Sean Kennedy
Protesters from The Wisconsin Poor People's Campaign were ticketed for blocking State Street Monday afternoon.
As part of a nationwide action to raise the minimum wage, several dozen protesters in Madison chanted and held protest signs while blocking traffic on the 100 block of State Street Monday afternoon. Some were led away by police and ticketed.
Tim Cordon, a social justice coordinator for First Unitarian Society, was an organizer of the protest, which is part of the Wisconsin Poor People’s Campaign. Organizers anticipated similar protests in 35 state capitals and Washington, D.C.
“We’re in solidarity with the Poor People’s Campaign, which is calling for an end to systemic racism, an end to militarism, an end to environmental destruction, and an end to poverty,” Cordon says. “The main theme of the day is worker justice,” he adds, noting the “Fight for 15” t-shirts worn by many of the protesters. The Fight for 15 pushes for a $15-an-hour minimum wage, targeting mostly fast-food and retail operations.
Sean Kennedy
Madison Police wrote a number of $124 tickets for obstructing a roadway.
“I think today went really beautifully,” Cordon says, still holding his ticket in his hand. “There’s a tremendous energy of love in the air, the police have been kind, and the spirit has been beautiful. It’s the biggest civil disobedience action The Poor People’s campaign has seen in Madison.”
Madison Police wrote about two dozen tickets for obstructing a public roadway, each of which carries a $124 fine.
Jonathan Wallace also got a ticket. He works at a McDonald’s in Milwaukee, making $9 an hour, and came in for the protest. As a single father with three kids, his take-home pay is never enough. He says it’s time to do something about it.
“I got a ticket — it’s nothin.’ I know why I’m here. And I’ll be back. We’re gonna get it eventually,” he says. The $124 ticket is at least two days worth of work for him. “We’re all here for a reason, all standing together, speaking as one. You gotta take some kind of consequences to get what you want.”
Jason Freedman, captain of the Madison Police central district, says officers have been working with these activists for the last several weeks to prepare for this and other protests, and their interactions have been positive.
“By all means, we can do civil disobedience, but we need planning time to get appropriate resources and make sure everyone is good to go,” Freedman says. Because of scheduling conflicts, that didn’t happen today, so extra officers had to be taken off minor calls for a portion of the afternoon to cover the protest.
Retired Wisconsin AFL-CIO president David Newby was also ticketed at the protest. It brought him back to his days protesting on State Street in 1968.
“Didn’t think it would still be necessary today,” he says of the fight for a higher minimum wage. “Absolutely not. But you keep on fighting, and eventually we’ll win.”
