OLYMPIA – They rallied, demonstrated and marched.
Protesters also occupied the gallery of the state Senate, then interrupted lawmakers holding a hearing on the budget to denounce any further cuts in funding of public schools, health care programs and social services.
And by Monday night, several people had been subdued with a stun gun, four arrested and 30 cited for trespassing when they refused to leave the Capitol.
All in all, it was a lively and at times rowdy launch of a 30-day special session in which lawmakers will wrangle on where to hack state spending to plug a hole in the budget and whether to raise taxes to ease the pain.
“I am so proud of them. This is democracy in action,” said Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Edmonds, her voice nearly drowned out by the chants of 200 members of the Occupy movement packed into the gallery. “They believe deeply in their cause and though there are only two of us here right now, I want them to know at least I hear them.”
The Washington State Patrol estimated 3,000 people took part in a cascade of demonstrations stretching from late morning into late night.
By 8 p.m., the state patrol reported four people had been arrested and 30 others cited for trespassing. Troopers also said during the course of the evening, four people who had been pushing troopers to enter the building were subdued with the use of a stun gun.
Adults with disabilities and mental illness arrived in the first wave followed by teachers, college students and those involved in the occupy movement in Olympia, Seattle, Everett and other cities.
Among the first to show up were Gisela Silva of Mukilteo and her daughter, Amanda Badoo, who is 22 and developmentally challenged. Silva is paid to be her daughter’s caregiver through a state-funded program but may lose it because of changes proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
“Without that support, I’m left having to go back to work full-time and she would be going into a group home where she would not do well,” Silva said. “She depends on me. She may be physically able but mentally she may be unable to function. She will be vulnerable and that is a real fear to me.”
As Silva and about 500 others gathered on the steps of the Capitol waving signs reading Save Our Services, about 600 teachers crowded into a tent on a nearby lawn to rally against any curbs in funding for public schools. One teacher waved a sign that read “Schools aren’t broken, they are broke.”
“It’s really important they see our presence,” said Gina Parry, who took the day off teaching history at Snohomish Middle School to attend. “We’re here to tell them we know what they’re talking about in terms of budget cuts and we don’t approve. We’re here to tell them it’s going to hurt kids.”
Lawmakers’ primary objective in the next few weeks is solving a $2 billion problem with the $32.2 billion operating budget that runs through June 2013.
That spending plan is way out of balance as it commits the state to spend $1.4 billion more than it is expected to collect in taxes. Democrats and Republicans will try to work out a deal to fill that gap and set aside an extra $600 million for a reserve.
It won’t be easy. Most Democrats seem to want to pair cuts with increasing revenue through some tax changes, while most, if not all, Republicans, oppose new or higher taxes.
“We’re going to work first on an all-cuts budget and then decide if we want to raise revenue,” said Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. No decision has been made in his caucus on pursuing any type of additional revenue, he said.
Gregoire’s call for a temporary half-cent increase in the sales tax is supported by many, but not all, who showed up Monday.
“I would certainly support it,” Parry said. “I’m not optimistic about the voters of Washington.”
Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Monroe, said differences on the budget may not be resolved in the special session and thus carry over to the 2012 session starting Jan. 9.
“This is just the first day. I think we’ll be here a few weeks,” he said. “I don’t see it ending quickly.”
On the table right now is Gregoire’s proposal to slice $507 million out of education from kindergarten to college, $384 million out of social and human services and $275 million from health-care programs.
Education is a big target. She’s talking about a shorter school year, larger classes and less tax subsidies for school districts that generate less money from levies because of lower property values.
Arden Watson, president of the Marysville Education Association, came to Olympia to deliver a message that it’s too much on top of previous reductions in aid.
“What I’m concerned about is the legislators lose sight of what’s already been cut,” she said. “I don’t want them to think there is a cut left that doesn’t hurt kids.”
Olympia wasn’t the only place Monday where teachers, parents and students protested.
Dozens took to the streets holding signs and waving at passing cars at several intersections in south Snohomish County.
“We’re broke,” said Lisa Ryan, a sixth grade teacher at Chase Lake Community School in Edmonds, holding a sign at the corner of 220th Street SW and Highway 99. She said teachers have been enduring continued cuts in supplies as well as larger class sizes this year.
“We’ve gone as far as we can go,” said Kim Martin, another sixth grade teacher at the school.
Herald Writer Bill Sheets contributed to this report.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
