An open letter to #OccupyMadison: When you’re posting on Facebook using the “Occupy Madison” name you should be extra careful when it comes to facts. When you post under that name you are essentially speaking as a representative of everyone in Madison that identifies with or supports the Occupy movement. When the person running “Occupy Madison” misrepresents information all of us misrepresent that information.  My current issue is the above screen cap. It states “ATTENTION WALL STREET PROTESTERS!!! the city of new York wants the people to vacate zuccatti park for cleaning. The Madison police used this very same tactic to remove/lower our numbers at the capital occupation last spring. Don’t let them fall for it, please repost to friends and loved ones in new York.” The intent of the message is all well and good, but the blame is completely inaccurate. The Department of Administration facilitated the removal of the protesters from the Capitol by having them move from areas that needed to be cleaned. Those in #Rotundaville were led to believe by the DOA and the Capitol Police representative that they’d be allowed to reoccupy those spaces after they were cleaned.  This did not happen. By the third night all of the protesters had been herded from the second and third floors and from the four wings of the building. They were essentially compacted into the Rotunda providing for easy removal.  The Facebook post above puts the blame on the Madison PD. This is complete bullshit. The Madison PD and the Dane County Sheriff’s Department refused to assist in actions on state property. The DOA used the Capitol Police and, perhaps illegally, State Troopers.  Basically, my issue is with the use of “Occupy Madison” to push personal agendas. You may have some longstanding beef with the Madison police for whatever reason, but that’s between you and local law enforcement. The Madison police and the City of Madison have been incredibly accommodating to OccupyMadison thus far. The individual(s) running the Occupy Madison Facebook page have been called out for this misinformation, but have yet to do the responsible thing and issue a correction. 

An open letter to #OccupyMadison: When you’re posting on Facebook using the “Occupy Madison” name you should be extra careful when it comes to facts. When you post under that name you are essentially speaking as a representative of everyone in Madison that identifies with or supports the Occupy movement. When the person running “Occupy Madison” misrepresents information all of us misrepresent that information. 

My current issue is the above screen cap. It states “ATTENTION WALL STREET PROTESTERS!!! the city of new York wants the people to vacate zuccatti park for cleaning. The Madison police used this very same tactic to remove/lower our numbers at the capital occupation last spring. Don’t let them fall for it, please repost to friends and loved ones in new York.”

The intent of the message is all well and good, but the blame is completely inaccurate. The Department of Administration facilitated the removal of the protesters from the Capitol by having them move from areas that needed to be cleaned. Those in #Rotundaville were led to believe by the DOA and the Capitol Police representative that they’d be allowed to reoccupy those spaces after they were cleaned. 

This did not happen. By the third night all of the protesters had been herded from the second and third floors and from the four wings of the building. They were essentially compacted into the Rotunda providing for easy removal. 

The Facebook post above puts the blame on the Madison PD. This is complete bullshit. The Madison PD and the Dane County Sheriff’s Department refused to assist in actions on state property. The DOA used the Capitol Police and, perhaps illegally, State Troopers. 

Basically, my issue is with the use of “Occupy Madison” to push personal agendas. You may have some longstanding beef with the Madison police for whatever reason, but that’s between you and local law enforcement. The Madison police and the City of Madison have been incredibly accommodating to OccupyMadison thus far. The individual(s) running the Occupy Madison Facebook page have been called out for this misinformation, but have yet to do the responsible thing and issue a correction.