articles tagged "wisconsin"
Jason Huberty – Wisconsin State Capitol
Thursday, 13 December 2012 | buzz
On Thursday, December 13, our host Tony Castaneda speaks with “the most arrested man in Madison,” Jason Huberty. Jason, a political activist, has maintained a steady presence at the State Capitol, receiving 19 citations, around $200 per citation, till date. Although thirteen citations have been dismissed, there are still six that remain. Since July, 112 citations have been issued in total at the Capitol. Jason explains what the presence around the capital is like. Since March 2011, a solidarity sing-along has taken place each weekday, either within the Capitol Rotunda or outside. The Department of Administration, which sets the rules for how the Capitol is run, has issued that groups of four or more must obtain a permit to hold an event inside the Capitol. Jason reports that there has been a drop in attendance at the Capitol since the new rules have been instated. Jason explains the change that he has seen since people began protesting in March 2011, “People who came down last year in February and March, they saw a lot of cooperation between everyone who was down there. I’d say that’s still the case, but now, when you go to the Capitol, you don’t know whether or not you’re going to get a ticket, simply for being there. And that’s happened to several people who’ve never had police contact, not while they’re at the Capitol, they’ve just been there exercising their right to speech and peaceably assemble.” They also discuss the amount of resources the state spends on ticketing and pursuing the individuals at the Capitol. Jason has observed at least ten police officers posted each day, monitoring the solidarity singers, four Department of Justice Attorneys General who are prosecuting the cases; twenty local lawyers and forty citizens involved with the cases. The National Lawyers Guild in Madison helps people find attorneys that are willing to help the individuals who have been cited. Since Chief Erwin has become the Chief of the Capitol Police, Jason says, the number police officers present at the Capitol to monitor the solidarity singers and protestors has grown. A Bake Sale will be held this Saturday, December 15 at the fountain on State Street to help raise funds for the direct legal costs to those going to trial. Visit the Facebook page – Solidarity Sing Along Listen to the interview: more »
Senator Lena C. Taylor
Tuesday, 11 December 2012 | buzz
On Tuesday, December 11, our host Aaron Perry spoke with Senator Lena C. Taylor from the 4th District of Wisconsin. She speaks about the latest news in the state government. She explains that because the Democrats lost the Senate majority, there has been a lot of shifting of offices. She says what she is concentrating the most is the police brutality issue in Milwaukee, which she describes as “systemic”. She describes some instances of police brutality, such as not allowing a mother near her dying son, or officers nearly beating a man to the death. “We have a systemic issue here that we have to deal with as a community… There is definitely a systemic racism… Businesses hired individuals who were white males with a felony record when there was a black male who did not have a felony record and had all the credentials necessary for the job. Those are the kind of issues that we’re dealing with in this community, and it’s surely keeping us busy at the local level, and at the state level we are very busy because we have many things trying to take our elections from us…like, ‘what can we do to continue making it difficult for people to vote’.” Senator Taylor explains that her number one priority is jobs. “People are struggling…and looking for us to create jobs, and a sustained type of living that our citizens desire and deserve.” Her other priority, she explains, is education. Aaron asks Senator Taylor to speak about how she feels about the future of the nation, “I am encouraged that the President is really trying to make sure we do things in a balanced approach. He provides an opportunity for individuals from different sides of an issue to come together to try to come up with solutions to move forward…. The President has a solid recovery plan, and a vision.” She also explains her concerns at the federal level, “I don’t think there’s anything more important than the fiscal cliff, and I think the states even have to be concerned about the fiscal cliff because it’s going to have an effect on what dollars they are going to get.” Visit the website of Senator Lena C. Taylor here. Listen to the interview here: more »
Election Day: Stacy Harbaugh, ACLU
Tuesday, 6 November 2012 | buzz
In this special Election Day edition, our host Aaron Perry interviewed Stacy Harbaugh, Communications Director of the Wisconsin chapter of the ACLU on Tuesday November 6. She is here to speak about voting rights and election issues. The Hotline, 866-Our-Vote, is available all day today for those who have questions regarding voting or wish to report any problems with the polls. Non-partisan attorneys who are specialists in Wisconsin laws will be on the hotline to answer the questions. While Election Day registration is still possible, there have been other changes made to Wisconsin voting laws, Stacy explains. The corroboration ban will no longer allow for another to vouch for one’s residency should they lack the acceptable documents. Also, the length of time required to establish residency has been extended from 10 days to 28 days. “But fortunately photo ID is not required for registered voters, that’s another big deal,” Stacy says. Stacy explains that the coalition advocates for people’s voting rights, and provides one such example, “today, if you don’t have a printed version of your bank statement to prove your residency, you can take your smart phone into the polls, and you can sit down and work with poll workers and show them your bank statement online…and that was something we pushed for, and fortunately the government accountability board, which administers our elections, saw the wisdom in that, and they made that a rule and now you can do that in Wisconsin.” Aaron asks Stacy to describe trends that are being seen. Rules and restrictions surrounding poll watchers, Stay explains, is one situation that will be closely watched today. She also explains that convicted felons can not vote until they are “off paper.” Stacy said to expect lines today at the voting stations, but to remain patient. She stresses that even though the polls close at 8 PM, people can still vote as long as they were in line before that, “Even if its 8 o’clock, if you are in line, you can still vote. Every polling place has workers that have been instructed to send someone to be the marker to see who is at the end of the line. Stay in line, stick with it.” Hotline: 866-Our-Vote (866-687-8683) Facebook: Wisconsin Election Protection. Twitter: @EPWisco For more information about voting rights materials, visit ACLU Wisconsin Listen to the entire interview here: more »
Jeff Dowd – “The Dude” – Visits Madison
Thursday, 25 October 2012 | buzz
On Thursday, October 25, Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for ‘the dude’ or ‘duderino’ character in The Big Lebowski speaks with Tony Castaneda. Jeff is both a film producer and a community and peace activist, and was a member of the Seattle Seven. He is traveling the country, and is currently visiting Wisconsin. He admires the strong alliance that Wisconsin has put together, and believes that Wisconsin is now in a historical crossroads. Jeff discusses his economic and political opinions and speculates on the upcoming presidential term. He voices his opinion, “what you have a chance to do in Wisconsin, is take the high road, and become the job creator state… We need to show that [the workers] in Oshkosh, who are worried about losing their jobs, and rightfully so, to the 10,000 jobs that George Bush moved to Texas… Germany is now 50% solar…There is no reason why Wisconsin can’t be doing that. There is no reason the [workers] at Oshkosh trucks can not be working on trains, electric batteries, solar, wind …it doesn’t even have to be transportation. That’s the historic opportunity: Wisconsin is in an historic situation where they can start making systemic change, and we can show that we are the job creators. The reason Obama can not answer the question Romney is asking is because government does not create jobs systemically. It has to come from a combination of things…using the phenomenal Wisconsin human resources, and between the universities of Wisconsin…The human resources we have today is unbelievable.” Jeff will be speaking at The Big Laborski Fest at the Labor Temple on Thursday October 25, from 6-9PM. Listen to the entire interview here: more »
Polls “Swamped”
Tuesday, 5 June 2012 | ioby
In an election most analysts say comes down to voter turnout, wards across the state have reported high turnout today. Dane County Clerk Karen Peters called turnout “just wild,” and Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said, “We’re swamped.” At 5:20pm, Witzel-Behl said she ordered more ballots printed. Milwaukee had to call in extra poll workers. High Voter Turnout In Dane County The official forecast for voter turnout statewide was 60 to 65 percent of eligible voters, which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s elections guru, Craig Gilbert, called “a more or less insane figure.” Estimates for Dane County range between 80 to 88 percent of registered voters, according to Peters. Madison’s turnout was projected to be over 100 percent of registered voters in some wards, according to Witzel-Behl, indicating eligible voters registering for the first time. Some Voters Turned Away The League of Women Voters Wisconsin, a non-partisan non-profit tracking election issues, says some Wisconsin students had a hard time voting. LWV’s Carolyn Castore said they’d gotten over 200 calls from students by 5pm today. The Capital Times is reporting that student turnout is much lower than in other wards. The problems are cropping up in places like Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay, which have a lot of students. more »