Governor Tony Evers wants to take action to help Black Wisconsinites in the wake of a weekend’s worth of protests.
Evers says that while these particular protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, Wisconsin has its own cases to consider.
“We hear the echo of the words of Eric Garner. We relive the pain of the death of Black Wisconsinites like Dontre Hamilton, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, and Tony Robinson.”
Evers is backing a bill that would require police departments to be trained on de-escalation tactics and to prioritize saving lives in critical situations instead of resorting to force. He says efforts must be made to start undoing generations of oppression.
“We must be willing to face it, with clear eyes and open hearts, recognizing that folks who look like me have been part of creating, exacerbating, and benefiting from the systems that we must now turn to dismantle.”
“We must condemn all those who encourage violence against Black lives. We must offer our compassion, we must offer our support, but most of all, we must offer our action.”
The bill has already stalled once in the Republican controlled legislature, and it’s unclear if leadership will meet to discuss the issue while already on recess.