Week of Action Will Commemorate One-year Anniversary of Wisconsin Uprising and Capitol Occupation
Beginning Saturday, February 11, Wisconsinites will converge in Madison for a Week of Action to commemorate the historic 2011 Wisconsin Uprising and the 17-day occupation of the Wisconsin State Capitol. A mass rally at the Capitol will kick off the Week of Action, which will also include a Valentine’s Day student-worker march, as well as a two-day Documentation Station inside the Capitol, among other events.
Organizers of the famous 2011 Capitol Occupation “Information Station” will host the Documentation Station and collect stories of last year’s events, in an effort to better preserve the history of the Wisconsin Uprising. The public is invited to attend and share their stories of the historic Occupation and protests, as well as their stories of living under the Scott Walker regime for just more than one year.
The Week of Action will culminate on Sunday, February 19th, 2012 with a planning session that will set the stage for a statewide people’s assembly, dubbed the WisConvocation, to take place in the weeks to come. At the WisConvocation, participants will deliberate on issues of common concern and formulate proposals for action within three suggested areas: a People’s Budget, a People’s Platform, and a list of demands for candidates in the 2012 recall elections.
The One Year Longer, One Year Stronger Committee, an ad hoc group of independent activists involved in maintaining the 2011 Capitol Occupation is organizing the 2012 Anniversary Week of Action.
Facebook: One year longer, one year stronger
Details for Week of Action events:
What: Wisconsin Day! Rally to Kick-off a Week of Action
When: Saturday, February 11th; 12:00 pm – 1:00pm
Where: Wisconsin State Capitol- State Street side
Who: Speakers include: Mahlon Mitchell, John Nichols, Charity Schmidt, TAA; Ben Manski, Liberty Tree Foundation; Barbara Vedder, Dane County Board of Supervisors; Leland Pan, Student Labor Action Coalition; and John Peck, Family Farm Defenders.
Details: Mass rally on Capitol steps with speakers; large crowd with signs/banners
Contact: Adam Porton, (608) 466-6368, wisconsinwave@gmail.com
What: Rallying is for Lovers: I Still Love UW
When: Tuesday, February 14th, 12:15pm.
Where: Meet at Memorial Union @12:15; March to Capitol
Details: Crowds will gather in front of Memorial Union and march up State St. with signs, banners, and drumming. The group will join the daily Solidarity Sing Along in the Rotunda at 1:00pm. Students, graduate student workers and community allies will then deliver thousands of Valentine’s cards to Walker’s Capitol office, in a reprise of the same action held one year ago. Speakers will rally the crowd to close the event.
Contact: Charity Schmidt (608) 334-6370
What: Capitol Occupation Documentation Station
When: Tuesday, February 14th, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (room 415 NW)
When: Wednesday February 15th; 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (room 300 NE)
Where: Wisconsin State Capitol
Details: Organizers will collect individual testimonials of Wisconsinite’s experiences from the Capitol Occupation and demonstrations, as well as life under one year of the Scott Walker regime using multiple methods. Testimonials will be video and audio recorded, collected via written prose and still camera photography. The testimonials will be archived using various media, including immediate upload online. In addition, the entire event will be video and audio streamed live, in real time, via the Web.
United Wisconsin’s newest staff member Brian Rothgery will be at the documentation station to launch United Wisconsin’s new “I am one of…” campaign. Feel free to share your story from the Wisconsin Uprising and life under Walker with him. Brian can be contacted at (608) 219-2064.
Twitter updates: #doccupation
Contact: Harriet Rowen, (202) 550-0969
What: WisConvocation Public Planning Session
When: Sunday, February 19th; 2:00 – 5:00pm
Where: Tamarack Gallery, 849 E. Washington Ave., Suite 102, Madison
Details: At the planning session, participants will devise a process for facilitating the WisConvocation, a statewide people’s assembly to be held in the coming weeks. The WisConvocation is envisioned as an exercise in direct democracy, where the public will deliberate on issues of common concern and formulate proposals for action.
Contact: Brian Rothgery, (608) 219-2064 brianr@unitedwisconsin.com
In addition to the One Year Longer, One Year Stronger events listed above, other groups are hosting numerous additional events in Madison immediately prior to and during the Anniversary Week of Action. Following is a list of known events to date:
What: The Wisconsin Uprising One Year On: What Happened and What Next?
When: Thursday, February 9th; 7:00 – 9:00pm
Where: MATC-Downtown Room D240 (211 N. Carroll St., Madison)
Details: Panel discussion
What: Protest WMC’s Assault on Our Environment and Feeder March to Capitol
When: February 11, 2012, 10:30am – 11:30am
Where: 501 E. Washington Ave., in front of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
Details: Brief rally and then march to the Capitol for the Wisconsin Day! Kick-off Rally
What: Picket at the Governor’s Mansion to Protest Walker’s Attack on Wisconsin
When: Sunday, February 12, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: 99 Cambridge Road, Maple Bluff
Details: Picketers will carry signs, banners, and noisemakers as they march in front of the Wisconsin Governor’s mansion, in a repeat of the same action one year ago.
What: FORWARD! for the 1st Amendment: A Musical Benefit to Protect our Rights
When: Monday, February 12, 2012, 4:30pm – 10:00pm
Where: The East Side Club, 3735 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53714
Details: The event will raise funds to provide First Amendment defense for events such as the Solidarity Sing Along and other expressions of First Amendment rights.
What: Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice’s Faith-Labor Breakfast
When: Tuesday, February 14, 8:00am – 10:00 am.
Where: First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave.
Details: Speakers include Pastors Michael Harrison and Troy Jackson, leaders in the victory against Ohio’s anti-union bill. After breakfast there is a march to the Capitol.
Contact: Rabbi Renee Bauer, Executive Director, director@workerjustice.org
What: MTI’s Show the Love, Save Our Schools! Valentines Day Rally!
When: February 14, 2012, 4:15pm – 5:15pm
Where: Wisconsin State Capitol, Corner of State St. and Capitol Square
Details: Speakers will rally the crowd and the event will close with a Solidarity Sing Along. Participants will carry picket signs, banners, and wear red.
Contact: Madison Teachers Inc., (608) 257-0491
What: Wisconsin Uprising Archive meeting
When: Wednesday, February 15th, 7pm
Where: Social Justice Center, 1202 Williamson St.
What: One Year Later – Lessons from the Wisconsin Uprising
When: Thursday, February 16th; 7:00 – 9:00pm
Where: UW-Madison’s Memorial Union, Check “Today in the Union”
Details: Panel discussion
What: 4th Annual WI Grassroots Festival, “Taking Back Our State Together”
When: Saturday February 18, 2012, 8:30am – 3:10pm
Where: Wisconsin Heights High School 10173 State Hwy 14 Mazomanie, WI 53560
Who: Wisconsin Grassroots Network with local chapters statewide.
Details: Participants will attend workshops on issues including Election Theft, Progressive Small Businesses, and Building a Successful Community Think Tank.
Contact: Nate Timm, (608) 220-0139, nptimm@chorus.net
