Madison Protesters (Video) and the National Guard

What demonstrators did at the Capitol on Wednesday evening can in no way be deemed a peaceful protest.

They used force to storm the building. They disobeyed the orders of the police. They streamed in the closed building through windows. Windows were broken.

This was out of control and violent. It looked like a riot. It was worse than Wal-Mart or Best Buy on Black Friday.



From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Protesters took back control of the Capitol on Wednesday night after Senate Republicans passed a bill curtailing most collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Surging past security, the demonstrators reclaimed the Capitol rotunda - the site of nearly three weeks of continuous protests.

The scene took on the intensity and passion of the early days of the protests after senators voted on a bill Wednesday with none of their Democratic colleagues present.

Outside, protesters chanted "Let us in," banged drums and blew horns in protest and threw snowballs at windows of the Capitol.

Inside, they yelled "You lied to Wisconsin" and "Kill the Bill."

...Protesters poured into the Capitol after police stopped guarding at least one entrance and outside doors were opened.

Scott Golueke of Madison said he had watched as demonstrators on the inside of the building attempted to force their way past police to the doors of the State St. entrance of the Capitol. The demonstrators were not using their arms but were attempting to walk past police as the officers attempted to drag them back.

But then the police left and the demonstrators inside the building were able to open the doors, allowing protesters to stream in, he said.

In a scene at another entrance, scores of protesters pressed against the door as two dozen police officers pushed them back.

Tim Donovan, a spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Administration, said some protesters inside opened doors for others to get in, while some also came in the windows.

"The doors were breached," Donovan said.

As the crowds grew, the decision was made to let people in rather than have a confrontation, he said.

...Shortly before 10:30 p.m., Donovan, the spokesman for the Administration Department, said no arrests had been reported. Donovan said police would not force the estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people in the building to leave.

He said police were concentrating their efforts on keeping people safe, rather than forcing them to leave.

"Some doors were damaged, knobs and handles broken off," Donovan said. "Some windows were either opened or broken. We can't confirm whether any window glass was broken."

So the Capitol is once again under seige.

The protesters have returned with their sleeping bags and bedding. And their drums.

Let's cut the crap. These protesters are not peaceful. They're vile and violent. Their chants and signs are ugly and vulgar.

The police gave up trying to control them. They couldn't maintain the peace.

These people should not be in the building after hours. They should not be sleeping in the Capitol.

The protesters yell, "This is our house."

Yeah, well, it's my house, too. I want them to abide by the house rules. People don't have the right to break in whenever they want. Government buildings have hours of operation when they're open to the public.

I think it's time to restore order.

I realize that Governor Walker and the Republicans don't want to deal with the protesters heavy-handedly, but there comes a time (like now) when enough is enough.

What we saw Wednesday night was not a peaceful protest at all. It was chaos. It was thuggery - breaking doors, ignoring police, and crawling in windows.

I have absolutely no problem with protests, marches, and rallies. As disgusting as some of the chants and signs are, I believe the right to free speech should be protected. I don't want protests to be halted. I'm just not at all comfortable with the inability of police to control the mob.

I have loved ones working at the Capitol and this disorder is freaking me out.

If the police cannot manage the thousands of protesters and maintain order, and clearly they cannot, then I think it's time for the National Guard to do it.

If the police have no control, and they don't, then public safety is compromised.

That's unacceptable. Not in my house.
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Here's video of protesters taking over the Capitol on Wednesday night, from Althouse:



Here's video of protesters trying to break in a bathroom window at the Capitol, from Breitbart:


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More video, from March 10, 2010: Protesters being dragged from the Capitol