Brandon Barwick
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Brandon Barwick | |
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| Born | Wisconsin, United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Conducting the Solidarity Sing Along; First Amendment legal challenges; 2015 Madison mayoral campaign |
Brandon Barwick is an American activist and former political candidate from Wisconsin. He received media coverage for his involvement in First Amendment legal challenges related to his role as a conductor of the Solidarity Sing Along, a long-running musical protest at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The Sing Along began during the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 protests and continued for several years as a music-centered form of political expression in Madison. In the years following the 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election, media coverage frequently identified Barwick as a conductor of the group during a period of disputes over enforcement of Capitol protest rules and permit regulations, including multiple related court cases in which he was named as a party. He later received coverage as a candidate in the 2015 Madison mayoral election.
Electoral activity
Presidential elector
In the 2012 United States presidential election, Barwick was listed on Wisconsin's 2012 Certificate of Ascertainment as a presidential elector for the Socialist Equality Party.
2015 Madison mayoral campaign
In October 2014, Barwick announced his candidacy for mayor of Madison and received coverage in multiple local media outlets describing his campaign positions during the nonpartisan race. Media coverage outlined his platform priorities, including expanded public art, improved services for homeless and low-income residents, downtown storage lockers, and enhanced public transportation. In the April 7, 2015 general election, incumbent Madison mayor Paul Soglin was re-elected.
Activism
Solidarity Sing Along
As a response to Governor Scott Walker’s "Budget Repair Bill" (Wisconsin Act 10), the Solidarity Sing Along began in March 2011 as a recurring, music-based protest in which participants gathered inside the Wisconsin State Capitol to sing protest songs, labor anthems, and adapted folk music, emphasizing collective singing as a form of political dissent.
As participation declined following the recall election, the weekday Sing Along continued, and its sustained presence drew heightened attention from Capitol authorities and media outlets. Beginning in September 2012, Capitol Police increased enforcement of permit requirements for gatherings inside the Capitol, issuing citations to individuals whom police described as conductors of the Solidarity Sing Along.
Legal challenges and permit disputes
Between 2012 and 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) enforced permit requirements for groups of 20 or more in the Capitol, with enforcement occurring intermittently throughout this time. Barwick was among the Solidarity Sing Along participants arrested and cited during this period and was repeatedly identified in court filings and media coverage as a conductor of the group, appearing as a named party in several related legal challenges concerning First Amendment rights and the constitutionality of the permit rules.
During this period, Barwick was involved in organizing the First Amendment Protection Fund, a grassroots legal defense fund that provided financial assistance to activists facing court-related costs associated with Solidarity Sing Along citations.
During pretrial proceedings in early 2013, Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara disclosed his prior participation in anti-nuclear protests and offered to recuse himself. Both the prosecution and defense declined, and the case continued before McNamara.
As legal challenges progressed and citations were increasingly dismissed by prosecutors and courts, a January 2015 ruling by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals (District IV) invalidated key applications of the Capitol permitting policy for violating First Amendment protections, leading to the dismissal of most of the remaining cases brought under the rules, including citations issued against Solidarity Sing Along participants identified as conductors.
References
External links
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