"Overpass Light Brigade" assaulted, intimidated by Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy
Coverage thanks to Blogging Blue.
This past Friday night, workers from Palermo’s Pizza in their third month on strike joined the Overpass Light Brigade (OLB) on a Milwaukee bridge with the message “PALERMOS – NEGOTIATE!”. OLB is a loose affiliation of volunteer activists who take signs of lighted letters out on Wisconsin pedestrian bridges at night. They have organized close to one hundred bridge actions and their right to do so has been very clearly defined and previously recognized by both local police and sheriff’s departments.
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Deputy Callies of the Sheriff’s Department soon arrived and immediately stormed on to the bridge, which was filled with striking Palermo workers and their families holding signs, including several young children. Around 30 people were present in total, including many community supporters. Deputy Callies demanded that the lights be taken down and turned off. He then stated loudly that he would be arresting everyone on the bridge for disorderly conduct.
At this point, close to twenty police vehicles had arrived or were en route (witnesses counted one paddy wagon, two bicycle police, two motorcycle police, six Milwaukee police squads, including a K-9 unit, and nine Milwaukee County Sheriff vehicles). Lisa Moline of OLB tried to reason with Deputy Callies, who grew more and more agitated that he was being challenged on the constitutionality of his order to shut the message down.
As the video clearly captures, Deputy Callies then turned around lunged at a woman who was videotaping his tirade. He forcibly reached for her camera, pushing himself into her (most likely realizing she had just captured his entire episode digitally). In the process, he grabbed the woman’s arm and ripped the camera phone out of her hand, giving no explanation for the confiscation, despite pleading efforts from the woman as to why her camera phone was stolen. He then tore another supporter’s phone away in the exact same manner.
Video isn't great, but you can clearly hear the Deputy ordering the sign be taken down because "somebody called and complained". Well, yeah, that's a good reason to squash free speech, sure. I guess the cops are now union-busters???
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