STATEWIDE - We discuss President Trump’s latest impeachment, shocking new details of his failed insurrection, and the Wisconsin Republicans who are aiding and abetting the violent overthrow of American democracy. We welcome Citizen Action Climate & Equity Director Rafael Smith to discuss a groundbreaking opportunity to pass a large New Deal-style green jobs program (Jobs for Economic Recovery Act) in the first 100 days of the Biden Administration and how you can get involved in making it a reality. The legislation, which has major traction the Senate and House, will put millions of jobless Americans back to work, dramatically improve racial equity and expand opportunity for depressed rural areas.

We also dig into Governor Evers’ State of the State speech and new fissures in the Republican state legislature that resulted in Senate Republicans splitting from the Assembly by cutting a deal with the Governor on COVID-19 relief.

Listen Now – Episode #475
Download Mp3
Press Clips

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/metallic-sulfide-mining-runoff-s5.jpgAssembly District 89 candidate doesn't want Back 40 Mine in Menominee County or any sulfide mining to endanger our clean water, land, and air.

MADISON - Like you, I’m outraged about the mob that ransacked the Capitol yesterday, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on what happened, so here they are:

I Was Not Surprised by the Mob Assault on the Capitol

As you may know, we’ve been chronicling the threat that Trump has posed to our democracy since he went down that escalator five years ago. When you’ve got the time, you might want to peruse our handy guide on Trump and fascism here:

https://www.wisdc.org/news/trump-and-fascism

Today, I’ve got a couple worries.

First, I’m still very concerned about what Trump might pull in the last 13 days of his term in office if the Cabinet doesn’t remove him via the 25^th Amendment, which they should do right now.

And second, I’m worried about his followers. They are fueled not just by a cult of personality but also by appeals to racism, red-baiting, anti-Semitism, irrationalism, and ultra-nationalism. We’ll need to combat those appeals long after Trump has left 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Here at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, we’ll be doing all we can to highlight the risk that this authoritarian movement still poses. And we’ll call out those elected officials in Wisconsin who coddle it, among them Ron Johnson, Tom Tiffany, and Scott Fitzgerald.

At a time like this, it’s important that all of us join groups that are defending our democracy. If you’ve not yet become a member of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, please do so now by clicking here.

Or join other groups like the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen, Stacey Abrams’s group Fair Fight, or any number of organizations that are doing great work.

Get involved. You can’t combat the anti-democracy forces alone, but together we can preserve, defend, and expand our democracy so that everyone has an equal voice and so that no one has to see a day like yesterday ever again.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Milwaukee: Late yesterday afternoon Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced his decision not to criminally charge the police officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back this summer.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin stands in solidarity with Jacob Blake, his family and friends, hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country fighting for racial justice, and every person who loves humanity and is demanding real action to address America’s structurally racist criminal justice system.

As the Wisconsin Examiner reported: “Michael Graveley said his role was only to make a narrow legal decision over whether there was probable cause that the officers committed a crime.” Gravely and many legal analysts point out that it is extremely difficult to prove that a police officer in a shooting did not act in self defense, whether or not it's true.

This means that the laws and legal precedents that have created the current self-defense standard have racist impact, as Black people continue to be shot and killed by law enforcement officers without legal consequences. This is a threat to the entire justice system, which cannot operate effectively when large segments of society justifiably do not have faith in its decisions.

Michelle Alexander’s penetratingly eloquent The New Jim Crow and Ibram X. Kendi’s brilliant pair of books Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist, call for every moral person to use their power to disrupt and unwind structural racism.

While DA Gravely may well be right that the case is unwinnable under current standards, this does not absolve him of moral responsibility. In the era of slavery and Jim Crow, heroic attorneys filed cases and DAs pressed charges that they knew would be shot down by a racist legal system. We should expect no less today.

Graveley’s decision also passes on responsibility to lawmakers, who have the power to create a legal system where black lives matter and everyone is truly equal under the law. But so far Wisconsin’s state leaders  have not proposed or pursued effective action up to the scale of the problem.

For Professor Kendi, one can’t meet his definition of antiracist without both recognizing the deep racism in our society and in each of us, and taking effective action to replace racist structures. For him the defining mark of antracism is effective deeds, not words or personal reflection. All those with substantial power such as our political leaders, corporate leaders, and at a lesser level of power nonprofit leaders, and every person with love in their hearts for all humanity must do more

Citizen Action asks every elected leader, and every person within the sound of our voice with influence over these leaders, to take meaningful steps to unwind the structural racism that made the murder of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake possible. Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers are with Jacob Blake and his family.

Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back and paralyzed by Kenosha police. Our laws fall miles short of adding up to a system of justice.

MADISON - The following is a statement from Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler on the Kenosha County District Attorney’s office decision to pursue no charges in the police shooting of Kenosha resident Jacob Blake this August:

“The safety of every Wisconsinite, regardless of race, must be at the center of our laws, and violation of that safety must lead to accountability. This is not justice. Not for Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back and paralyzed by Kenosha police. Not for his children, who will be forever traumatized by the violence they witnessed that day. And not for the Black community in Wisconsin, which has seen their lives systemically devalued at the hands of police for years without accountability. Today’s decision is yet another gut punch to those who have been organizing and protesting in defense of Black lives.

“Our justice system falls excruciatingly short of its promise of equal protection under the law for all Americans, and our laws fall miles short of adding up to a system of justice. Wisconsin, with some of the worst racial disparities in the nation, has incurred a particular debt to the Black community that continues to grow. If our laws do not prevent or address injustice, it is time to change them. We must fight for a just, equitable, and anti-racist Wisconsin. Black lives matter.”

“We have to do better” says Madison State Senator.

KENOSHA - On Tuesday, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that no charges would be filed against the officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back after he called for help to break up a fight. After an investigation, it was concluded that the officer involved had not acted in a way that warranted charges.

Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement regarding this announcement:

“The anger and demand for reformative change demonstrated at the protests throughout 2020 was borne out of the continual inability to bring justice for black lives. No one should have to worry that calling a police officer will bring them harm, let alone cost them their life. We cannot continue the inaction - folks must be held accountable. What happened in Kenosha is a tragedy and an example of a broken system that desperately needs comprehensive reform.

“Our nation was founded on the principles of freedom and justice for all, however, our justice system lets down our communities of color and promotes violence against black and brown people. Wisconsin is the worst state for racial disparities and this is the result of the inability of our GOP lead legislature to address those disparities. Black Wisconsinites continually have barriers to accessing our criminal justice system, electoral process, education system, and many other aspects of our society.

“We have to do better.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/lacrosse-xmas-lights-s5.jpgStay safe this holiday season by staying home, and having virtual celebrations with family, friends and loved ones says Governor Evers.

State will follow federal guidance on who gets the vaccine and when, starting with frontline healthcare workers and other essential services.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers delivered the Democratic Radio Address on Thursday encouraging Wisconsinites to continue to taking precautions to protect their health and safety as the state works to distribute and administer the COVID-19 vaccine over the coming weeks and months.

Audio file of radio address.

Hello, Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers here.

Hope is on the horizon in the new year, as this week we began distributing and administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine across the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has been working hard with our federal, state, and local partners to prepare for this and now they are putting their plan into action with regional hubs to ensure the safe, efficient distribution of vaccine.

While we will continue to follow federal guidance on who gets the vaccine and when, starting with our frontline healthcare workers and other essential services, the important thing to remember is that we are not out of the woods just yet.

So please, don’t give up on the public health guidance that we know will keep our families and communities safe and healthy.

Please continue to stay safer at home, wear a mask whenever you are out in public, and practice physical distancing.

Let’s stay hopeful, let’s stay safe, and let’s get through these upcoming months together, Wisconsin.

Thank you.

Vel Phillips is a shining example of Black Excellence in Wisconsin.

MADISON- Today, Governor Evers announced the community advisory committee that will propose a monument in honor of the late Vel Phillips to the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB). Representative Stubbs (D-Madison) is a part of this committee, and her statement is below:

“Vel Phillips is a shining example of Black Excellence in Wisconsin. As the first Black woman to be elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, and the first to become Secretary of State, she became the role model for many other Black women to enter public service, including myself. Her legacy of civil rights action paved the way for a generation, and her service deserves to be recognized”

“I want to thank Governor Evers for supporting this advisory committee, and for recognizing the moment we are in today. I also want to thank President and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Dane County Michael Johnson for bringing this idea to legislators and Governor Evers. Our state capitol needs to be an accurate reflection of our state, and the people that call Wisconsin home. For too long, Black faces have been excluded from recognition, and it is time that status quo is changed”

“I look forward to working with my fellow committee members to bring this proposal forward, and to bring diversity onto our capitol grounds. Most of all, I am excited to honor the memory of Vel Phillips by bringing her story to the forefront. I hope this monument will inspire the next generation of leaders, and show that there is no limit to what they can achieve.”

The committee is made up of the members below:

• Dave Endres, Corporate Legal Counsel for American Family Insurance (Chair)
• Michael Phillips, son of Vel Phillips
• Michael Johnson, President and CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
• Jessica Cavazos, President and CEO, Latino Chamber of Commerce
• Anthony Cooper, CEO of Focused Interruption Coalition
• Shelia Stubbs, State Representative, 77th Assembly District
• Angela Arrington, Senior Attorney for Alliant Energy, Delta Sigma Theta
• Jake Brown, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
• Lucy Mathiak, Former MMSD Board member, Historian

STATEWIDE - We review a surreal week that saw Texas and 17 states sue Wisconsin and other states where Trump lost narrowly to overturn the election. In Wisconsin, Rep. Tussler, the chairman of the Assembly Elections committee, is holding a sham hearing Friday, and has already said he is willing to defy the will of the voters. We talk about the issues the do-nothing-good Wisconsin Legislature and US Senate are ignoring, especially COVID 19 , and laud Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes’ broad Climate Task Force plan which was released this Wednesday. Will its provisions make it into Governor Evers’ state budget? Finally, we welcome Shawn Phetteplace, Wisconsin State Manager of the Main Street Alliance, to discuss the budget priorities of small business owners.

Listen Now – Episode #471
Download Mp3
Press Clips