Submitted by Erica Pelzek on
5:15 p.m. - Cars, SUVs and buses whoosh down Madison's King Street Thursday afternoon, honking, windows rolled down, thumbs up in solidarity as neon-vested police officers direct traffic.
"Stay strong!" shouted a man out the driver's-side window of a State Employee Vanpool van. A Madison Metro bus driver drives by, honking and cheering.
Hundreds of protesters marched from the Capitol Square at 4 p.m. to 10 E. Doty St.'s glass-windowed office building, on the seventh floor of which The Capital Times revealed that Koch Industries opened a lobbying office in late October. Koch's PAC was one of the largest donors to Walker's political campaign, and multi-billionaire, David Koch, has bankrolled groups that ran expensive ad campaigns last year that helped him win the governorship.
"Expose the truth! Expose the truth!" shouted Madison activist Kelty Carew into a megaphone, leading the protesters in a chant.
Koch Industries is a global corporation that owns some interests in Wisconsin, such as the Georgia-Pacific Corporation and the Koch Pipeline Company. Mr. Koch is the chairman of the group called "Americans for Prosperity," that has run ads that aid Walker, including an over $300,000 ad campaign this week.
"The longer you stay here, the more the corruption is going to be exposed," said Carew. "Your occupation is vital. The longer we hold out, the more people are going to understand how much this is going to hurt everyone in the state!"
"He wants to take the bus drivers' money! He wants to take the truck drivers' money!" said John "Sly" Sylvester of Madison's WTDY 1670 popular radio show, "Sly in the Morning." "And he wants to ship it out of state!"
One thing is clear, Sylvester said: "Scott Walker is a liar!"
As the police direct traffic, protesters peer into the glass-paned building, spotting an enormous "NO TRESPASSING" sign in the front lobby.
"Access to this building is limited to building tenants and their guests only," read the sign. "Thank you for your cooperation – Building Management."
Outside, in the February wind and slush, Sylvester and Carew carry on the fight, while protesters take photos and the ever-present drums beat on.
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