Wisconsin State Capitol Protest A Moral Issue

This is one of those moments that defines who we are as a people…..Wisconsin is speaking.

Dozens of ministers, rabbis, and priests joined workers and students from across the state, saying they would risk arrest to protest the closing of the State Capitol to the public Sunday.

“I think that this action tonight is silencing the peoples’ voice,” said Rabbi Renee Bauer, of the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South-Central Wisconsin. “Silencing the minority, or the people with less power, is a real moral problem. This feels like it’s about shutting down the peaceful demonstration one step at a time.”

Other religious leaders agreed.

“This is a critical moment for Wisconsin and for so many states,” said Rev. Leah Lonsbury of Memorial United Church of Christ in Madison. “Clearly, this is about far more than a budget.

“It’s a moral issue, and the rights at stake here are so basic to our common good and our common humanity, to the very idea of justice, that we are willing to risk arrest to protect them and have our voices be heard. Our faith calls us to stand with the vulnerable and speak truth to power. This is what we are called to do.”