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| Gassed by Patrick Markham of Luxemburg, Wisconsin. Members of the Door County (Wisconsin) Indivisible Coalition held a small protest in April outside of the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club where Scott Walker and Republicans chided citizens for opposing Walker's reelection. The gathering of some 38 residents was disrupted by a white truck, reportedly driven by a local Republican activist, Patrick Markham, owner of North Shore Marine Services. The truck approached the crowd and ejected black smoke at the gathering, a rightwing tactic to disrupt protests. The tactic is known variously as "rolling coal" and the "coal treatment." Rolling coal is the injection of fuel into an engine to cause a profusion of black exhaust fumes directed at targets. The fumes are a dangerous pollutant, and extremely toxic to children. Patrick Markham claimed in Facebook comments that he "rolled coal threw, (sic) them when I left work." Markham also said, "I am glad they got the coal treatment," and "Suck my exhaust." Pictured above is a member of the Door County (Wisconsin) Indivisible Coalition, holding her baby at the Scott Walker protest. |
So, Markham approached the crowd in his truck and then gunned his engine and roared his truck next to the protesters and gassed the group by emitting black exhaust, coal rolling, in an apparent attempt to cause the protesting families to breathe in the toxic fumes.
Markham was found guilty today of a municipal civil citation, and faces a likely civil action.
Markham testified in own defense and claimed he was forced to coal roll the group because, Markham claimed, protesters had held their signs too close to his truck earlier that day, April 7, while protesting Gov. Scott Walker (R).
Markham was fined $263.50 plus witness fees totaling some $54.95.
"Markham's testimony on the stand was stupid-on-stupid," said a spectator who is hostile to Republicans.
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