As I See It

Unsurprisingly, no action on racial disparities in Wisconsin

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It seems, more and more, that it really wasn’t about ensuring change. On the heels of the deadly protests in Kenosha last summer, Wisconsin lawmakers were urged to address issues of police violence. Instead of dealing with the issues head on, they appointed a task force, something lawmakers like to do to make it look like they are addressing an issue without really expecting anything to change. The Chair of the Task Force admitted as much in publicly-released emails when he referred to the issue of police reform as a “political loser.” The Task Force on Racial Disparities has held a series of meetings since its inception last September, but has yet to put forth a single bill designed to address the problem, or even any recommendations. In short, nothing has changed. Not a single bill to require law enforcement to document and report use of force. So far they haven’t even agreed on what constitutes an excessive use of force. Wisconsin lawmakers were urged to vote on changes to how our communities are policed, but they chose not to hold that vote months ago, and the process continues to drag on. It seems more and more clear there was never really any intent to bring change, only to make it look like there was.

2 Comments

  1. Brad

    March 30, 2021 at 8:30 am

    How about arresting and prosecuting the looters and arsonists?

    • TOM FITZPATRICK

      March 30, 2021 at 3:38 pm

      Sure, prosecute looters and people violating attacking others, but don’t shoot them. Prosecute any police officer who uses force when it isn’t necessary to defend himself or herself, or to defend others. Be more selective in which police applicants are hired and train them to avoid confrontation when possible. Call in non-police counselors when the person who appears to be out of order also appears to have some mental issues. Don’t ask the police to be psychological counselors.

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