%FOR YOU HERE.
%WE HAVE 200 MASKS.
%>> CREWS FROM THE BOYS & GIRLS
%CLUB OF DANE COUNTY SPENT THE
%WEEK GIVING AWAY 15,000 MASKS
%THAT WERE DONATED BY A SAFETY
%EQUIPMENT COMPANY IN NEVADA.
%THE EFFORT IS THE LATEST EXAMPLE
%OF THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNITY
%OUTREACH DURING THIS DIFFICULT
%TIME.
%MICHAEL JOHN ASSOCIATION
%PRESIDENT AND CEO, JOINS US NOW.
%MICHAEL, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
%SEEING YOU.
%>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
%ME O.
%>> SO WITH DANE COUNTY'S MASK
%ORDINANCE IN PLACE, WAS IT YOUR
%SENSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE GOOD
%ACCESS TO THEM?
%>> YEAH.
%I THINK ANYTIME YOU HAVE A
%CRISIS LIKE THIS, YOU HAVE
%PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CHALLENGING
%CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WE'VE GIVEN
%ALMOST 10 #0,000 MASKS OUT SINCE
%THIS PANDEMIC.
%WE GET PHONE CALLS, MESSAGES
%FROM PEOPLE SAYING THERE'S A
%LACK OF ACCESS FOR THEIR
%FAMILIES.
%SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE
%THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD IT HAVE
%ACCESS TO THEM.
%>> WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER MAJOR
%CONCERNS FOR THE COMMUNITIES
%THAT YOU SERVE AS WE SEE SPIKES
%IN COVID-19?
%I
%>> I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT
%OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE OR UNDER DN
%EMPLOYED PEOPLE OR TEENAGERS WHO
%MAY NOT BE WORKING AT THIS TIME,
%THAT'S WHY WE DECIDED TO PUT 150
%TEENAGERS TO WORK IN THE LAST
%COUPLE WEEKS TO KEEP RESOURCES
%IN THEIR POCKETS.
%AND THEN WHEN YOU LIVE IN
%MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, BEING
%ABLE TO PAY YOUR BILLS AND BEING
%ABLE TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN
%NEED, THAT'S WHY WE'VE DONE
%NONTRADITIONAL THINGS THAT YOU
%TYPICALLY DON'T SEE BOYS AND
%GIRLS CLUBS DOING.
%WE PAID THE BILLS OF OVER 8,000
%PEOPLE.
%WE HAVE 61 KIDS WHO WERE IN
%COLLEGE.
%WE HELPED TO PAY FOR THEM TO GET
%BACK HOME.
%WE PAID THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,%
INCLUDING KIDS AND SENIOR
%CITIZENS, OVER THE LAST 90 DAYS,
%MAKING SURE THAT NO PERSON GO
%HOME HUNGRY AT NIGHT.
%THESE ARE THINGS THAT
%TRADITIONALLY BOYS AND GIRLS
%CLUBS DON'T DO AND WE JUST WANT
%TO CONTINUE TO THINK OUT OF THE
%BOX TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
%SUPPORTING OUR CHILDREN AND
%FAMILIES AND SENIORS WHO NEED US
%THE MOST.
%WE ALSO RAISED MONEY FOR
%DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES.
%I'M GETTING LETTERS FROM
%BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN THANKING US
%FOR HELPING THEM TO STAY OPEN.
%SO THERE'S JUST SO MANY
%CHALLENGES GOING ON RIGHT NOW
%THAT WE'RE TRYING TO LEVERAGE
%OUR RESOURCES TO HELP THOSE WHO
%NEED US THE MOST.
%>> NOW, ALL OF THAT IS
%HAPPENING, OF COURSE, AS
%COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION
%AND HERE AT HOME GRAPPLE WITH
%AND DEMONSTRATE OVER RACIAL
%JUSTICE AND POLICING.
%A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE LAST
%SPOKE IN THE DIRECT AFTERMATH OF
%THE GEORGE FLOYD KILLING,
%INCLUDING MOVES TOWARD POLICE
%REFORM AND LOTS OF DIALOGUE AND
%RECKONING OVER RACISM.
%WITH ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO
%WITH BUILDING BRIDGES, HAVE YOU
%SEEN PROGRESS IN THESE
%INTERVENING DAYS?
%>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF
%DISCUSSIONS.
%WE'VE BEEN HAVING DISCUSSIONS
%FOR YEARS.
%I THINK IT'S TIME THAT WE HAVE A
%SUBSTANTIVE PLAN THAT'S ALIGNED
%WITH THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO
%BE ABLE TO BACK IT UP.
%YOU KNOW, THERE IS THE
%DISCUSSION ABOUT OVERSIGHT,
%POLICE BOARD WITH CIVILIANS.
%AND WHILE WE'VE BEEN TALKING
%ABOUT THESE KIND OF ISSUES FOR
%DECADES, I THINK NOW IS THE TIME
%THAT WE GO BEYOND THE STUDIES,
%WE GO BEYOND THE TOWN HALL
%MEETINGS AND WE ACTUALLY EXECUTE
%A PLAN WITH THE FINANCIAL
%RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO BACK IT
%SO THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT FEEL
%THE MOST MARGINALIZED SEE ACTION
%ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE.
%SO I'M GOING TO SAY TO BE
%DETERMINED.
%>> YOU HAVE MET, I UNDERSTAND,
%WITH GOVERNOR EVERS.
%WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE FROM HIM
%OR THE STATE?
%>> I WOULD SAY WHEN YOU LOOK AT
%THE USE OF FORCE GUIDELINES, I
%THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
%NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ACROSS
%EVERY MUNICIPALITY IN WISCONSIN
%AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE
%CHIEFS AND THE FIRE AND POLICE
%COMMISSIONS AND THEIR BOARDS ARE
%REVIEWING THOSE POLICIES AND
%HAVING DIALOGUE IN THEIR
%INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES.
%I THINK THAT'S VERY, VERY, VERY
%IMPORTANT.
%I ALSO THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE
%MORE RESOURCES TOWARDS
%COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, POLICING.
%AND SO WHILE I WANT TO SEE --
%WHILE YOU HEAR PEOPLE USE THE
%WORD "DEFUND THE POLICE," I
%THINK THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE
%RESTRUCTURED TO BE ABLE TO
%SUPPORT COMMUNITY POLICING,
%INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY IN THAT
%PROCESS.
%I ALSO HAVE TALKED TO THE
%GOVERNOR, THE LIEUTENANT
%GOVERNOR AND ALSO THE SECRETARY
%OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
%ADMINISTRATION.
%I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE
%REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF
%COLOR AT THE STATE CAPITOL.
%THERE'S NO REPRESENTATION RIGHT
%NOW.
%SO WE PROPOSE A BILL THAT A VEL
%FILL FLIPS
%PHILLIPS STATUE GO UP.
%WE HAVE A PROPOSAL THAT WILL
%HOPEFULLY BE APPROVED AND
%REPRESENTATION WILL SOON BE AT
%THE CAPITOL TO REFLECT ALL THE
%GREAT WORK THAT
%AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE PROVIDED
%IN THIS STATE OVER THE LAST 150
%PLUS YEARS.
%>> THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
%ANY IDEA WHEN THEY MIGHT ERECT
%THAT STATUE OF VEL PHILLIPS?
%>> YEAH.
%SO THERE'S A VOTE THAT HAS TO
%TAKE PLACE WITH THE BOARD.
%SENATOR RISSER IS THE CHAIRMAN
%OF THAT BOARD.
%WE'RE HOPING WITHIN THE NEXT 60
%DAYS TO HAVE SOME RENDERINGS
%DONE.
%ONCE THOSE RENDERINGS IS DONE,
%IT WILL TAKE ABOUT A YEAR FOR IT
%TO HAPPEN.
%I'M OPTIMISTIC GIVEN THAT VEL
%PHILLIPS WAS THE FIRST
%AFRICAN-AMERICAN JUDGE IN THE
%STATE AND THE FIRST
%AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE
%ELECTED TO CITY COUNCIL, THE
%FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN IN THIS
%COUNTRY TO BE ELECTED TO A
%STATEWIDE OFFICE.
%AND SHE WAS RAISED AND DID ALL
%HER GREAT WORK IN THIS STATE,
%AND I THINK WHITE KIDS, BLACK
%KIDS AND KIDS OF COLOR NEED TO
%SEE REPRESENTATION AT OUR STATE
%CAPITOL.
%AND I'M OPTIMISTIC AND HOPEFUL
%THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN WITHIN THE
%NEXT 12 MONTHS.
%>> GREAT NEWS.
%MICHAEL JOHNSON, THANKS VERY
%MUCH FOR JOINING US.
%>> OKAY.