% WICHOWSKY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> Frederica: AS TO THE
% EVERS/JOHNSON VOTERS IN
% WISCONSIN, A KEY PART OF THE
% JOHNSON PLAYBOOK WERE ATTACK
% ADDS AGAINST BARNES CALLING HIM
% "DIFFERENT" AND "DANGEROUS," ARE
% THEY TIPPING TO THE INCUMBENT
% SENATOR?
% WHO PEOPLE WHO WORK TO GET OUT
% THE VOTE FOR BARNES REGARD THE
% MESSAGES, ESPECIALLY IN
% MILWAUKEE VILIFIED FOR CRIME.
% WE TALK WITH ANGELA LANG,
% EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLACK
% LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR
% COMMUNITIES, AND THANK YOU VERY
% MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> Frederica: HOW DO YOU
% REGARD THOSE ATTACK ADS AGAINST
% BARNES?%>> THEY WERE TERRIBL
E.
% THEY WERE VILE.
% THEY WERE REALLY HARD TO WATCH.
% I THINK FOR -- I KNOW ME
% PERSONALLY AND OTHER FOLKS, IF
% WE CAN TALK TO OUR OWN
% LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR THIS WAY,
% HOW DO THE REST FEEL ABOUT THE
% BLACK COMMUNITY AND OTHERS HE
% SHOULD HAVE BEEN COURTING
% INSTEAD OF VILIFYING, IT WAS
% HORRIBLE AND TERRIFYING AND HARD
% TO WATCH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
% ENCOURAGING TO SEE BARNES REMAIN
% GRACEFUL IN HANDLING THAT AND
% NOT STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL.
% >> Frederica: WHAT'S THE
% RESPONSE TO THE LEVEL THAT
% BARNES DID NOT DO ENOUGH TO
% DEFEND AGAINST THEM?
% >> I THINK IT'S COMPLICATED.
% I THINK ON ONE HAND, ANYTHING HE
% PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE WOULD
% HAVE BEEN SEEN AS WEAPONIZED AND
% FURTHER SEEN AS THE ANGRY BLACK
% MAN AND THAT'S WHY YOU SAW HIM
% MAKING PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY
% SANDWICHES.
% HIS HUMANITY WAS STRIPPED
% BECAUSE OF THE ADS, AND BEING A
% BLACK PERSON, ESPECIALLY RUNNING
% A STATEWIDE -- FOR STATEWIDE
% OFFICE, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
% TO NOT FURTHER FAN THOSE FLAMES,
% AND PEOPLE ASK, WOULD I HAVE
% PERSONALLY DONE SOMETHING
% DIFFERENT?
% ABSOLUTELY!%THAT'S WHY I'M N
OT THE
% CANDIDATE.%I THINK IT WOULD H
AVE BEEN
% INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FOR, I
% THINK, MOST OF US TO HANDLE IT
% IN THE WAY HE DID WITH SUCH
% GRACE.%>> Frederica: DO YOU T
HINK
% THOSE WHO VOTED FOR EVERS AND
% NOT FOR BARNES WERE FRIGHTENED
% AS DESIGNED BY THAT MESSAGING?
% >> I'M VERY CURIOUS TO HAVE
% CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE VOTERS
% TO SEE IF PEOPLE FOCUS GROUPED
% THEM OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND
% ULTIMATELY, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY
% OTHER REASON FOR THE VOTERS TO
% EXIST OTHER THAN RACISM AND FEAR
% MONGERING, AND I THINK THAT'S
% REALLY SAD AND REALLY TRAGIC
% THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN'T GET PAST
% THEIR OWN RACISM, BUT WE HAVE%
ALL OF THE CHALLENGES ON THE
% LINE AND UNDERSTANDING HOW RON
% JOHNSON IS VERY HARMFUL TO THE
% COMMUNITIES AND FOR WHATEVER
% REASON, THAT SEEMED TO TAKE A
% BACKSEAT IN TERMS OF RACISM FOR
% THE FOLKS.%>> Frederica: HOW
DOES THAT
% SPEAK TO THE RACIAL POLARIZATION
% IN WISCONSIN?
% >> I THINK IT SHOWS WE HAVE A
% LOT OF WORK TO CONTINUE TO DO.
% I KNOW IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS
% SINCE THE MURDERS OF TAYLOR AND
% FLOYD, THERE'S MORE%CONVERSA
TIONS HAPPENING, AND
% CONVERSATIONS NEED TO CONTINUE.
% I THINK WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A
% RACIAL RECKONING THAT WE HAVE TO
% CONTINUE TO DIG INTO, AND I
% THINK IT'S GOING TO BE AWHILE
% BEFORE THIS COMMUNITY AND STATE
% AND COUNTRY AS A WHOLE COMES
% TOGETHER AND ACTUALLY SAYS WE
% DEMAND BETTER AND ALL
% COMMUNITIES DESERVE TO THRIVE
% AND HAVE DIGNITY AND NOT HAVE
% THIS RACIST RHETORIC, BUT I
% THINK IT STARTS BY CONTINUING TO
% HAVE CONVERSATIONS.
% >> Frederica: YOU SAID
% "FOLLOWING THE BARNES DEFEAT
% THAT, QUOTE, PROGRESSIVES THAT
% DECIDED THE ELECTABILITY WHISPER
% CAMPAIGN IN THE PRIMARY, YOU ALL
% ARE PARTLY TO BLAME, "WHAT'S
% THAT ABOUT?
% >> YEAH.
% I THINK WE SAW, YOU KNOW, I
% WON'T MENTION THE CAMPAIGNS, BUT
% WE SAW CAMPAIGNS IN THE PRIMARY
% KIND OF AMPLIFY THE DOG WHISTLE
% POLITICS, CALLING HIM EXTREME
% GIVEN HIS ENDORSEMENTS OR
% TALKING ABOUT THE TAX RECORD.
% THINGS THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD
% TALK ABOUT, BUT THESE WERE HIS
% OPPONENTS AND CHALLENGERS IN THE
% PRIMARY, AND I THINK BY HAVING
% DOG WHISTLES, AND KIND OF GOING
% UNCHECKED IN SOME CASES, REALLY
% PROVIDED AN OPENING FOR THE
% REPUBLICANS TO HAVE THEIR VILE
% MESSAGES AS WELL IN THE GENERAL
% ELECTION.
% >> Frederica: THERE WAS A
% DECREASE IN VOTER TURNOUT IN
% MILWAUKEE COUNTY WHICH SAW
% SOMETHING LIKE 47,000 A FEWER
% VOTES THAN IN 2018 IN THE U.S.
% SENATE RACE.
% NOT FOR LACK OF EFFORT.
% WE KNOW.
% WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
% >> YEAH.
% YOU KNOW, WE ARE STILL GOING TO
% BE DIGGING INTO THE NUMBERS AND
% FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, BUT
% WE ALSO KNOW, TOO, THAT WE'RE
% GETTING REPORTS THAT HUNDREDS OF
% PEOPLE JUST EVEN IN SOME POLLING
% PLACES WERE TURNED AWAY DUE TO
% HAVING THE WRONG POLLING
% LOCATION BECAUSE OF
% REDISTRICTING, AND THEIR POLLING
% PLACE MOVED.
% DID THE PEOPLE TURNED AWAY ABLE
% TO GET TO THE CORRECT POLLING
% PLACE TO VOTE?
% WE HEARD REPORTS OF THAT, AND,
% YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HEARD SOME
% REPORTS OF PEOPLE HAVING
% CHILDCARE ISSUES BECAUSE MDS WAS
% CLOSED, NOT SAYING THAT'S ALL OF
% THE REASONS, BUT I THINK WE HAVE
% TO LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE THINGS
% THAT ARE NOT NORMALLY TALKED
% ABOUT TO REALLY KIND OF PUT THE
% PIECES TOGETHER OF A PUZZLE OF
% WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT IT
% GOES TO SHOW THERE'S MORE WORK
% TO DO FOR THE SPRING ELECTIONS
% NEXT YEAR.%>> Frederica: BRIE
FLY, LOOKING
% AHEAD TO THE NEXT STATEWIDE
% RACE, RACE FOR SUPREME COURT.
% WHY IS THAT ELECTION IN YOUR
% SIGHTS?%>> I THINK IT'S IMPO
RTANT FOR
% SEVERAL REASONS.
% OUR TEAM FEELS VERY STRONGLY
% THAT, ONE, WE COULD FLIP THE
% IDEOLOGY OF THE COURT AWAY FROM
% THE CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY.
% THE COURT IMPACTS THINGS LIKE
% BALLOT DROP BOXES AND VOTING ON
% ELECTION DAY AND THINGS LIKE
% THAT, AND IT IS ALSO AN
% OPPORTUNITY, WE HAVE MADE AN
% ENDORSEMENT TO ELECT OUR FIRST
% BLACK JUSTICE IN THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN, AND EVERETT MITCHELL.
% WE ARE EXCITED TO BE A PART OF
% HISTORY AND UNDERSTAND, TOO,
% WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR THE REST OF%
THE STATE IF WE ARE ABLE TO FLIP
% THAT SEAT.
% >> Frederica: ANGELA LANG,
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH.