Milwaukee, WI – In the calm before the storms hitting Milwaukee on July 4, over 1000 protested around the following six demands: True separation of church and state; repeal of Wisconsin State Statute 940.04; law enforcement shall not enforce abortion bans; the state of Wisconsin shall require law enforcement officials to read off Miranda Rights to those being detained; the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County shall not prosecute abortion cases – dismiss them all; and community control of the police now.

The protest was led by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee.

“Oppressed people have never been free! Workers have never been free! And we can’t expect politicians or Supreme Court justices to hand us freedom,” said Rory Donovan of FRSO.

This sentiment was echoed by Lauryn Cross, co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance, who told an attentive audience about the importance of recognizing “that when the Democrats, Republicans and people that are supposed to be ‘about us’ fucking fail, we check them with militant, organized, grassroots resistance.”

“Only we, the working people, set ourselves free.” This message resonated with the passionate Milwaukee crowd, and every speaker made sure to emphasize the importance of channeling the people’s energy and emotions towards organizing.

The action was primarily driven by the response to the recent Supreme Court Rulings overturning Roe v. Wade, preventing people from suing the police when they fail to read off Miranda Rights, and limiting the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. is removing its mask of “freedom and democracy” and is blatantly showing its ugly face of repression. In countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Cuba, to name a few, the people know that this is what the U.S. has been and continues to be, the imperialist enemy.  More people in the U.S. realize what the rest of the world knows – that the U.S. only cares for the “freedom” of its capitalist class to exploit the world.

Milwaukee showed on this Fourth of July, the time is now to organize.

#MilwaukeeWI #InJusticeSystem #SupremeCourt #RoeVWade #AbortionRights