Occupy – Or at Least Visit – Milwaukee

As one of Whitefish Bay’s more liberal residents (admittedly, not the most challenging title to earn), I’ve participated in more than my share of protests and demonstrations over the years. 

As a young teen opposed to the war in Vietnam I registered as a conscientious objector.  In college I marched with Eleanor Smeal for the Equal Rights Amendment, demonstrated against candidate Ronald Reagan, protested nuclear arms and demanded freedom for the Schroeder Four. Over the past decade I’ve worked occasionally with Peace Action Wisconsin prodding my representatives to get out of the war in Iraq. Towards that end, I marched around the Capitol in Washington, led a lobbying delegation of doves meeting in my staunch hawk congressman’s office, surprised my senator outside the Bradley Center prior to an NBA game with a request to withhold funding for the war in Iraq and demonstrated at countless corners with a misspelled protest sign in all sorts of weather.

Through all my previous expressions of my first amendment rights, I never have seen as diverse a group of people gather to protest a single cause as I did last weekend at the Occupy Milwaukee demonstration, march and rally in downtown Milwaukee. Occupy Milwaukee was an extension of Occupy Wall Street. It was just one of hundreds of demonstrations and marches worldwide Saturday protesting wealth and income inequality and concentration of political and economic power in the hands of large banks, corporations and the wealthy.

Rather than make this yet another political blog post to debate or patronize the issues, I’d simply like to share some of my experiences and observations from Saturday’s local event.

I drove downtown mid-morning and parked east of the river near the planned end of the march. Megan, a Racine woman unsure where to go, soon joined me and we started walking westward towards the Zeidler Union Park rally area. A dozen or so people wearing matching red T-Shirts joined us at a Michigan Street stop light where an organizer directed us north, which was away from Zeidler Park – named for Milwaukee Mayor Carl Zeidler who was killed in battle during World War II.  After meeting up with several dozen others a couple blocks later I told Megan that we seemed to be heading to Pere Marquette Park instead. Sure enough, we soon arrived at Pere Marquette Park where we were greeted by a tunnel of young girls high-fiving us and thanking us for participating…in the American Diabetes Association of Wisconsin 3.1 mile walk!

With a portion of one unintended march completed, we headed to our original destination to join the intended assembly, discuss issues with other concerned citizens and make my sign. I had purchased markers and a white foam core board from in Whitefish Bay. This is the last of Winkie’s original five stores. 

On the march between marches, I ran into two of my favorite progressive Twitter friends @SuperBranch and @LegalEagle. They saw my as yet blank sign and suggested I leave it that way as a statement on the blank government checks that the banks received.  I kept it blank for half an hour or so, but eventually gave in to the compulsion to fill the blank space with “I AM PART OF THE 99%” instead.

While the Occupy Wall Street movement has become famous for its lack of centralized leadership and specific agenda (though some disagree), the assembly, march and ensuing rallies were remarkably well organized. Perhaps incognito leadership and no definite end game may be the key.

I ran into a soccer friend who is a Teamster and UPS employee.  While beginning the march down Michigan Street towards the first destination of Chase Bank, one of my friend’s Teamster buddies managed to irritate a woman who had a bullhorn.  In the interest of maintaining a PG or better rating to this blog, I’ll avoid the details, but suffice to say that if you’re ever going to insult someone at a public demonstration, pick someone other than the person with the bullhorn – even if you are a Teamster.

Other than that incident and some overly aggressive Ron Paul supporters, the two hour march and demonstration of incredibly diverse participants seemed remarkably unified. Beyond the regular protestor demographic (Lady Liberty on stilts, hippies, radical wannabes, students, union members, teachers and other special interest groups), the diversity included every age, race and socio economic class.  Among the marchers I saw were many families, pets, old people, young people, gays, elderly women using walkers (Women with walkers against Walker?) and even some “suits”.

The march stopped at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the location of JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo and Associated Bank. Crime scene tape was placed on bank entrances and the first group of “We Are the 99%” speakers led a short rally.  The group of 1,500 or so demonstrators then marched on from there toward Milwaukee City Hall and conducted a second rally in front of M&I Bank on Water Street (aka BMO Harris Bank N.A.).

Because the “Occupy Wall Street agenda” is so vague, it brought together a diverse group that doesn’t share a common bond on most issues. Most did seem to agree on one thing however - their antipathy toward Governor Scott Walker, which inspired many chants and one of the more humorous protest signs. Other creative signs poked fun at trickle down economics, income inequality and the Koch brothers .

Milwaukee’s finest did a wonderful job keeping the demonstration safe and orderly and by all accounts did a remarkably good job communicating with Occupy Milwaukee participants in the evening when Zeidler Park was scheduled to close.  Just about everyone ended up going home making “Occupy Milwaukee” more like “Visit Milwaukee”, which helped avoid any arrests.

I didn’t have the patience of the hard core occupiers, so I returned home early to the north shore - home base of many of the 1% - to remind folks that most residents in these parts are actually part of the 99%.