Wisconsin Cities Brace for May Day Demonstrations

Protests Coming Soon

Protests are expected across Wisconsin cities for International Workers’ Day, also known as “May Day,” on Friday, May 1.

In Wisconsin, this year’s protests have been dubbed “A Day without Immigrants.” A central theme of this year’s protests is opposition to ICE and deportations. Another major slogan of the demonstrations is “No Work. No School. No Shopping.”

Cities like Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay, among others, are preparing for the protests and telling the public to expect disruptions such as road closures along protest routes. The Madison protest is planned to end at the State Capitol.

School closures are also expected. Madison Metropolitan School District canceled school on Friday after 70% of teachers who are part of the Madison Teachers Inc. union said they would attend the protest.

“We know shifts to the school schedule can be impactful and appreciate the patience of our communities,” District Spokesperson Edell Fiedler said in a statement.

Some criticize the decision to shut down school on short notice. Dan Knodl wrote in WisPolitics, “Regardless of one’s political views, shutting down classrooms should not be taken lightly, especially at a time when student outcomes are already cause for concern.”

He cites the poor results of Madison and Wisconsin kids on performance evaluations and standardized tests and questions the decision to cancel school.

“We should be focused on helping kids learn to read, write, and succeed in life, not normalizing missed school days due to political activism. Education must remain a top priority, and that means keeping classrooms open and focused on learning,” he wrote.

Milwaukee Public Schools were already planning to be out of session for professional development days. Teachers from the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association are also expected to be at the protests.

Major organizers of the events include Voces de la Frontera and other immigrant advocacy groups, labor and teachers unions, and activist groups like the Madison Area Democratic Socialists.

Voces de la Frontera lists the demands of the protesters on their website:

287(g) is a federal program that allows local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Organizers say they expect large turnouts in major cities. How much impact the protests will have, both economically and politically, remains to be seen.