Published on Aug 19, 2013
http://www.democracynow.org
- More than 200 people have been arrested at "Solidarity Sing Along,"
an ongoing protest at the Wisconsin state capitol against Republican
Gov. Scott Walker. On Thursday, Matthew Rothschild, editor and publisher
of The Progressive magazine, was detained while covering one of the
protests. Rothschild was charged with misdemeanor obstruction and
resisting arrest after photographing the arrests of other demonstrators
singing in the rotunda.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We end today’s show in Madison, Wisconsin, with Matt Rothschild, editor and publisher of
The Progressive
magazine. He was arrested Thursday when covering a protest at the
Wisconsin Capitol against Governor Scott Walker. Matt Rothschild was
arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction and resisting arrest charge and
released on $300 bail after photographing the arrests of other
demonstrators singing in the rotunda. He wrote about the experience in
an
article called "[Governor Scott] Walker’s Cop Nabs Me for Being a Reporter." Matthew Rothschild joins us now via
Democracy Now! video stream.
What happened, Matt?
MATTHEW ROTHSCHILD: Hi, Amy. Thanks for having me on.
Well,
it was kind of crazy on Thursday. It’s been crazy in Madison for
two-and-a-half years now, and it got crazier in the last three weeks
because Scott Walker’s Capitol cops have started to crack down on these
Solidarity Singers. The Solidarity Singers have been singing in the
Capitol—they should be in the
Guinness Book of World Records.
They’ve been there for two-and-a-half years now, every day, Monday
through Friday. Fridays, they go outside. On Thursday, they were inside,
and I was there. I’ve been covering them over the last two-and-a-half
years. And over the last three weeks, I’ve been down there six or seven
times.
So, I went there with my reporter’s pad and my—you know, my
iPhone, doing what we do as reporters. I was taking pictures of people
with interesting signs and then taking quotes from the people who were
carrying those signs. And then the cops came in and started to arrest
one of these Raging Grannies, elderly women who have been active around
the country singing protest songs at demonstrations. And one of these
Raging Grannies, I happen to know. Her name is Bonnie Block. So,
whenever the police are arresting people, I get out my iPhone and take
pictures. I was doing that, and then they were moving Bonnie Block out
down a hallway toward an elevator—this is in the Capitol, a public
space—and I was following them down there, and I was taking pictures.
And they said, "You can’t come here." And I said, "Well, you know, I’m a
reporter. I’m with
The Progressive magazine." They said, "No, you can’t come here." I said, "I’m with the press. I have a right to be here."
Read Full Transcript Here
Solidarity Singers arrests while singing continues-August 7, 2013
Scott Walkerwatch
Published on Aug 7, 2013
As
the Solidarity Singers continue to stand up against the Scott Walker
regime with risking to sing in the Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin
and getting arrested, handcuffed and photographed, the new "policy" is
to arrest even those American citizens who are only photographing the
event. Featured is a Veterans For Peace veteran being arrested and
taking down his flag. Pol Pot would be proud.
