Hey everyone, my name is Andre Walton. I'm the Southeast Regional Organizer for Our Wisconsin Revolution. I am sure by now that you are well aware of the ongoing protests around the country that have sprung up as a result of the death of George Floyd due to police brutality. This weekend, I live streamed my experience at the protests in Milwaukee. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the events this week, and my personal experiences.

First, it is critical to view these protests not in a vacuum, but within the larger context of historical oppression. In this case, I’m talking about the continued failure of a system to address the senseless killings of black men and women. After every killing, every instance of police brutality, black people have protested and marched for those who did not receive justice. But despite our protests, the response of the powers that be is rarely to punish our badge-wearing killers, but instead to shield them.

While Our Wisconsin Revolution fully supports non-violent protest, we must also understand why some protests become violent if we hope to prevent individual and institutional violence in the future. As the great Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “a riot is the language of the unheard.” For too long, black people have been screaming from the rooftops about our oppression, only to fall on deaf ears -- and for better or for worse, we were heard this week.

As a black man in America, I fear for my brothers and sisters. I fear one day I may wake up to the news that the latest unarmed black man murdered by the police will be my brother or my father. But watching all my black, white and brown comrades stand in solidarity with black lives -- sometimes even using their own bodies to shield those being victimized by police during the protests -- I have renewed hope that I will never have to experience that unimaginable pain that so many in my community have experienced.

I know that my brothers and sisters who stand for justice will fight with me to hold bad cops accountable; because at the end of the day this is about all of us. When a badge becomes a license to kill, we are all at risk. Black, white, or brown -- we must all stand together to fight against the forces of injustice, including police brutality.

So today I ask you to stand with us in solidarity with the families and friends of those who have lost their lives to the brutality of unchecked power. Grieve. Protest. Vote. Organize. Do what you need to do, but be sure to always lift each other up. Let the powers that be know that we will not stand for injustice.

In solidarity, brothers and sisters.

- Andre