Why I Walked Out on Governor Walker

1.  I could.


I did what many people felt they could not do.  Many people at the dinner could not get up and leave without potentially endangering many business and professional relationships, or at least they felt that's what they would be doing.  Others wanted to stay out of curiosity to see what the Governor will do and say. I totally respect these points of view.


Throughout the dinner I saw people express their disapproval of Governor Walker by not clapping when his name was mentioned and when his name was announced and I left, I saw that some people did not stand up to welcome the Governor.  It was a very tense evening and I hold Governor responsible for dividing the community I so deeply care for and am honored to represent.  Tonight was meant as a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of Janesville and everyone tried the best they could to be the Ambassadors of Optimism, to quote Mary Willmer Sheedy, but because of the extra significance that was brought on by the Governor and the protesters, you could cut the tension with a knife.


I am very fortunate to be in a position of working with people who are supportive of my values and appreciate my skills and talents to let me have the freedom to express myself.  Also, being an elected official, I have a different responsibility to the community I represent than most people.  I understand this responsibility and I take it very seriously.


2.  It was the right thing to do.


After the events of last month, staying and listening to the Governor speak, applaud his self-serving platitudes would have been worse than fake.  I knew I couldn't do that.  Walking out seemed like a difficult thing to do before I did it, but it felt good and it felt like the right thing to do.  After all, have you never walked out of a presentation by someone you did not want to listen to?


3.  To show the protesters that protesting matters.


Many many people gathered outside and stood with signs, cheering, for hours.  And not just hours, this is merely the latest of the protests which have been happening since the middle of February and I often wonder what difference all of this makes.  I felt that by walking out and joining the protesters, I could myself help these great people who care about Janesville just as much as the people at the dinner, to feel at least a little bit validated for all of their efforts.  I did not have illusions that crowds will follow me and I did not want to make a big deal, throwing a chair and storming out while the Governor was speaking.  I have a lot of respect for our local business community, and I'm not sure what making a scene would've accomplished.  But I suspected that very very few people, if any, would walk out, and that gave me an extra certainty that joining the protesters in solidarity and showing that protests matter, was the right thing to do.


4.  To continue to represent all of Janesville


In Janesville, there are no wards and every council member represents all of Janesville.  At this significant for our community moment, joining the protesters outside, to me, was about representing all of Janesville.  Let's recap: I came in to the dinner, I spoke and shook hands with a lot of great people, had a wonderful meal and expressed my strong support for the business community.  And when the Governor was coming on stage, I joined the rest of my community outside where, at some point during this protest, there were more people than there were on the inside.


5.  To stand up for what I believe in.


This is America.  We have unbelievable opportunities and no politician has been able to take those away from us.  Cherish it.  Walk out, join associations - be it Chamber of Commerce or a Union - and do what you need to do to sleep well at night.  I understand that many of the people at the dinner sincerely feel that Governor Walker is taking our state in the right direction.  I don't but that's why we have elections, recalls, more elections and we vote, vote and vote again.  Nothing is permanent, politicians come and go, and if you don't believe it, read a history book.  I know that our future is bright because of the people who were at the dinner tonight and because of the people who were outside with protest signs.  And I am proud to represent both.


Yuri Rashkin
Janesville City Councilman