One teen, who wished to remain unnamed, said, “It was super important to have a space to celebrate our identities without school, our parents, or any stranger policing our bodies. It was also nice to learn how we can stick together and fight back!”

There was an onsite counselor through Reach Counseling who was there to assist any youth struggling and to provide resources for youth victims of sexual violence and other attacks related to their gender identity. One of the key themes of the event was expressing solidarity with the Black and brown communities who also identify as LGBTQ and their allies.

Since Pride originated as a rebellion against police and political repression it was appropriate for organizers to also highlight our need for an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) to hold police officers fully accountable for harm done when cops commit crimes.

Hollie Poupart, a host and member of the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, emphasized the historical relationship between police violence and LGBTQ community.

“For far too long police officers and those in positions of power have been able to target, harass, humiliate, misgender, abuse and even murder beautiful members of our communities without any true consequences,” Poupart said. “This has to stop and if we want change; we need to elect a body of marginalized people who have no problem hearing testimonies and holding police officers accountable.”

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR

Daunte Wright was allegedly pulled over for the air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror; later police claimed Wright had a warrant, which confused him, causing him to sit back down into his vehicle. While trying to forcefully remove him from his vehicle, Officer Potter shot Wright in the abdomen with her gun. She immediately claimed she thought she had been holding her taser. Protesters are calling this error “inexcusable” and are demanding that the ‘veteran’ Officer Potter be fully held accountable to the law the same way that any regular person would be.

Protesters in Oshkosh highlighted the similarities between the murder of Daunte Wright and the murder of Isaiah Tucker in their own community almost four years ago, when officer Aaron Achterberg fatally shot Tucker for entering his vehicle attempting to ‘flee.’

“For years we have seen cases of police shooting Black men, women and children with no accountability. It’s happening everywhere and not just in big cities,” said Hollie Poupart, a leader with United Action Oshkosh and of the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Police are shooting and killing here in smaller cities like Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay and across the country. Enough is enough!”

Local grassroots organizations like United Action Oshkosh and the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression are calling for a Civilian Police Accountability Council to be enacted to hold police officers accountable when they cause serious harm. More protests will take place as tensions resurface, fueling the drive for changes around the country.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #UnitedActionOshkosh #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR #DaunteWright

Appleton, WI – Around 50 people from across northeastern Wisconsin gathered on March 8 in response to a national call to action put out by the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression that is demanding charges be brought against Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd last May. Though the trial is expected to last weeks, multiple grassroots organizations from nearby cities vowed to stand in solidarity with each other and to not let the local communities forget about victims of police brutality and systematic racism.

Cassandra Ross, a local community activist stated, “It will save a lot of Black lives. Black people, for example, stand before racist judges and receive maximum, sometimes over max, time for crimes they committed while others who are white commit the same crime and get a slap on the wrist.”

Activists were also protesting in support of justice at another trial that began on the same day as Derek Chauvin’s. Michael Mattioli, an off-duty Milwaukee Police Officer, murdered Joel Acevedo at a party in April of last year and is facing charges as well.

In addition to justice, another theme at the event was solidarity, an aspect which continues to be important to many organizers. TJ Hobbs, a community organizer in Oshkosh, said “We are all connected, and when any part of our community is being targeted, we are all being targeted. It is crucial to care and to be vocal because our words and actions have the power to shape real change in our communities.”

The rally was called jointly by the Wisconsin National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression chapter (serving the Fox Valley area primarily), United Action Oshkosh, Fox Valley Food Not Bombs, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#AppletonWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #UnitedActionOshkoshUAO #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR

“The family of Jonathon Tubby supports the decision of the Green Bay city council for finally getting body cams for the police force. In Jonathon’s case it’s too late but we hope this prevents any Green Bay officer from killing anyone else. Everything we’ve done since October 19, 2018 was to prevent any other family from experiencing what we went through,” read a statement prepared for Fight Back! by the Tubby family after the decision.

The statement continued, “We hope that having the body cams will prevent more killings and hold officers accountable for their actions. We also hope that the body cams will hold officers accountable for not stepping in and protecting the people they are to protect and serve.”

The total package for the police department includes the body cameras and training officers in de-escalation. A significant portion of the cost was covered by the Green Bay Packers football team, which offered approximately $750,000 to offset the purchase. Many of the city council members raised concerns about the price of the body cameras, but ultimately relented as members of the Green Bay community attending the virtual council meeting called their priorities into question.

The only video evidence of Tubby’s murder came from cameras in the police vehicles. Due to “lack of evidence” and incomplete and false officer testimony, Erik O’Brien was never charged, and later received a promotion to sergeant by the department.

The requirement of body cameras by GBPD is an important step in making sure the people of Green Bay can hold out-of-control police officers accountable for their violence. It shows how community demands can force a police department to take a second look at their conduct. That being said, many understand that simply having these cameras is not enough.

“We celebrate the council’s vote as a victory in the struggle for justice for Jonathon, but we know that cops in other cities around the country continue to kill and get away with murder even while wearing cameras,” said Aodhan Bowman, a member of the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “In order to hold these killers accountable, and try to prevent more of the same from happening again, we need community control of the police and CPAC.”

#GreenBayWI #PeoplesStruggles #IndigenousPeoples #PoliceBrutality #JonathonTubby #JusticeForJonathonTubby #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement issued by the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (WAARPR) in conjunction with the Tubby family.

Green Bay, WI – The resurgent movement for Black lives and against police crimes, sparked by the public execution of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25, is maintaining momentum as summer draws to a close. This is because the police continue to kill Black men and other people. 288 people have been killed by police since Floyd’s murder.

Like many other aspects of life in the U.S., sports have been impacted by this country-wide upsurge. Players from various sports have marched in the streets with protesters, practices were called off as a result of player actions, and wildcat labor strikes occurred that resulted in the postponing of games in the NBA and MLB.

On the opening day of their 2020 regular season, the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings paid tribute to the life and family of George Floyd. Their opponents, the Green Bay Packers, have made several statements in support of the struggle against racial injustice and police brutality, particularly since the attempted murder of Jacob Blake by the Kenosha Police Department on August 25. This is good, but we want the Packers to do more in their own community to combat these societal problems.

On October 19, 2018, the Green Bay Police Department and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office jointly participated in the murder of Jonathon Tubby, a proud young indigenous man and member of the Oneida Nation. The injustice has been perpetuated, with Officer Erik O’Brien facing no discipline for the murder. Instead, O’Brien received a promotion with the GBPD. The Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, together with the family of Jonathon Tubby and the Justice for Jonathon group, are calling on the Packers to put their money where their mouths are.

We want the Packers to honor Jonathon’s life like the Vikings honored George Floyd’s, including an invitation to the Tubby family to be welcomed at Lambeau Field for the home opener. We call for the Packers to take part in the struggle for justice for Jonathon by pressuring those with the authority to reopen the investigation and to push for Officer Erik O’Brien to be fired, indicted, and convicted for murder.

We look to the Green Bay Packers to use their platform to elevate the call for justice for Jonathon and show that these issues matter beyond just making comments to the media. The Wisconsin Alliance recognizes that now is the time to stand alongside the Tubby family. If the Packers organization, it’s players, and its coaches are serious about what they’ve said regarding the fight against racial injustice, we hope they will join us.

#GreenBayWI #PeoplesStruggles #IndigenousPeoples #PoliceBrutality #JonathonTubby #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR