U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)
A Wisconsin congresswoman claims Governor Scott Walker’s policies have hurt African American residents of Milwaukee.
During a call with reporters Monday, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore, a black Milwaukee Democrat, said the governor has backed policies that have worsened racial disparities in the state’s largest city. Moore said the governor has been “literally campaigning around the state saying you don’t want to be like Milwaukee, while, at the same time, really tightening the noose…around African Americans.
AUDIO: Rep. Moore’s comments to reporters (:37)
Moore pointed to a decision to drop plans for a high speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee, along with scrapping a contract to buy the trains, as examples of ways Walker has reduced job opportunities in the southeastern Wisconsin. She also cited pointed to expand voucher school programs, require photo ID cards to vote, and policies that have increased incarceration rates among African Americans as examples of policies that have reduced prospects for the community.
Moore’s comments came during a press call regarding Walker’s current trip to South Carolina, where’s he’s campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination. A spokeswoman for Walker’s campaign declined to respond to what she called “inflammatory and inappropriate comments.”