Report from Annapolis: Tea Party face-off with unions

Very important update! See Maryland Nancy’s insiders view of what happened across the street—they are going after Senator Allan Kittleman and the Tea Party.  Union leaders are urging demonstrators to return on March 14th!

A band of 35 or so Tea Partiers from around the state (having braved difficult roads after an overnight snow storm and with only two days notice) gathered with flags and  homemade signs at a street corner directly across from Lawyer’s mall where Maryland Unions (spearheaded by the public sector union–AFSCME and the SEIU and AFL-CIO) had gathered to show “solidarity” with Wisconsin unions that are in a historic showdown with a Republican governor and a Republican legislature bent on balancing that state’s budget.

We were a small but feisty band of counter-protesters who attracted a lot of media attention. Our homemade signs were in “solidarity” with Wisconsin Governor Walker.

Our side began gathering across the street from Lawyer’s mall at around 11:30 a.m.  We noticed what must have been the unions “police” force in green shirts around the mall area and a large bus sitting nearby (folks obviously keeping warm until the last minute).  At just about noon, the bus unloaded its “demonstrators” with their pre-printed signs about half said ‘Stop Union busting’ but many were that clenched fist “solidarity” sign that has both been a symbol of Marxist/anarchist aggression and black power.  (Note its interesting history, here).

One little side note regarding the clenched fist poster (definitely did not send a “civil” message).  As I and my friend went to get the shuttle bus back to our car a young woman who had been one of those shouting back at us across the street (holding her clenched fist) was at the bus stop and we asked about her sign.  She said she was a librarian, had no clue what union gave her the sign, but she liked it, that is all, she liked it.

Back to the demonstration.  I don’t think their numbers were above 150 and that surprised us, heck they had a warm bus and some other vehicles and later it looked like they were given lunches on the bus for their return trip (to wherever they came from).

We could hear shouting and cheering across the street, but most of what was said was unintelligible.  Today, I am seeing some film clips of what was going on across the street.  Americans For Prosperity filmed this charming fellow. At one point a very rough looking gang of young men came to the curb on their side of the street to shout back at us, but the police quickly made them return to the mall area (the librarian was among the rough young men).

Our merry group was joined throughout the hour or so we were there by several state legislators showing “solidarity” with us and so many media people and cameras that we could hardly squeeze in our chanting.    But, we did chant!

Hey, hey, ho, ho Collective bargaining has to go!…

We are broke!  We are broke!….

What about the children?  What about the children?….

Outsource the unions! Outsource the unions!….

You are the reason the jobs are leavin’!….

The gravy train is over! The gravy train is over!….

(Good sign ideas for next time, by the way)

All agreed it was a good day!

Speaking of next time, for all of you who helped our cause yesterday, these same unions have another rally scheduled for March 14th, same time, same place!

Here is some news coverage (please send me links and I will add to this list):

Baltimore Sun, here.

ABC 2 News, here.

The Gazette, here.

Fox News 45, here.

Hagerstown Herald Mail, here.

Blue Ridge Forum, here.

WBAL Baltimore, here. And, here.

Related! Senator Allan Kittleman has introduced a Right to Work bill, here, with a hearing next week (March 3).  Apparently it was one of the things that had the union demonstrators fired up yesterday.