% FIRST, REPUBLICANS AND THE
% DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR WERE AT ODDS
% OVER THE PATH FORWARD DEALING
% WITH CORONAVIRUS.
% NOW ANOTHER CONTENTIOUS ISSUE
% WHEN IT COMES TO POLICE REFORM.
% JIM STEINEKE JOINS US FROM
% KAUKAUNA.
% THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN IN A
% COUPLE WEEKS.
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
% DEADLY FORCE USED IN THE DEATH
% OF GEORGE FLOYD?
% >> ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC.
% I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYBODY THAT
% COULD WATCH THAT VIDEO, OVER
% EIGHT MINUTES THE OFFICER
% KNEELING ON GEORGE FLOYD'S NECK,
% HIM PLEADING FOR HELP, AND
% EVENTUALLY PASSING AWAY AND NOT
% FEEL THE OUTRAGE THAT I THINK
% EVERYBODY SHOULD FEEL.
% IT WAS DISGUSTING.
% SOMETHING THERE IS NO PLACE FOR
% IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE HAVE
% TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THESE CASES
% DON'T REOCCUR.
% >> A DEMOCRATIC BILL AT THE
% STATE CAPITOL WOULD MAKE THE
% PRIMARY DUTY OF ALL LAW
% ENFORCEMENT TO PRESERVE THE LIFE
% OF ALL INDIVIDUALS AND THE
% DEADLY FORCE IS TO BE USED ONLY
% AS A LAST RESORT.
% HOW WILLING IS THE REPUBLICAN
% MAJORITY TO GET BEHIND THIS
% LEGISLATION?
% >> WELL, YEAH, I GUESS WHEN IT
% COMES TO THAT PARTICULAR PIECE
% OF LEGISLATION I'M NOT EXACTLY
% SURE WHAT THE GOAL IS BECAUSE
% THAT IS ALREADY IN PLACE IN
% POLICE HEADQUARTERS ALL OVER THE
% STATE.
% POLICE HEADQUARTERS ALL OVER THE
% STATE ALREADY HAVE A GOAL OF
% DEESCALATION, MINIMIZING THE USE
% OF FORCE, I MEAN, WHEN WE TALK
% ABOUT THE USE OF FORCE IN LAW
% ENFORCEMENT I THINK IT'S
% SOMEWHERE AROUND LESS THAN 1% OF
% THE CASES WHERE THERE'S ANY KIND
% OF USE OF FORCE IN AN ARREST.
% SO WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A SMALL
% MINORITY OF THE CASES, BUT
% OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU HAVE
% SITUATIONS LIKE GEORGE FLOYD,
% AND OTHERS WHO HAVE FELL VICTIM
% TO POLICE BRUTALITY, IT
% HEIGHTENS THE ISSUE AND
% HIGHLIGHTS IT MORE, BUT THERE'S
% ALREADY THESE POLICIES ON THE
% BOOKS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
% >> POLICIES ON THE BOOKS WOULD
% BE DIFFERENT THAN STATE
% STATUTES, SOMETHING PASSED BY
% LEGISLATORS.
% WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN
% YOUR INITIAL COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR
% HORROR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO
% GEORGE FLOYD.
% YOU SAID THAT REALLY SOMETHING
% NEEDS TO BE DONE.
% WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
% >> I MEAN, IT'S HARD AS A
% LEGISLATOR TO ADMIT THAT WE
% DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
% IT'S HARD TO PUT FORWARD PIECES
% OF LEGISLATION THAT WILL END
% RACISM AND CHANGE THE HEARTS AND
% MINDS OF PEOPLE THAT DO HARBOR
% THOSE RACIST TENDENCIES.
% I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
% GOING FORWARD THAT WHATEVER WE
% DO IS DONE IN A VEIN THAT MAKES
% SURE WE PROTECT THE HEALTH AND
% SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS.
% MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR
% LIVING IN OUR COMMUNITIES DON'T
% FEAR THE POLICE, THAT IS
% SOMETHING THAT AS A WHITE MALE I
% JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.
% SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT
% BETTER AND THE CONVERSATIONS
% HAVE TO BE HELD WITH PEOPLE OF
% COLOR THROUGHOUT THE STATE,
% LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, LAW
% ENFORCEMENT, THE FAITH
% COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO HAVE A
% BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE
% AND WHAT WE CAN DO AS A SOCIETY
% AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST THROUGH
% LEGISLATION, BUT THROUGH
% SOCIETAL CHANGE AND REFORMS THAT
% WILL HELP MOVE THIS PROCESS
% ALONG FURTHER.
% >> I KNOW THAT GOVERNOR EVERS
% WOULD LIKE TO SEE LEGISLATION
% HIT HIS DESK AROUND THIS ISSUE
% OF POLICE REFORM.
% ARE YOU SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT
% GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT -- ARE
% YOU WILLING TO SPEAK WITH AM
% ABOUT THIS?
% >> WELL, YES.
% CERTAINLY WE ARE WILLING TO
% SPEAK WITH HIM.
% I MEAN -- THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
% I WOULD, I THINK EVERYBODY IS
% OPEN TO CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
% LEGISLATION GOING FORWARD.
% I THINK LIKE I SAID, WE ARE NOT
% SEEING LEGISLATION DOES NOT NEED
% TO HAPPEN, BUT I THINK THE
% BROADER CONVERSATION NEEDS TO
% HAPPEN.
% PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBER IN
% WISCONSIN WE HAVE ALREADY DONE
% SOME REFORMS TO HOW
% OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS ARE
% INVESTIGATED AND OTHER THINGS
% THAT KIND OF HAVE CHANGED THE
% CONVERSATION OVER THE COURSE OF
% THE YEARS AND MOVED US FORWARD.
% BUT CONTINUING THOSE
% CONVERSATIONS IS CRITICAL AND
% ESPECIALLY HEADING INTO THE NEXT
% LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
% >> HAVE YOU HAD ANY OF THOSE
% CONVERSATIONS YET WITH THE
% EVERS' ADMINISTRATION?
% >> NO, THE EVERS' ADMINISTRATION
% HAS NOT REACHED OUT TO US, WITH
% THE NEWS OF HIS SECRETLY TAPE
% RECORDING OUR CONVERSATIONS THAT
% HAS PUT A WEDGE IN BETWEEN THE
% TWO SIDES EVEN FURTHER THAN WAS
% ALREADY THERE, AND HAS DAMAGED
% SOME OF THE TRUST THAT WE WERE
% TRYING TO BUILD GOING FORWARD SO
% WE CAN HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS
% ABOUT THESE MONUMENTAL ISSUES.
% BUT HOPEFULLY THE EVERS'
% ADMINISTRATION WILL RECOGNIZE
% HOW SERIOUS A MISTAKE THAT WAS
% TO SECRETLY RECORD THESE
% CONVERSATIONS AND DO SOMETHING
% ABOUT IT.
% >> I DO KNOW ON THAT THAT THE
% GOVERNOR SAID HE HIMSELF WAS NOT
% AWARE OF THAT BUT UNDERSTOOD AND
% THANKS VERY MUCH, REPRESENTATIVE
% STEINEKE, FOR JOINING US.
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% AND THANK YOU.
% AND IT'S IMPORTANT, IF HE DID
% NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WAS GOING
% ON, I TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD.
% BUT WHOEVER AUTHORIZED THIS IN
% HIS OFFICE SHOULD PAY THE
% CONSEQUENCES FOR IT.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% REPRESENTATIVE STEINEKE, THANK
% YOU.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> AMONG THE PROTESTORS THIS