I left the WI state capitol about 1:30 PM today. I got there about noon and walked around to every door. All were locked. What a surreal feeling to walk around and realize that you are locked out from a government building that you have been in multiple times.
I spoke with multiple people on security detail. No one knew why the doors were locked exactly. All said they had gotten this command from their commanders- all of whom were inside. One surmised it was to get cleaning done that they couldn't get done last night. This officer did confirm it was his commanding officers that were making the decision, but had no clue why. Most of the officers did not even venture a guess and knew nothing of why this order was in place.
The press may be reporting that there is bad relations between the police and protestors. This is simply not true. The police also feel this is completely bogus (I spoke with some about it)- and most of them I talked to freely expressed how pleased they were at how peaceful everything is. One of the officers I spoke with said, "There is no reason for any bad feelings. Everyone is so peaceful." His partner spoke a little bit about having no idea why they locked the capitol- she said it had been open earlier. She seemed to truly be flabbergasted as to why it was locked. Each officer I spoke with (of which I spoke with 5) were very friendly and were open to questions.
At one point people cheered and thank the cops for standing monitoring outside- after the speaker acknowledged the police had no choice. Many smiled at this.
When I left, they were forming three lines. 1) For those who had appointments with their assembly members 2) those that were scheduled to testify and 3) Those that wanted to go to the public hearing at 3 PM.
One entrance was open. Many people were still upset that people are locked out of the capitol. Myself included.
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