PFAW Member,
A week ago today, Jacob Blake, a Black father who was trying to help break up a fight in Kenosha, WI, was shot seven times in the back by police and left paralyzed.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has called a special session for the state Senate to take up urgent bills to address police violence and accountability, including proposals that were introduced in June following the police killing of George Floyd. The bills include a ban on no-knock warrants, mandatory training on de-escalation techniques and statewide standards on use of force.
So far, the Republican majorities in Wisconsin’s state legislature have stubbornly refused to take action on this pressing civil rights issue. And Republican state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald now says that he’ll “gavel in” tomorrow’s session but won’t hold votes on these common-sense bills!
This is unacceptable. Wisconsinites – and the whole country – are demanding ACTION, while Wisconsin Republicans’ refusal to act is adding to the crisis of racist police violence.
Our friends at the Working Families Party are hosting a #JusticeForJacobBlake “text party” TODAY to demand that Wisconsin legislators take real and meaningful action, and not make a mockery of this important special session by refusing to do their jobs.
Online person-to-person text messaging platforms are easy to use and you can participate from anywhere from a computer or mobile device.
WHAT: #JusticeForJacobBlake Text Party
WHERE: Virtual event, join from anywhere
WHEN: TODAY, Sunday, August 30, 3pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT
What took place in Wisconsin last week revealed just how broken our system of police accountability is … amidst the protests against Blake’s shooting, a 17-year-old – motivated by right-wing media coverage and dangerous Republican political rhetoric about the nature of these protests – showed up in Kenosha with an assault rifle and shot three protesters, killing two of them.
Adding insult to injury, that 17-year-old, who is white, was allowed by police to go home and sleep in his own bed that night. His heinous crimes were witnessed by many and recorded on video, but he received favorable and friendly treatment at the hands of authorities, while those same authorities’ treatment of Black people suspected of petty crimes – or no crimes at all – is violent and too often results in the loss of Black lives.
Since Jacob Blake’s shooting, the movement for racial justice and equity has responded all week with protests and other grassroots actions. Professional sports teams, led by the Milwaukee Bucks and other NBA teams, have joined in to help raise the urgency of addressing racist police violence.
We need to keep this wave of activism going and we NEED to keep pressure on our elected officials to bring forward a meaningful and effective policy response to address police violence and racism in policing.
Join the effort TODAY. Sign up now to send some text messages to demand action in Wisconsin>>
Thanks for all you do.
-- Ben Betz, Digital/Organizing
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