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Why My Parents Just Got Arrested in Madison | The Progressive
Not my parents, but that's the title of the article.
I don't see how Wisconsin can get away with what they are doing, or why they are even trying. Their actions fly in the face of what free citizens in a free country are free to do.
Not my parents, but that's the title of the article.
After making their way through the usual suspects of people who have previously been cited – unsuccessfully - for exercising their freedom of speech in the building, they moved on to others who continued to sing.
That’s when they started going for the elders, including my parents.
It was awkward to be part of the swarm of journalists crowding around my own parents as the police were closing in on them.
When Mom was surrounded by cops who were handcuffing the woman next to her and Mom looked her in the eye singing the verse of We Shall Overcome that says, “We are not afraid,” I burst into tears. The courage, care for her friend and incredibly centered and peaceful defiance she showed in the face of the overblown police action was deeply moving.
And when Mom and Dad were handcuffed and led downstairs singing the words, “Walker won’t be governor, Walker won’t be governor, Walker won’t be governor someday,” my daughter’s heart swelled with pride.
The devotion of my parents and others who frequent the Sing Along to holding open a public space for free expression of political speech is truly remarkable. Though critics and rightwing politicians and bloggers characterize them as children having a tantrum after not getting their way, they are truly on the frontlines of defending civil liberties in a state and nation where they are under fierce attack.
My parents’ lifelong dedication to social justice and building a more humane society has led them to this place. In an interview with a local radio station after the arrests, Dad told the interviewer that he felt “elated” and that he was “proud to be among what I would call distinguished people who have been arrested previous to me.”
Yesterday was the first time either of them had been arrested.
It might not be the last.
I don't see how Wisconsin can get away with what they are doing, or why they are even trying. Their actions fly in the face of what free citizens in a free country are free to do.