17 arrested in budget protests at Capitol (Olympia, WA)

[cory777]

Source: The Olympian

Seventeen people were arrested after trying to storm the governor’s office in a third day of mounting protests over state budget cuts Thursday.

In a prelude to what unions say will be an even bigger rally tomorrow, a protest organized by the Service Employees International Union brought about 500 people to Olympia to call on state lawmakers to end corporate tax exemptions before cutting state services.

While most protesters rallied in the rotunda of the Legislative Building this afternoon, several were eventually arrested when they tried to push past Washington State Patrol officers guarding the governor’s office and refused to leave.

Protesters pushed against troopers stationed at the governor’s door shouting “let us in” and “we want the governor.”





Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/07/1608368/fifteen-arrested-in-budget-protests.html

---

Breaking Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[nolabear]

1. Go Washington!

[Corruption Winz]

2. On the one hand..

I'm all for the rally. As a Washingtonian, I feel this is a great thing. At the same time, this is breaking a law, I suppose. It can give the "other side" ammunition in terms of how they look at rallies. Not to mention, how they try and conjure up an image for their supporters.

Still, if there's a cause worthy of being arrested, this seems like the cause.

[The Northerner]

3. 17 trying to storm governor's office are arrested; larger rally is planned on Friday

Source: The Olympian

Seventeen people were arrested after trying to storm the governor’s office in a third day of mounting protests over state budget cuts on Thursday.

In a prelude to what unions say will be an even bigger rally on Friday, a protest organized by the Service Employees International Union brought about 500 people to Olympia to call on state lawmakers to end corporate tax exemptions before cutting state services.

Most protesters rallied in the Rotunda of the Legislative Building on Thursday afternoon. Several were eventually arrested when they tried to push past Washington State Patrol officers guarding the governor’s office and refused to leave.

Protesters pushed against troopers stationed at the governor’s door shouting “let us in” and “we want the governor.”

Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/07/1608368/fifteen-arrested-in-budget-protests.html

[plumbob]

4. Good for them! May many thousands, even tens of thousands join them

and successfully drag the governor from his hideout!

[freshwest]

5. Uh, it's a her and she's a Democrat trapped by a hateful, nihilistic GOP majority.

[maxsolomon]

14. BOTH houses are Democratic-controlled in WA

Not that these spineless majorities do anything but punt on 1st down.

Gregoire is handcuffed by the initiative process which has led to supermajority approval of tax increases and repeal of sin taxes like sales tax on pop & candy. WA subsists off sales and property taxes. both have plummeted since 2007, and the revenue shortfall has led to draconian cuts everywhere but roads (gas taxes are set aside). no state income tax.

[freshwest]

16. I stand corrected, but the initiatives were straight out of gopher land, or Eyman.

On the pro side of the anti-progressive ones. On the regressive ones, plenty like Rossi were against the income tax for millionaires.

Technically, we don't have a progressive Democratic majority in the legislature, what we have are DINOs who give the liberals hell. And Locke was a DINO, although he had our vote.

But we have gophers moving into what were progressive districts and are close to losing levies keeping our infrastructure. They have pushed with 'non-profit' groups to privatize every single function and to sell off all property used for the common good.

The DINOs brag about doing this. They're wolves in sheep skins. Older Dems don't even understand what is happening as a variety of excuses are made for the losses to the commons.

While we have kept up parks in some areas, in fact expanded some, others are being sold off, along with public institutions for those who need them.

We lost a lot during the Bush years that the state tried to absorb while Dems were fighting off Karl Rove and the state GOP. We have had voter intimidation of various kinds, I saw letters from the federal government in the Bush days questioning voters, real heavy handed stuff, plus the more publicized things.

We have had GOP interference in everything we do here and hate radio to spread lies. We've had people across the country threaten to kill Gregoire over a Xmas display, FFS, whipped up by O'Reilly. Our senators and representatives have had their lives threatened and progressives are as much under siege here as anywhere.

Don't forget that agencies have been corrupted in this state so much that some are being handed whole parcel to private corporations; some of the analysis of different issues is actually contracted out. Of course their end product agreed with the corporations, often out of state or even international corporations in some states, I might add. They create nonprofits to sell the scam.

Unions and public workers have been under attack in this state but out of the news since the Bush era. They've gone down to Olympia time and time again, and as far as I can see, they never got a thing. Their rights have reduced to almost the point of not being in a union at all.

The people doing some of the most important and humane work in the state are getting less than 3/4trs of their pay, and these are people working with injuries, working holidays and virtually all of them over-qualified for the jobs and underpaid. Most I know have both parents working, can barely afford to live in their area, and hold their state job and other jobs to make ends meet. They are not fat and sassy and doing nothing, their benefits have been being cut for years, and they are the perennial scapegoat. They have been beaten so long they no longer state their employment with pride. This is what decades of GOP rule has done to this country.

On the more local level, I've see the public meeting forum set up by the state being used as if we are just children who need to vent. Something that people don't want, and I'm not talking NIMBYs, but real services and property are being stolen and when they come and make good arguments to it, it's noted by the facilitators and whatever the private interests say happens anyway.

We are losing power to effect our government as these well-funded cabals come into our state and find followers. And they won't take no for an answer, really hate what they consider the socialism of labor, public servants, etc. Some progressive people have simply moved out of state rather than live with what they were seeing.

:rant:

[BanzaiBonnie]

7. Her.

They're all so convinced that they can't raise taxes on the corporates, they're not even looking at revenues.

The cuts that are being pushed through in Washington are nothing short of Draconian.

[freshwest]

9. And their Koch money funded a smear against anything to reduce the deficit, like the millionaire tax

Gregoire was reelected by the skin of her teeth after the Rovian gangsters continued to front Dino (insert explictive here) Rossi and fight every levy for firemen, police, schools and the rest.

This is the same gang who refused to allow taxes to accumulate in a rainy day fund and insisted on tax cuts when things were going better, because nothing ever goes wrong.

Of course the cuts are Draconian, the pubs are reptiles and intended to destroy the civic spirit and laws of the state of Washington. They are even violating the state constitution with some of their cuts.

I'm still surprised that the protestors went far enough to get arrested. As far as a gesture goes, it's ineffective and if they are state employees they will be on unemployment soon.

The pubs have been lying and berating the people of Washington for years, hate radio is powerful here.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Newest Reality]

8. I have nothing but deep admiration for that!

This type of action clearly symbolizes where we are.

We are enduring blitzkrieg after blitzkrieg in the finalization of corporate control. Let the Partisans gather and storm the strongholds of the tyrannical. That is, while the rest sit and wonder if they should live a life of corporately inspired usury, with of all its bright and shinny inducements towards ultimate and irreversable enslavement, or get with the program and consider the concept of liberty versus death.

Once the powers that be understand that you equate liberty with the price of death, they will be forced to reconsider their current paradigm of exchanging baubles and inducements for your willing capitulation to be nothing more than resources and slaves. If you want to cling to life as you know it and value it so much that you will not sacrifice it, then you have a real dilemma. It is one that keeps your escalating entrapment viable and makes it grow when you will not consider your true circumstance. Just as they have used the idea of a false sense of security, (based on manufactured threats) in order to manipulate your tolerance of each threat to your liberty and rights, they will assure themselves that your romantic grasp on your own fleeting existence will be their ticket to your acquiescence to their relentless attempts to encapsulate your and yours in an inescapable march to a new, technologically advanced form of Serfdom from which escape will be impossible, except by death.

So, death is a choice factor here and, one way or another, it presents a very palpable commodity in the process of freedom.

[freshwest]

10. Good again.

[jtuck004]

11. Respectfully...This sounds intentional. And stupid.

"...two counts of third degree assault for hitting two state troopers..."

Say WTF?

Let me assure you, as a resident of this state, assaulting other state employee whose safety I am concerned about doesn't
make me a bit goddamn happy, nor much in favor of supporting your cause. Too bad, because I do, more than you know.

This ain't the way. And I don't think you are prepared to fight our state police force, which is the fight you just started. So be careful.

"SEIU spokesman Adam Glickman said the arrests showed union members wanted to send a message.
“We hope that elected officials will take this for what it is, which is a statement about the severity of these cuts,” he said."

Dude. You could have set up 500 desks outside, signs, even balloons, telling the press you were holding "class" until the governor came to meet with you. And you would be joined tomorrow by, I hope, thousands of my neighbors. You would be there tomorrow, growing in number, maybe setting up a camp to make sure it stayed on the screen.

I know there is more to it than this, may not have been an SEIU members, that this is just a report that may not be accurate. But if it is I honestly have trouble deciding between sending a "message" to the person who hits a police officer (no matter how "moral" the cause) by jailing him or her for two years, or for the SEIU to step up with whoever and publicly apologize to the state employee they hit. And hope for the best.

And then withdraw to the lawn and stay until the Governor comes for a cup of coffee and a meeting.

Use your head. Not your fists. Not yet.

[Tesha]

13. You're not familiar with how this works, are you?

*ANYTIME* the police and protesters are interacting and the
crowd isn't obeying police orders fast enough, people will be
arrested and charged with 1) Disobeying police orders/disorderly
conduct 2) Resisting arrest and 3) Assault on a police officer,
even if it's your nose assaulting the officer's fist.

This is so common that civil rights attorneys refer to it as
"the holy trinity". Don't believe it happened the way the police
are describing it until you see it for yourself on video.

Tesha

[jtuck004]

15. Actually I'm more familiar with "it" than you know... that's why I said it was stupid.

I made it clear that conditions might differ from the one report. But if they want to win this, they need the support of those who aren't passionately on their side. This state does not have an income tax. Revenue is derived from a tax on the gross profits of business (might there be more business started if it was on the net?) and sales tax, which, frankly, is at about the same rate as that charged in other cities where the state ALSO has an income tax. Voters knocked down an income tax on the wealthy last year, so raising revenue could be a real challenge.

The pie is smaller, but they still want the same size piece they were getting 3 years ago, which means someone else is going to have to suffer. SEIU wants it to be corporations. Not impossible, but they need the support of their neighbor.

They put themselves in a position to create a confrontation - the spokesman said they were "sending a message", and they certainly did that. Putting yourself in a position where people are arrested is a strategic decision. So what was it designed to gain? You are correct that civil rights attorneys will see this differently, but most people are not that discriminating or understanding or well-educated. Instead reams of newspaper and right-wing material will hit the breakfast tables of people across the state and the country depicting the actors as thugs and criminals. One would have to be deluded to think that average taxpayer is going to analyze this correctly because of their superior knowledge of police triangulation. Instead they will have SEIU, arrests, and assault on their minds as they head for work and the water coolers. Yup, they sent a message allrighty.

They may even have lost some support. They certainly filled their opponents need for ammo.

A little creative thinking by these people who I know are smarter than this would result in other ways to demonstrate the depth of their feelings and gain support.

I hope they get what they need.

[freshwest]

17. It doesn't sound like the SEIU, if there was an assault or an attemped forced entry.

If the protestors forgot to check for provocateurs in their ranks, this would more than likely be plants tyring to make them look bad, just as Walker tried in Wisconsin.

Is anyone equating Gregoire with Walker? I've only seen her loudly attacked by the state's resident rightwing wackjobs.

I know people going to these protests for over ten years as the screws have been applied to public workers and social services. I can't imagine anyone I know doing what is described here.

[jtuck004]

20. In a statement from the union

SEIU spokesman Adam Glickman said the arrests showed union members wanted to send a message.
“We hope that elected officials will take this for what it is, which is a statement about the severity of these cuts,” he said


Sounds like they are embracing it wholeheartedly.

I know what you mean, because I know a few of these folks myself. But when people let emotion take the place of strategic thinking, things get out of control.


Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/07/1608368/fifteen-arrested-in-budget-protests.html#ixzz1Iy2swHd9

[freshwest]

21. Well, it will give the rightwing attack dogs some biscuits, but I see further on in the article,

Which unfortunately I skimmed through going from one thing to another too fast, it did have a positive effect after all.

Gregoire set aside a meeting with them.

I hope this will not be the home care crowd continuing to scream for eliminating state jobs again, or some other split in the union.

We'll see if they come to any conclusions without hurting others.

Right now people are telling me it's down to survival level for those needing public or state care.

Applying Maslow's heirarchy is the theme being pushed to resist these cuts. There was a huge backlash at the end of last year over cuts announced.

This is going on with the backdrop of those counting on the state and those who work with them being degraded and impoverished.

Honestly, I don't think Gregoire is that bad, not that I see eye to eye with her on what she's doing now. The GOP is lockstep. The Dems are freaked out.

[StarburstClock]

22. "Not yet." OK then, you'll tell America when they can get really ticked off then?

Can you walk on water too?

[jtuck004]

23. I didn't say don't be mad

But pushing into a confrontation when you don't need to is a teabagger trick - and nobody likes them.

And like any battle, it pays to plan, gather intelligence you can use, be sure you are
going to gain from your actions. Not just march into the fire.

[freshwest]

19. Please update us here on today's (Friday's) report on this. It's of vital concern to many.

[Judi Lynn]

12. 13 protesters arrested at WA state gov.’s office

Source: Associated Press

April 8, 2011
13 protesters arrested at WA state gov.’s office
By ROBIN HINDERY | Published: 7:25 PM 04/07/2011


OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say 13 people protesting proposed budget cuts have been arrested at the Washington state capital.

The arrests came after a crowd of about 400 protesters converged on Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office Thursday afternoon.

State Patrol spokesman Robert Calkins says a scuffle broke out as police tried to keep them from entering the office.

He says 12 were arrested for disorderly conduct and one man for allegedly attacking two troopers, who weren’t seriously hurt.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/07/13-protesters-arrested-at-wa-state-gov-s-office/

[freshwest]

18. Isn't the Daily Caller a rightwing rag? No offense to you, but I think it is.