% >> IN RECENT WEEKS, PROTESTERS
% IN CITIES LARGE AND SMALL ACROSS
% WISCONSIN HAVE BEEN RALLYING FOR
% POLICE REFORM FOLLOWING THE
% DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE
% HANDS OF MINNEAPOLIS POLICE.
% DARRELL KEATON IS SEEN AS A
% LEADER AMONG HIS PEERS IN THE
% WAUSAU COMMUNITY AND HAS BEEN
% ADVOCATING CHANGE DURING
% DEMONSTRATIONS.
% HE JOINS US THIS WEEK WITH HIS
% PERSPECTIVES ON THE RACIAL
% JUSTICE MOVEMENT IN CENTRAL
% WISCONSIN.
% MR. KEATON, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
% BEING HERE.
% >> YES.
% THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO YOU FOUNDED AN
% ORGANIZATION IN 2011 THERE IN
% WAUSAU.
% TELL ME ABOUT THAT AND WHY YOU
% STARTED IT.
% >> SO I DEVELOPED THE PROGRAM TO
% WORK WITH AT-RISK YOUTH.
% WE WANTED TO CATCH THE YOUTH
% BEFORE ENTERING JUNIOR HIGH OR
% HIGH SCHOOL.
% AND WE WANTED TO WORK WITH THEM
% THROUGH THE SCHOOL EDUCATION TO
% IDENTIFY KIDS WHO ARE STRUGGLING
% WITH ATTENTION DEFICITS,
% BEHAVIOR ISSUES, ET CETERA.
% AND WHEN THAT SITUATION TOOK
% PLACE WITH GEORGE FLOYD, IT JUST
% WOKE SOMETHING IN ME.
% AND I KNEW THEN THAT I NEEDED TO
% ACT AND I NEEDED TO ACT SWIFTLY
% IN MY COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I DON'T
% WANT SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO
% HAPPEN HERE IN MY COMMUNITY.
% >> AND SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU
% NEEDED TO ACT AND YOU NEEDED TO
% ACT SWIFTLY, WHAT DID YOU DO?
% >> WELL, THE FIRST THING I DID
% WAS I REACHED OUT WITH SOME OF
% THE OTHER MEMBERS IN THE
% COMMUNITY THAT I WORKED
% ALONGSIDE IN THE PAST, AND I
% WENT OUT, MYSELF AND MY TWO
% GRANDDAUGHTERS, AND WE DID A
% PEACEFUL PROTEST.
% AND AFTER ME AND MY
% GRANDDAUGHTERS WENT OUT AND DID
% A PEACEFUL PROTEST, IT SPARKED A
% MOVEMENT.
% THE NEXT DAY WE HAD OVER 300
% PEOPLE COME OUT AND JOIN US.
% I JUST DON'T WANT TO SEE
% SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN HERE.
% AND SO IF YOU JUMP OUT IN FRONT
% OF IT BEFORE IT COMES TO YOUR
% DOORSTEP, THEN YOU CAN, YOU
% KNOW, WORK WITH YOUR LAW
% ENFORCEMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT
% WE CAN BRIDGE THAT GAP BETWEEN
% THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
% HERE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
% AND WE'RE WORKING HARD SINCE
% THIS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP.
% AND I CAN PROUDLY SAY THAT
% MYSELF, WITH MY MAYOR AND MY
% CHIEF OF POLICE, WE HAVE REALLY
% BEEN WORKING TOGETHER ON SOME
% THINGS TO KIND OF HELP BRIDGE
% THAT GAP.
% I CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE
% OFFICIALLY NEXT YEAR WILL
% CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH IN THE CITY
% OF WAUSAU, WHICH HAS NEVER
% HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF THIS
% COMMUNITY.
% SO I JUST THINK THAT HAVING
% SOMETHING HERE FOR THE BLACK
% COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO BRING
% POSITIVES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
% >> IT'S SO COOL THAT YOU WERE
% ABLE TO TELL US THAT WAUSAU IS
% GOING TO BE CELEBRATING
% JUNETEENTH NEXT YEAR.
% >> YEAH.
% IT IS.
% I MEET WITH MY MAYOR AND I'VE
% BEEN IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH
% THE CHIEF AND WE THINK THAT THAT
% WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD START AS
% FAR AS --
% >> YEAH.
% >> -- BRIDGING THAT GAP AND TO
% CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH HERE AND
% HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, ON THE 400
% BLOCK.
% BECAUSE WE WANT ALL PEOPLE TO
% COME TOGETHER.
% WE DON'T WANT IT TO JUST BE
% ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONE RACE OF
% PEOPLE.
% WE WANT ALL PEOPLE TO COME
% TOGETHER.
% AND WE WANT THE BLACK COMMUNITY
% TO FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING
% HERE FOR THEM.
% AND SO I WORK HARD TO TRY TO
% MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BRIDGE
% THAT GAP.
% AND I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR
% THE PEOPLE OF WAUSAU, WISCONSIN.
% THIS IS MY HOME.
% >> YOU HAVE SAID THAT TAKING
% PART IN DEMONSTRATIONS OR VIGILS
% OR MARCHES, IT NOW SEEMS TO YOU
% AS THOUGH WHITE PEOPLE ARE
% LISTENING AND JOINING IN.
% HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU THAT
% THAT HAPPENS?
% >> IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
% I'VE SAID ALL ALONG THAT WE AS A
% PEOPLE, AS THE BLACK COMMUNITY,
% WE CANNOT TACKLE THIS SYSTEMIC
% RACISM THAT HAS PLAGUED OUR
% COUNTRY FOR 400 PLUS YEARS.
% WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.
% WE HAVE TO HAVE GOOD WHITE
% PEOPLE TO STAND WITH US TO
% DEFEAT RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY.
% AND YOU HAVE TO START WITH THE
% HEAD OF THIS SYSTEMIC RACISM IN
% OUR COUNTRY.
% AND I FEEL THAT STARTS AT THE
% TOP, WHICH IS OUR GOVERNMENT.
% AND IF WE CAN START THERE AND
% TRICKLE DOWN TO THE MIDDLE CLASS
% AND THE LOWER CLASS, THEN MAYBE
% WE CAN MAKE GREATER CHANGES IN
% THIS COMMUNITY, AND IN AMERICA.
% >> WHAT KIND OF DIALOGUE HAVE
% YOU SEEN HAPPENING ON MATTERS OF
% RACE THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN
% HAPPENING BEFORE THE KILLING OF
% GEORGE FLOYD AND DEMONSTRATIONS
% OVER THAT?
% >> CHANGES ARE OCCURRING EVERY
% DAY.
% I JUST -- LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I
% FEEL THAT THIS TIME IT'S
% DIFFERENT.
% IT FEELS DIFFERENT.
% AND I DO BELIEVE THAT WE AS A
% COMMUNITY, AS A WHOLE, IF WE
% CONTINUE TO STAND TOGETHER, HATE
% CANNOT DEFEAT LOVE.
% >> DO YOU EXPECT PROTESTS AND
% DEMONSTRATIONS TO CONTINUE IN
% YOUR PART OF THE STATE?
% >> NO, I DON'T.
% I THINK AT THIS POINT THINGS ARE
% GOING ACCORDING TO HOW THEY
% SHOULD, AND I THINK IF THEY
% CONTINUE ON THE PATH THAT THEY
% ARE, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE'LL BE
% OKAY.
% >> SO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THE
% LINES OF COMMUNICATION ARE OPEN
% AND --
% >> YES.
% >> -- WHITE PEOPLE, AS YOU
% SAID, ARE LISTENING.
% >> YES.
% >> AND YOU IN FACT HAVE BEEN
% ABLE TO ALREADY MAKE SOME
% TANGIBLE CHANGE, AND SO YOU SEE
% MORE OF THAT COMING?
% >> CORRECT.
% YES.
% I DO.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.
% WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
% CHECKING IN WITH US AND TELLING
% US ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE
% HAPPENING IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN.
% DARRELL KEATON, THANKS AGAIN.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% YOU HAVE A BLESSED DAY.
%