The cost is secondary to the real issue at hand - these assholes caused damage to state property. You can't defend that shit with a straight face, unless you're a partisan moron.
That being said, the estimate does seem high, but I haven't seen the damage firsthand.
i can't make that judgment based on the small article he posted and I am uncertain how you can or anyone can either, (using your words....) without being a partisan moron.
the article speaks about damage from using tape on the wall to hold up their signs... I did not read about these people breaking anything? Where this out of the blue $7.5 million in damages comes from seems very unrealistic....
what are the damages that occurred other than normal wear and tear?
We truly do not know enough to make any sound judgement....is the article even a legitimate news source? I dunno?