Another assault on Capital Signers

[Yon_Yonson]

The Progressive

Walker Guy Stabs Protester’s Balloon and Bloodies Himself
By Rebecca Kemble, July 25, 2011

Monday afternoon, as Governor Scott Walker was signing into law a bill that turns the legislative and Congressional redistricting process and any appeals to it upside-down, and as Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch was reassuring the public that Wisconsin has enough cash on hand to survive for three months in the event of a federal government default, Capitol Facilities Manager Ron Blair was tackling a more pressing problem: heart-shaped balloons.

Outside the doors of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Leslie Peterson was reaching down into her shopping bag to remove a heart-shaped balloon so that her friend could take a photo of her with it. As soon as she pulled it out, someone came up behind her and repeatedly stabbed the balloon with a blade. “I’m sick of fishing these off the ceiling,” said the man with the round glasses and handlebar mustache as he walked away.

Shaken up by the sneak attack on her property, Leslie asked the man for his name and identification. He did not respond to her so she asked him again, saying that she was going to file an incident report with the Capitol Police. At that point, he allegedly grabbed her and slammed her up against the door of a women’s bathroom. “I saw blood all over him and me. I didn’t know if he still had the knife, or whether or not I had been stabbed,” said Leslie.


The man, who was later identified as Ron Blair, assistant director in the Wisconsin Department of Administration in charge of facilities management at the Capitol, then ran out of the Capitol and into a building across the street. He later told reporters that the blood all over the stairs and floor in front of the Supreme Court was from an earlier fall he had taken on the stairs. However, Leslie reports seeing blood only after he slashed the balloon.

Meanwhile, Leslie’s screams alerted others who were at the daily Solidarity Sing Along in the Rotunda to call for the police. She and those who witnessed the events were taken to the basement of the Capitol to give their statements. Leslie’s friend, Jenna Pope, had taken several photos of the events, and the camera was taken as evidence, as was the blood-splattered shopping bag containing the slashed balloon.

While Leslie was not stabbed, she was shaken up and sore from where she had been slammed up against the door. She wondered aloud if she should go to urgent care to get an HIV test since she had someone else’s blood on her arms, but an officer discouraged her from doing so saying it would be at least three months before HIV shows up in a blood test.

Over the past five months during a period of time when there have been tens of thousands of protesters in the building, there have been only two violent incidents reported in the Capitol. Both occurred during the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice-sponsored Solidarity Sing Along, and both were perpetrated by Capitol insiders: one by a former Republican state senator and one by a middle manager in the Walker Administration.

Capitol Police are investigating today’s incident, but Leslie, Jenna, and other members of the Solidarity Sing Along wonder whether justice will be served, given the political position of the assailant.

http://www.progressive.org/stabbing_WisconsinSupremeCourt.html

We know where this investigation is going .... move along folks nothing to see here!

:argh:

[sybylla]

1. Unfortunately, I think you and the article are correct.

It doesn't matter how much evidence we have on the effing bastids - photos, blood, bruises - they will not face the proper consequences of their actions. This little mofo ought to have been arrested and charged with assault the minute the police were called. If it had been anywhere but in the capitol building, that would have been a very likely outcome.

Instead, they're "investigating." Which seems to be shorthand for "we're going to slow walk this, then wait until most everyone has forgotten about it before we pronounce there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute."

WTF.

[Yon_Yonson]

3. Justice denied is corruption personified

It’s rather ironic the capital singers knife/balloon assault occurred outside the doors of the Supreme Court because it is an established CRIME ZONE. I have not been inside the capital building and I am wondering if there is yellow crime zone tape sealing the doors to the court?

[tinwi]

6. Im surprised Prossner does not get out there and choke someone

[yourout]

2. At the very least this has to be reckless endangerment.

[Yon_Yonson]

4. Here the cops are getting instructions from Herr Walker's office

[ewagner]

7. Battery

If there was physical contact....and if there was "reasonable apprehension of imminent physical contact" then there was assault also. Use of or threat of the use of a weapon may add the term "aggravated" to it. There are varying degrees of both assault and battery and these probably go on the lower scale but they are nevertheless prosecutable.

[sybylla]

8. I'd say throwing someone against the wall probably counts as both

when it comes after stabbing the balloon.

Definite sense of imminent threat there.

[ewagner]

9. I had anything to say

...I'd throw the book at the SOB..

If I could get away with it, I might even look in federal charges on violating the civil rights (first amendment, 4th amendment) of the protester....of course, that's vindictive and nasty...things a Rethuglican would NEVER DO! :silly:

[Yon_Yonson]

5. State employee involved in balloon altercation not working "until further notice"

State employee involved in balloon altercation not working "until further notice"
e-mail print By Emma Roller of the Journal Sentinel
July 26, 2011 |(4) Comments

Madison -- A state employee who allegedly slashed a protester's balloon with a knife will not be at work until further notice, according to the state Department of Administration.

This comes after an incident Monday in which a facilities manager in the Capitol allegedly broke a protester's balloon after accidentally cutting his hand open outside the state Supreme Court hearing room.

The DOA, which monitors the Capitol, issued this statement Tuesday: "The Capitol Police investigation into the incident (that) occurred at the Wisconsin state Capitol is ongoing. A separate personnel investigation is also in process by the state. The state employee who was allegedly involved in the incident was not at work today and will not be at work until further notice. In keeping with state policy, there will be no further comment on the personnel related issues in this matter."

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/126213323.html