19 arrested after demanding to meet Sen. Johnson

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nineteen protesters have been arrested after they entered the downtown Milwaukee office of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and demanded a meeting with the Wisconsin Republican.

A Milwaukee police spokeswoman confirms that 19 people were arrested Wednesday. She says she’s not immediately aware of the charges.

Janet Veum with Wisconsin Jobs Now says the protesters wanted to schedule a meeting when Johnson returns from Washington, D.C. She says the demonstrators are upset that Johnson voted against the American Jobs Act on Tuesday along with every other Republican senator.

Johnson’s office released a statement saying the Milwaukee protesters chose to be disorderly rather than to meet with his staff. He says the Senate voted as it did because economic expansion must come from the private sector, not the government.