FRSO Wisconsin condemns the cowardly decision of Governor Tony Evers to sign off on reactionary GOP shared revenue plan
The plan puts more cops in communities and schools, guts ability to set policies for police, eliminates funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other public services, attacks the democratic right to public referenda, and delivers a blow to public education.
Fight Back News is circulating the following statement by the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
On the afternoon of June 8, Democratic Governor Tony Evers came to an agreement on a new shared revenue plan that both he and the reactionary Republicans who dominate the state legislature are touting as a “historic” victory for the people of Wisconsin. This most recent example of “reaching across the aisle” in order to come to a “compromise” is in reality a complete betrayal of the masses of people, with those in Milwaukee getting the shortest stick. It would be more accurately characterized as a historic setback, only further proof that “compromise” is code for “moving backwards.”
The people of Wisconsin, many of whom reside in Milwaukee, voted for Tony Evers over his most recent opponent, Tim Michels, a Trump devotee who ran on an extremely right-wing, anti-abortion and pro-cop platform. Evers correctly characterized Michels as a “threat to democracy,” and yet, with this decision, Evers has done what Michels and others like him could only hope to do: force more cops on communities across the state, put armed cops back in schools, eliminate the possibility for additional revenue from the state to be used to expand public services or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the municipal level, curtail the ability for people to initiate public referenda on pressing political issues like abortion access, and dramatically increase the funding for the “school choice” voucher programs which represent de facto segregation in education.
For Milwaukee, Evers went even further, gutting the power of the city’s Fire and Police Commission to set policies and practices for the Milwaukee Police Department, consolidating those rights into the hands of the chief of police alone. What this means is an end to any democratic say by the people of Milwaukee over how they are policed.
We know that more police on the streets has never meant greater safety. If that were the case, the crime rates in the City of Milwaukee would be going down and not up, as they have generally over the last several years despite record investment of the city budget into the police. These trends are no doubt prevalent in communities across Wisconsin. Additionally, we know that when police are not held to reasonable timetables relating to public release of evidence of their violent criminal activities, there can be no true accountability, transparency, or justice for the victims of those crimes or their families. Eliminating the right to put forward public, issue-based referenda is a direct attack on people-centered democracy.
The total capitulation to the police is a direct response to the victory of grassroots organizing in Milwaukee against police crimes, and the restriction on what can constitute a referendum is the GOP's answer to the successful efforts in both Dane and Milwaukee Counties to demonstrate the mass support for reproductive rights. To be attacked by the enemy means that what we are doing is right, but this fundamentally anti-democratic assault led by the Republicans – and cosigned by Democrats like Tony Evers, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and Milwaukee County Supervisor David Crowley – cannot be allowed to move forward.
We with the Wisconsin district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stand in unconditional solidarity with the masses of progressive people in our state who are disappointed and disgusted by this decision by Governor Evers. We stand in particular with the organizers in Milwaukee who've come under direct attack for their successful efforts against police crimes and for reproductive justice, namely those with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and Reproductive Justice Action – Milwaukee. Given that many of the members of FRSO have been intimately involved in both of these movements, we feel compelled to condemn this cowardly decision carried out by Governor Evers.
Our demands are simple and they are as follows:
Immediately throw out this garbage GOP agreement and return to the table!
Draft a new shared revenue deal that increases state funding available to Wisconsin communities with no strings attached!
No capitulation to racist, sexist Republicans!
Communities and families over cops!
Fair Shared Revenue now – no strings attached!