Writing here as a resident of the city: the overall structure of spending in the mayor’s proposed budget seems misaligned with the needs of everyday people. How is it possible to have such a large percentage devoted to policing – which purports to be about advancing security – when we witness so much violence linked to financial vulnerability and economic insecurity faced by so many residents? At a time when our planet cries out for us to do more to take care of one another, and also take better care of our environment, I wonder what shifts can be made to better support the community, such as more investment in libraries, social services, education, health, and housing.
The mayors budget overfunds police and neglects basic needs of Milwaukee residents. Law enforcement in Milwaukee is a white supremacist institution. Black people in Milwaukee are still 8 times more likely to be frisked on the street than whites. The violence of police toward communities of color and drain on resources from racially targeted policing is a major cause of Milwaukee’s continued racial disparities segregation and caste system. There are many basic needs being neglected by the city budget, and yet 44% of our money goes to these cops who use it to target, terrorize, and extort communities of color. Mayor Johnson should be ashamed of himself for proposing such a budget, and for promoting the shared revenue deal that imposes the white supremacist values of statewide republicans unto our city. We need participatory budgeting, and we need political leadership in this city that will defend us against those republicans, rather than help them exploit and abuse us. Disgusting. Get a new job, you’re AWFUL at this one.
Writing here as a resident of the city: the overall structure of spending in the mayor’s proposed budget seems misaligned with the needs of everyday people. How is it possible to have such a large percentage devoted to policing – which purports to be about advancing security – when we witness so much violence linked to financial vulnerability and economic insecurity faced by so many residents? At a time when our planet cries out for us to do more to take care of one another, and also take better care of our environment, I wonder what shifts can be made to better support the community, such as more investment in libraries, social services, education, health, and housing.
The mayors budget overfunds police and neglects basic needs of Milwaukee residents. Law enforcement in Milwaukee is a white supremacist institution. Black people in Milwaukee are still 8 times more likely to be frisked on the street than whites. The violence of police toward communities of color and drain on resources from racially targeted policing is a major cause of Milwaukee’s continued racial disparities segregation and caste system. There are many basic needs being neglected by the city budget, and yet 44% of our money goes to these cops who use it to target, terrorize, and extort communities of color. Mayor Johnson should be ashamed of himself for proposing such a budget, and for promoting the shared revenue deal that imposes the white supremacist values of statewide republicans unto our city. We need participatory budgeting, and we need political leadership in this city that will defend us against those republicans, rather than help them exploit and abuse us. Disgusting. Get a new job, you’re AWFUL at this one.