Protesters fighting proposed budget cuts in Olympia at the legislature’s special session could be making the state’s financial woes even worse.

KIRO 7 obtained information from the Washington State Patrol on Wednesday afternoon showing it has cost the state $235,000 to manage the protesters. On Monday night, the tag had already reached nearly $100,000. Here’s how the costs break down:

• $157,000 has been spent on salaries.
• $54,000 has been spent on overtime.
• $24,000 has been spent on travel expenses.

“It’s these sorts of things that cost money that really, people don’t realize what sort of impact it has on the budget,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, a Camano Island Democrat.

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No lawmaker KIRO 7 met with objected to the peaceful protests that most demonstrators participated in. But it’s the potential for disruption that has the State Patrol taking officers away from their usual beats around the state.

“They would be in Tacoma, or Lewis County, doing their regular job,” Gov. Chris Gregoire said. “They’re not there. They’re here on this campus dealing with this issue.”

KIRO 7 Senior Political Reporter Essex Porter found some of those arrested at the protests in Thurston County Court.

Helen Gilbert defied a no-trespass order to stay away from the Capitol, after being removed from the rotunda Monday night.

“Unless we do something dramatic, we don’t get heard,” she said.

Porter saw one observer in court holding a newspaper headlined, “Arrest costs mount,” so he asked Gilbert whether her actions were hurting the very causes she’s trying to defend.

“That’s the state’s choice how many state troopers they want to send out and how much force they want to put up, and they have chosen to respond in a very expensive, and intimidating and bullying way,” she said.