just stayed clear of them and not done anything.
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