Name: WI Riot Organizer: 'This Is Not a Peaceful Protest.' So, If That's What You Came for, 'You Are Encouraged to Go Home'
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WI Riot Organizer: 'This Is Not a Peaceful Protest.' So, If That's What You Came for, 'You Are Encouraged to Go Home'

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&nbsp;Wisconsin State Journal reporter Emily Hamer covered a “protest” in Madison, WI on Tuesday night and posted a detailed account of the action on Twitter. (Much of Hamer’s lengthy thread appears below.)Actually, it was never intended to be a protest. Since the event quickly devolved into destruction of property and, at times, into violence, let’s just call it a riot, and the participants, rioters.At the outset, an organizer told the group “This is not a peaceful protest. So if you came out here for a peaceful protest you missed it.” Those who weren’t on board “were encouraged to go home.”“If this is not for you go home,” he adds.So much for the argument that protestors simply get caught up in the passions of the moment. The organizers of this riot knew going in what they wanted to accomplish.Hamer wrote that the demonstration began&nbsp;at the Dane County Jail because one of their fellow activists had been arrested earlier that day. Chants of “Free Yeshua” could be heard.The group&nbsp;blocked traffic in the streets surrounding the Madison Capitol building. Several of them yelled at a female driver and poured beer and water on her car.Next, she tweets:Protesters are now stopped at the intersection of Henry and Wilson Street and are standing on top of what looks to be a tow truck.“Whose truck, our truck,” protesters are now chanting while organizers stand on top of the tow truck.What’s your is ours, right?An organizer tells the group, “We just got word that the police are gearing up.“White allies” begin to “form a human perimeter around Black protesters.” The white allies don’t realize that they are being played by Black Lives Matter members.Hamer sees that the “protesters” have a wheelbarrow filled with large rocks and bricks.“Should we give ‘em back their truck?” one organizer asks. “No!” the crowd shouts back.Another says, “I will fight and die for every single one of you. Will you die for me?”“Yes!” they answer.A little cultish, no?“Who [sic] ready to f**k some sh** up?” an organizer asks.Hamer writes that organizers are telling media to get out of the area, and telling protesters to put all of their phones and Facebook live sessions away.As they approach the steps of the Capitol, the group is chanting “I’m mad, I’m angry.”Shortly afterward, they have chains around the Forward statue, and ultimately, it topples. Later baking soda was sprinkled on its face. (: “ a female figure standing upon the prow of a boat, the figure-head of which is ‘Old Abe.’ The boat is surging through the water, and the figure, poised gracefully but firmly upon the prow, stretches forth the right hand, while the left clasps the American flag to its bosom.”)Then the group beheads a statue of Hans Christian Heg, an anti-slavery activist and American Civil War soldier, and throws the statue into nearby Lake Monona.Several group members “beat a man up and smashed the windows of his car, after the man rammed into a person’s bike, then came out of his car walking towards protesters with his fists raised. I saw the man on the ground curled up in a ball.”Hamer reports:Protesters just shattered the front entrance windows of the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. You can hear the windows still shattering in the background.Protesters are outside of the Downtown Madison Police Station and Dane County Jail chanting, “Free Yeshua!”One demonstrator is trying to knock down a street camera that is attached to a light pole. Someone just said, “spray paint!”A protester just climbed up onto a light pole and spray painted over a street camera. Others knocked off one camera that was on the side of the Public Safety Building and spray painted a third camera.Protesters just lit a garbage can on fire and something inside of a window of the Madison Police Station. Fire inside the window was very small. Hard to see in photos.The Wisconsin Journal Sentinel’s Lawrence Andrea reports that Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter was attacked by a group of protesters and that “the protesters said he provoked them.” Carpenter tells Andrea, “This is the first time I’ve been assaulted.” Carpenter said he had been filming them when the attack occurred.A rioter is asked why they took down these particular statues. “While they both stood for good causes, those in power are not taking that same stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. Having those statues prominently displayed in Madison creates a “false representation of what this city is.”The indiscriminate choice of targets by the Wisconsin rioters (and their comrades throughout the country) contradicts the legitimacy of their stated motives.If the rioters ever had any true conviction in what they claim to be fighting for, they lost sight of it a long time ago.“Get off your ass, and march with me,” protesters chant. Heading down Franklin Street now.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters just poured beer and water over a car on Blair Street, after yelling at the female driver.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“Free Yeshua” has been among protesters’ chants so far.This demonstration started at the Dane County Jail a few hours ago in part because of the arrest of a Black activist earlier today. Background on that incident here:— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)I just saw a red car just speed through a small crowd of protesters.Police came over right away to make sure everyone was OK. Protesters are OK with the police presence because the officers are “doing their job.”Here’s an interaction between protesters and the officer.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Officers who stayed to check on the protesters said other officers went after the red car.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Despite the heightened rhetoric and energy tonight, the protest has remained largely peaceful. No property damage or vandalism that I have seen so far.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“Should we give ‘em back their truck?” one organizer asks.“No!” the crowd shouts back.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“I will fight and die for every single one of you,” one organizer says. “Will you die for me?” “Yes!” the crowd responds.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Organizers are telling media to get out of the area, and telling protesters to put all of their phones and Facebook live sessions away.Still largely peaceful so far. I have been a bit at a distance, but have not seen any property damage or vandalism.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)At the steps of the Capitol at the top of State Street now.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters have been trying to tear down the Forward statue with chains, yelling “Heave, Ho.” Not successful so far.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters just tore down the Forward statue on the steps of the Capitol in Madison.Here is a video of it that is not sideways:— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters poured baking soda over the statue’s face. Not sure what the significance of that is.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters are rolling the statue down Main Street.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters just dumped the Hans Christian Heg statue into Lake Monona.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Some protesters said “that’s enough” and called over a medic to help the man.He’s seen yelling as protesters leave in this video. Seems physically OK, but not sure. He drove away before I could get his name. Car was a blue Mini Cooper.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters are outside of the Downtown Madison Police Station and Dane County Jail chanting, “Free Yeshua!”— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)A protester just climbed up onto a light pole and spray painted over a street camera.Others knocked off one camera that was on the side of the Public Safety Building and spray painted a third camera.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter was just attacked by protesters, reports.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)There’s been no visible police presence around the crowd so far tonight.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Police in full riot gear are here now on South Hamilton Street, telling protesters to “leave the area immediately.”— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters are now chanting, “Free Yeshua,” at the line of police.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Protesters are now laying on the ground in front of police.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Crowd is standing off with police now, chanting, “This is not a riot, this is a revolution.”— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“You are the ones that are unlawful,” one protesters says back to police.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)This is the first major visible police presence at protests in Madison since the overnight hours of June 1.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“See you tomorrow MPD,” one person says while leaving.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)A very small group of protesters are approaching police again.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Around 15-20 protesters still standing off with police. Some have their hands up. Other demonstrators are hanging farther back.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“This is the police. You are an unlawful gathering. Leave the area immediately,” police say over the loudspeaker again.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)“These streets are owned by the people,” an organizers says.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Police backed up. An organizer says, “That’s not the deal,” and that cops need leave.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Things are pretty quiet. Protesters are playing music, a few of them sitting down. Police are about 50 feet away.I’m heading home for the night now.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)An update: Ald. Mike Verveer, who represents much of Downtown tells me that the city has recovered both statues.— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)And the final story from last night’s protests, with photos:— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7)Login to VIP or Join VIP to CommentTRENDING

&nbsp;Wisconsin State Journal reporter Emily Hamer covered a “protest” in Madison, WI on Tuesday night and posted a detailed account of the action on Twitter. (Much of Hamer’s lengthy thread appears below.)Actually, it was never intended to be a protest. Since the event quickly devolved into destruction of property and, at times, into violence, let’s just call it a riot, and the participants, rioters.At the outset, an organizer told the group “This is not a peaceful protest. So if you came out here for a peaceful protest you missed it.” Those who weren’t on board “were encouraged to go...

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Elizabeth Vaughn

RedState is an American conservative political blog. Prior to 2017, it organized "RedState gatherings", a summer convention for conservative activists and grassroots political activism which featured many prominent public figures in conservative politics. RedState is owned by the Salem Media Group, a conservative media company. RedState was founded in 2004 as a 527 group by conservative bloggers Joshua Treviño, Ben Domenech, and Mike Krempasky.

WI Riot Organizer: 'This Is Not a Peaceful Protest.' So, If That's What You Came for, 'You Are Encouraged to Go Home'

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