a capitol transformed

The Capitol has been occupied by peaceful protestors 24/7 for a couple of weeks now.  I know many people who have chosen to sleep over at the Capitol as part of the occupation effort.  The Capitol has always been open to the public, and people routinely cut through the Capitol to get from one side of the Square to the other.  But I've never seen it look like this before...

the dj set from the other night…and a defense of hip-hop

But it's also true that a lot of people have a visceral reaction to hip-hop, particularly here in Madison, and I feel like I need to say something about that.  As for the people who left the comments at the Barefoot Boogie, I don't know what the basis of their objection is.  But a lot of people view hip-hop as a negative force in our society--as if all of it celebrated misogyny, violence, gang life, and the like.