Date: 12|6|2011
Recall Circulator Harasses Mother at School Drop Off
By Brian Sikma
Unfortunately, this story is not unique or uncommon and scenarios like this one are playing out across Wisconsin nearly every day. On Thursday, December 1, a mother in the Racine area was dropping off her five year-old daughter at Gifford Elementary School when she came across another mother who was attempting to gather signatures on a petition to recall Governor Scott Walker. A polite question quickly degenerated into a voluble outburst fueled by political passions.
The circulator used a large sign in her vehicle to draw attention to her position on the school’s sidewalk, close to the doors where children would enter for their school day. As parents lined up outside of the school, the recall supporter set up a video camera next to where she was standing with a recall petition in hand. As the first mother stood in line to drop her child off for class, she asked the recall supporter if she had permission from the school to stand on the sidewalk so close to the doors.
The mother, who wishes to remain an unnamed source out of concern for retaliation against her daughter, said that once she asked the question, the recall supporter started shouting at her and filming her and her daughter. The mother asked that the women stop filming her daughter, but the woman refused to stop. “You do not have permission to film me or my child,” the mother told the recall circulator.
After entering the school, the mother inquired about the school’s policies regarding political activities on their property. Informed of the situation on the sidewalk, Gifford’s principal went outside and told the woman that the school’s policies prohibit political activities on school property. The recall circulator allegedly yelled at the principal before packing up her equipment.
When the mother who had reported the incident to the school emerged from the building, she asked the recall organizer to not use the video footage that she had gotten of her and her daughter. Both women expressed verbal disagreement about the propriety of taping children without permission and circulating recall petitions on school property.
Interviewed by Media Trackers after the incident the mother said she told the recall organizer, “there is a time and place for everything but this is not it.”
Media Trackers contacted Jeff Weiss, an Assistant Superintendent at the Racine Unified School District, and asked him about the district’s policy relating to political activity on school property or during school hours on school property. Weiss responded saying:
The District policy is to stay neutral regarding all political activities. We respect the First Amendment rights of our staff and the community. However, we prohibit any activities that interfere with the operation of the schools. Therefore, we do not allow the collection of Recall signatures on school grounds.
Other schools around the state have implemented or have considered implementing similar policies.
The woman who was yelled at by the recall circulator said she contacted the school district to express her concern for what happened. They reportedly said that if she chose to file a complaint with police they would fully cooperate in any investigation. No complaint appears to have been filed.
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Discussion | 23 Comments on "Recall Circulator Harasses Mother at School Drop Off"
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Chuck said
Dec 6, 2011 at 6:22 PM
Another fabrication from Media Trackers? Probably.
Tony said
Dec 6, 2011 at 7:20 PM
Chuck, where did you get that idea from? More fabrication form you and the left? Probably.
J said
Dec 6, 2011 at 11:20 PM
Yeah, because lefties are just so lovey dovey when they encounter opposition.
Susan said
Dec 7, 2011 at 4:38 AM
And you’re basing this on what?!?
Kriley said
Dec 6, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Notice the woman trying to get signatures to reinstate collective bargains rights owns a scab built car.
John said
Dec 6, 2011 at 6:59 PM
How long do you think it would have taken the school to react to someone with a video camera outside their doors, taping kids / parents and approaching them, if they weren’t gathering signatures against Walker? Most schools have staff outside in the morning & afternoon – did they have to wait til someone complained before they enforced their policy?
Trudy said
Dec 6, 2011 at 7:57 PM
The staff that are present have certain jobs to do monitoring the children. Do not assume that if someone was there collecting signatures for a recall that they would a.)notice or b.) be able to leave their duties to notify someone right away. You sure expect a lot of these teachers yet vilify them every chance you get.
Sue said
Dec 6, 2011 at 10:36 PM
@Trudy: Trudy, nice try but the school staff would know exactly what’s going on. That’s why they are there — to watch kids and make sure that there aren’t crazy people lurking around school property. So, they SHOULD HAVE reported this right away but didn’t — perhaps because they agreed with the recaller.
La Verne said
Dec 6, 2011 at 7:11 PM
These ‘recallers’ seem to be the dregs of society. Remember their union ‘leader’ said: “It’s not about the children. It’s about POWER.” And so they continue…
Trudy said
Dec 6, 2011 at 7:54 PM
No complaint was filed with RUSD? Seems to me that if this mom was so concerned with the recaller being on school property and their verbal exchange, she wouldn’t have just notitied media trackers, she would have filed a complaint. I don’t believe that this incident was all that media trackers is trying to make it out to be.
Chuck said
Dec 6, 2011 at 8:34 PM
Well, seeing as Media Trackers keeps being exposed as fraud are you surprised?
Sue said
Dec 6, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Maybe she was concerned for her child who attends the school, Trudy. Teachers aren’t exactly sympathetic to people who support Scott Walker. Check out the story on the poor lady who did the commercial against the recall and all the harassment she’s getting!
Warner Saunders, Jr. said
Dec 7, 2011 at 7:08 AM
Trudy, the people of Racine do not need to put up with your union rhetoric. Racine County has dealt with enough union intimidation this year. Remember when AFSCME punk Jim Parrett tried to intimidate businesses in Union Grove before the State Supreme Court election? Instead of whining about your union rhetoric, how about trying to hold accountable the corrupt union bosses in Madison and Washington, D.C.?
David Koch said
Dec 6, 2011 at 9:21 PM
A citizen circulating a petition on public property. What kind of company, I mean country does she think she live in?
Liberal Fail said
Dec 6, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Got any proof there Chuck?
**Crickets chirping**
Yeah, didn’t think so.
Lori Ambrose said
Dec 7, 2011 at 4:23 AM
Although I do not support Governor Walker I DO NOT support anyone who conducts themselves in this manner especially on school property with children present. It is always important to remember that everyone is entitled to their opinions as do I..
rog said
Dec 7, 2011 at 4:47 PM
That is great, the leftist union democrat drives a non union made car! A mazda is a way better car than a union made pile of crap, but the irony is great.
steve jackson said
Dec 8, 2011 at 3:49 AM
I would have taken the video camera. Gotta love the recall Walker sign on the Scab built Mazda.
Ken Jaeger said
Dec 9, 2011 at 5:10 PM
It is illegal to photograph or video tape children without permission. The mother should file a complaint with the Police.
Jenny said
Dec 9, 2011 at 7:42 PM
There is actually a larger, better photo posted on RacineUncovered (http://racineuncovered.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/December-1-walker-signature-collector-edited.jpg).
I bring this up because this woman who is upset with the recall person’s alleged taping of her child did the exact same thing – AND released it to the media. Media Trackers cropped the child out of the photo, and RacineUncovered put a white box over the child (and the license plate) to protect the identity of the child (and thankfully so)…but the original woman who was so concerned about her own child’s protection had no problem publicizing a photo of someone else’s child.