MADISON -- Chaos erupted in the Wisconsin Assembly lobby about 10 a.m. as Capitol security officers began dragging about 100 shouting protesters out.
Protesters went limp as officers dragged them away from the entrance to the Assembly chamber and onto a bridge that could more easily be blocked by officers. At least 25 to 30 protesters had been dragged away from the Assembly entrance within the first 15 minutes.
Thousands of people waiting for entry to the Capitol this morning were, ironically, blocked by the protesters inside.
Charles Tubbs, the Capitol police chief, said the building will remain closed until the protesters who jammed the hallway to the second-floor Assembly chamber and eventually pushed their way inside agree to go two floors below for a routine security screening. It is believed that many of the demonstrators in the Capitol bypassed security by entering through windows Wednesday night.
The scene was raucous as protesters beat on drums and shouted at officers, who vastly outnumbered the demonstrators.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Assembly is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. meeting and members are expected to vote on the anti-collective bargaining measure passed Wednesday night by the Senate. As of 10 a.m., media also were being blocked from the Assembly chamber.
Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, said, "I have a feeling this will go to the floor. They'll take away the minority say; they'll follow a script and get out of there as soon as possible."
Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, said today that he'll return to Superior this afternoon and he'll join any rallies or protests that are planned.
Jauch said he does not expect to return to the Capitol today, nor, to his knowledge, do the other 13 Democratic senators.
"We don't want to be a distraction," he said. "We will wait and let the Assembly do what they need to do."
In a statement released this morning, Jauch added: "Following the vote several Republican lawmakers were seen exchanging high fives and cheering as though they had scored a touchdown. Their gleeful celebration demonstrates a cynical disregard for their duty to serve the people instead of radical ideology.
"Their action doesn't end the debate, it intensifies it. The Republicans may think they have stifled workers rights, but they can't silence the hundreds of thousands of voices who begin today to restore those rights."
