So I am at my son's school trying to get few recall signatures-after all schools have been decimated by Walker's budget.
I do nothing except pull out a sign and stand there quietly when this raving Walker minion starts harrassing me. She wants to know if I have permission to be there and tries to scare me off. I pull out my camcorder because I want proof if things start getting violent the way they have been (stupid me, I should have known not to be alone).
Being recorded further insences this lady who then gets on the phone (police?) and starts claiming that she is trying to drop her daughter off at school and for some reason I am stopping her (don't know-she cant walk past a petition without exploding?)
Nobody appeared to her "rescue" so she stomps into the schools and brings out the principal. Apparantly the superintendent of Racine Unified has told him I must stop.
After some discussion of my first amendment rights, and that the principal was actually sympathetic I put my dangerous sign away.
After the kids have been taken into the school the crazy rips into me for taping her and for bringing such craziness to the school. It never of course occurs to her that SHE was the one who created the crazy, I was merely holding a sign and some papers.
I meet up with other petition circulators who tell me their favorite business who allowed them to use his parking lot has caved to the many lunatic calls he received.
So that iis how it is here in what is a much redder county than I thought. I would not even ask any business owner I liked to subject themselves to the onslaught of right wing bull&&) that they would take in order to allow me to collect signatures there. Apparently "public places" are defined as only being open to one politically inclined sector of the public, as evidenced by Walker's arresting anyone who disagrees with him in his palace (the state capitol).
I will continue to collect signatures when and where I can but it would sure be nice to see the police actually ARREST the people who are attacking circulators so we do not have to be afraid. Not to say the crazy lady at the school was going to attack me, its just the fact I feel the need to carry a camcorder because you never know. The attacker is out there, and if he is not arrested what is to keep others from doing this?