Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Vandalism

I was in Madison at the Capitol on Monday.

I was prepared for protesters.

With lawmakers poised to vote on the state budget this week, labor and community organizations said they will march at noon Monday from the Capitol Square to the headquarters of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, a few blocks east of the Capitol.

The group, Solidarity Roundtable, says it will hold the rally "to hold WMC accountable" for what it says is the business group's role in advancing Gov. Scott Walker's policies.

The protesters will leave from a tent city known as "Walkerville" at the corner of State and Mifflin streets.

When I got to the Capitol, shortly after 11:00 AM, I was surprised to see that "Walkerville," this tent city that has been receiving so much media attention, was so skimpy. It wasn't a "city." There are more tents pitched at Veterans Park on Milwaukee's lakefront for the July 3rd fireworks.

Inside the Captiol building, security was tighter. The Capitol police maintained a noticeable presence, in preparation for large crowds expected to descend once again as the budget is back on the front burner.

No protesters were around. It wasn't until noon that the "Solidarity Sing-along" began. A very small group of protesters gathered in the rotunda. They sang "We Shall Overcome" and pro-union songs, cheering briefly after completing each song.



I found it disruptive since it could be heard from behind closed doors as other business in the Capitol took place, but it was sort of amusing for its lameness.

Leaving the Capitol, I passed the offices of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Although no protesters were there at the time, I saw the vandalism.

The statue in front was defaced with "union fists." It looked like it was done with a muddy-colored paint. Very disturbing.

I wasn't aware the property had been vandalized. I hadn't read anyone's spin. When I saw it, I found it troubling.

So, when I read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's PolitiFact write-up about it, I was disgusted.

WMC's assertion that it was attacked by vandals was deemed "barely true."

"BARELY TRUE"?

I saw it!

Here's PolitiFact's spin:

Let’s start with some definitions of "vandalized":

"Deliberately destroy or damage (public or private property)." Dictionary.com

"Willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others." The Free Dictionary.com

"To deliberately destroy or damage (property)." Merrriam-Webster.

Similarly, the definitions of the word "attacked" all include an element of violence.

After looking into the incident, the Madison police concluded it was no big deal.

The message written on the walkways around the building were in chalk, and "mud stenciling" was used for the fists and Walker pictures.

"There’s no permanent damage," said department spokesman Howard Payne.

The officer who investigated noted that the chalk and stencil material "was flaking off when she touched it," Payne said.

If the stenciling had used spray paint or permanent markers, a report would have been filed with the city agency handling graffiti-removal. No report was filed.

We asked WMC about their claim.

"It’s vandalism," said Jim Pugh, the group’s public relations director. "You can’t come onto private property and paint the building."

Pugh, however, acknowledged there was no permanent damage and said a crew was out cleaning the messages off the building and sidewalk that very afternoon.

I didn't see the chalk markings on the sidewalk, but the graffiti on the statue looked like vandalism to me.

So now the standard of graffiti vandalism is if the markings are made with spray paint or permanent markers?

It follows that it's no big deal to deface a structure as long as it's not difficult to remove.

Really?

Can I stencil stuff on private property, defacing buildings and sculptures, with impunity?

Really?

Would it be no big deal for me to stencil images of aborted fetuses on a Planned Parenthood building?

Would the liberal media consider that an "attack" and threatening? Would they call that vandalism?

I think so.

PolitiFact is a joke.
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The MacIver Institute has video of the protest that took place at the WMC building on Monday afternoon.