Well, here’s one way to make a statement — a group of protesters last week turned up at the Wisconsin home of House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., dressed in black, ringing cowbells, and carrying a cardboard coffin like they were staging some sort of political funeral.
Video posted online shows more than two dozen people in what they called a “Death of Democracy” procession walking up Steil’s private driveway, leaving the mock coffin — complete with an epitaph — right at his front door. This wasn’t exactly a peaceful sidewalk demonstration; they were on his property, stepping across his front yard, and even talking about where to get the best photo ops.
Former Walworth County Democrat Party Chairwoman Ellen Holly was identified among those in the group, alongside other familiar faces from prior protests. The event was reportedly sponsored by the Southern Wisconsin Grassroots Network and the Working Families Party, which tells you this wasn’t just a random flash mob — this was organized.
And the protesters knew they were toeing the line. In a livestream before the stunt, one organizer admitted they didn’t plan on sticking around, saying they didn’t want to “invite the police to come and ask questions.” Translation: They knew exactly what they were doing and wanted to get in and out before law enforcement arrived.
Photos of the coffin and epitaph were later posted to social media by the groups involved. In the comments, one user even asked for Steil’s home address — a troubling escalation given the sharp rise in threats against members of Congress.
Steil, for his part, isn’t budging. “It’s disappointing that Democrat leadership and the radical left resort to these type of tactics,” he told Fox News Digital. “I remain committed to my work to get this country back on track and will not be deterred by their threats.”
Ravi Mangla, the national press secretary for Working Families Power, downplayed the stunt, calling Steil’s policies “far scarier than a group of seniors holding some taped together cardboard.”
This all comes as congressional threats have skyrocketed — up a staggering 93.8% compared to last year, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. In response, Congress recently boosted the Member Security Allotment from $10,000 to $20,000 annually and increased funds for security monitoring from $150 to $5,000 per month.
And it doesn’t look like the pressure is letting up. The groups behind the “funeral procession” are now planning to protest Steil again at his in-person town hall Thursday, rallying supporters online with posts like “Good Trouble Lives ON!”