As we enter the fourth week of protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Ore., it’s a good time to compare that protest to the one that began five years ago next month at our state Capitol building in Madison.
To refresh your memory (as if it needed it), protesters against Gov. Scott Walker’s bill to essentially end most public employee unions took over the Capitol starting Feb. 20, 2011. Police officers from around the state were called in to keep the peace, but protesters were not forcibly removed at first. A community quickly sprang up in the building with a day care, food pantry and other services being organized. Protesters affixed their signs to the marble walls using painter’s tape because a little research showed that this would leave the least residue.
Outside the building tens of thousands protested, and on at least one Saturday a crowd of 100,000 was estimated. Still, city streets workers said that the Square was cleaner than normal, and police reported that crime in the downtown area was down. The only people with guns were the cops.
Contrast that to what’s going on in Oregon. There protesters are heavily armed. The surrounding community of Harney County, far from rallying by the tens of thousands to their cause, wants them gone and is becoming increasingly impatient with the federal government for not acting. Many in the community say they agree with the general thrust of the protest — that the government in Washington doesn’t listen to them — but they disagree with the armed standoff.
And, in contrast to the Madison protesters and their painter’s tape, the Oregon protesters have torn down a publicly owned fence, bulldozed a road and are rifling through Native American artifacts. They are driving around in government-owned vehicles and using government-issued computers.
Finally, when the protesters took over the Capitol, anyone was welcome to come and go. The Oregon protesters decide who gets in. In other words, the Capitol protesters left the public’s building open to the public, while those in Oregon are shutting down those buildings to the very public who owns them.
Federal law enforcement personnel are most definitely not allowed in the refuge offices, while the Capitol protesters never sought to remove Capitol Police or other cops. In fact, there were often chants of “Thank you!” directed at them for being there to keep things safe.
My own view is that the feds are doing the right thing in Oregon. A confrontation runs the risk of making martyrs and heroes out of these guys. And as the siege drags on, the protesters are getting less and less news coverage, which is akin to cutting off their oxygen. At some point you have to figure these folks have actual jobs that they need to return to, and maybe they will. The longer they stay the more we might all wonder just how put-upon they are if they can afford to hang out indefinitely.
The protests in Madison ended peacefully after Act 10 became law. People went home and put their energies into the recall elections. It was productive and positive, even if it all failed in the end.
How will the Oregon protesters end their siege of the wildlife refuge? Will they go peacefully? Will they restore the damage they’ve done? And once they’re out, what will they do to advance any legitimate grievances they might have?
They will not succeed by pointing guns at federal officials and holding an entire community hostage. Let’s see if they can persuade anybody using arguments and reason.
