The state Department of Administration has settled a lawsuit with a protester who claimed his constitutional rights were violated by the permitting process for gatherings in the state Capitol.
The settlement with the Wisconsin ACLU will significantly change the permitting process at the Capitol that has been used to justify the arrests of hundreds of protesters over the past several months during a daily Solidarity Sing Along. ACLU attorney Larry Dupuis says the settlement allows the singers to simply notify the Department of Administration that they plan to gather there and estimate how many people will attend. A formal permit is no longer required.
“They can just send in an email every Thursday saying ‘We're going to be there Monday through Friday singing,’” said Dupuis. “There's no basis for the DOA to deny them except if somebody already has a permit.”
DOA officials released a statement saying the settlement doesn't eliminate the permit system; it simply adds another legal option for protesters to use when gathering at the Capitol. The settlement does not address what will happen with the protesters still facing citations from past arrests.
Dupuis said he hopes the Department of Justice will address that.
“The Department of Justice certainly understands that this is something were if they want there to be some trust between the Sing Along and their people, it would be a good idea to dismiss those,” said Dupuis.
The new policy means Wisconsin joins six other states in the country that do not require permits for people to hold protests in their state capitol building. Nineteen states require such permits. Twenty-four states don't allow protests in their capitol buildings at all.
