U.S : Demand lawmakers invest in communities, and end police violence.

02 september 2020

Wisconsin lawmakers held a special session to address police brutality and gun violence. Republicans didn't show up. The meeting ended in 30 seconds. Demand lawmakers take police violence seriously and invest in our communities !    TAKE ACTION!

Dear friend,

Kenosha police tried to kill Jacob Blake, but he fought for his life and survived. Dear friend, we refuse to let this moment pass without fighting our hardest to ensure what happened to Jake never happens again. 

The day after Jacob Blake was shot by police, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for a special legislative session focused on reducing police brutality and gun violence.¹ That session was held on Monday and it only lasted 30 seconds. Yes, the special session on policing in the Republican-majority legislature only lasted 30 seconds.² And that’s because none of the Republican lawmakers showed up. Instead, they had the clerk open the meeting and then immediately close it. 

This is what happens when lawmakers treat our communities like pawns and blatantly disregard the police violence we face.  We knew that this session could’ve turned out to be a symbolic gesture by lawmakers but the disaster that took place today was an affront to our movement. 

This is our chance to demand justice for Jacob Blake and fight to reduce police and gun violence in our streets. This is our chance to fight for investments in what actually keeps us safe -- our communities.

Raise your voice: Demand Wisconsin legislators take police violence seriously and move forward reforms that will make our communities safer and reduce police violence in our streets. Add your name now, dear friend. 

With your help, Color Of Change is joining forces with our comrades Community Justice Action Fund, March for Our Lives, Amnesty International, and Brady United Against Gun Violence to demand Wisconsin lawmakers reduce police funding and invest in public health, violence prevention, and intervention strategies to make communities safer and healthier.

Tell Wisconsin lawmakers now: Invest In Us!

Safety for our communities is only possible when we invest in strong, accessible, and culturally competent citywide systems that center the needs of Black people. When we begin to invest in social services, public health infrastructure, quality mental health programs, and community-based alternatives to policing, Black communities will grow to be safer and healthier.

Cities like Milwaukee spend 47% of its city budget on policing and less than 1% on community-based violence prevention programs. And Kenosha — where Jacob Blake was shot by police — spends 35% of its budget on the police department, and almost nothing on violence prevention programs. 

Instead of putting more money into police departments, we’re demanding WI policymakers put money into our communities by investing 25 million dollars in violence prevention programs, education funding, mental health services, and gun violence prevention.

Sign the petition: Demand Wisconsin invests in communities. 

“Defund the police, invest in communities” is the rallying cry that’s been shouted over and over for the past 3 months. It’s a call to say that we don’t need more policing, we need substantial investment in our communities to guarantee our safety. 

For far too long, we have lost so many of our loved ones and babies to police violence and gun violence in our neighborhoods. And for decades, lawmakers have neglected to invest in our communities but have spent billions policing our streets.

We need Wisconsin lawmakers to step up on Monday.

Add your name to say: invest in communities, not the police.

Until justice is real,

Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Ernie, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team .

References :

1. "Tony Evers calls special session on reducing police brutality after shooting of Jacob Blake" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

2. "Wisconsin special session on police reform lasts less than a minute. GOP not interested." NBC News.

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Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please help keep our movement strong.

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