% MARCH ON THE STATE CAPITOL ON
% JULY 4.
% >> IT WILL TAKE ALL HANDS ON
% DECK TO HEAL OUR COMMUNITY.
% THAT'S IN THE AGENDA OF BLACK
% LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITY
% BASED IN MILWAUKEE.
% JUST ABOUT A MONTH AGO WE SAT
% DOWN WITH BLOC'S EXECUTIVE
% DIRECTOR ANGELA LANG, IN THE
% DIRECT AFTERMATH OF THE KILLING
% OF GEORGE FLOYD.
% ANGELA LANG JOINS US TONIGHT
% WITH HER THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE'VE
% COME.
% THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> FOUR WEEKS AGO YOU SAID THAT
% IN PRIOR CASES OF POLICE
% BRUTALITY OF BLACK PEOPLE THERE
% ARE THESE OUTCRIES AND A COUPLE
% OF MONTHS LATER IT SEEMS TO GO
% BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL.
% ARE WE NOW SLIPPING BACK INTO
% BUSINESS AS USUAL, OR IS THIS
% OUTCRY ENDURING?
% >> I THINK IT'S ENDURING.
% I'M ACTUALLY REALLY HOPEFUL AND
% EXCITED TO SEE PROTESTS AND
% PEOPLE BE IN IT FOR THE LONG
% TERM.
% WE ARE LIVING IN THIS MOMENT
% THAT FEELS DIFFERENT FROM
% ANYTHING ELSE WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.
% THERE'S A NARRATIVE SHIFT THAT'S
% HAPPENING ALL ACROSS THE
% COUNTRY.
% WE'RE ABLE TO SEE REAL CHANGES
% AND CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING IN
% WAYS THAT HAVE NEVER HAPPENED
% BEFORE.
% I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE
% PROTESTERS TO BE ABLE TO
% CONTINUE WITH THE PRESSURE.
% I DON'T KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS
% ANYMORE, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY
% BEEN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEK.
% I THINK PEOPLE ARE IN IT FOR THE
% LONG HAUL.
% PEOPLE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
% BE OUTRAGED.
% I WAS JUST MADE AWARE EARLIER
% THIS WEEK ABOUT THE SHOOTING IN
% THE SHEBOYGAN AREA, THE
% OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING,
% LOOKING TO LEARN MORE DETAILS
% AROUND THAT.
% IT JUST IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE THAT
% THESE INCIDENTS AND THESE
% MURDERS CONTINUE TO HAPPEN AND
% THIS BRUTALITY CONTINUES TO
% HAPPEN.
% AND AS LONG AS THAT CONTINUES, I
% THINK THE PROTESTERS AND ALL OF
% US ORGANIZERS AND ACTIVISTS ARE
% REALLY IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
% TO MAKE THAT SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE
% THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
% >> IN TERMS OF WORKING TOWARD
% CONCRETE REFORMS, HOW WOULD YOU
% REGARD PROGRESS ON THAT SO FAR,
% CONCRETE REFORMS?
% >> YEAH.
% I THINK WE'RE SEEING SOME MORE
% IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS RIGHT NOW.
% I KNOW IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE
% THE COMMON COUNCIL IS EVALUATING
% AT LEAST A 10% DECREASE IN THE
% POLICE BUDGET FOR THE FALL.
% WE ARE IN THE VERY, VERY
% BEGINNING STAGES OF THE CITY
% BUDGET HERE IN MILWAUKEE.
% AND THE FACT THAT THE COMMON
% COUNCIL IS EVALUATING RIGHT NOW
% A 10% DECREASE AND KNOWING THAT
% THOSE NUMBERS COULD FLUCTUATE,
% THEY COULD GO UP, BUT THEY SET
% THE STANDARD THAT THEY'RE
% LOOKING TO REDUCE THE POLICE
% BUDGET BY AT LEAST 10%.
% THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT
% HAVE BEEN HAPPENING FOR YEARS.
% IT REALLY FEELS LIKE A PERFECT
% STORM AND REALLY THIS
% OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CONCRETE
% CHANGES.
% I THINK BEING ABLE TO CHANGE
% WHAT IS HAPPENING INTERNALLY
% WITH POLICE DEPARTMENTS IS A
% VERY IMMEDIATE THING.
% BUT WE REALLY ALSO SHOULD BE
% THINKING LONG-TERM STRATEGIES.
% HOW ARE WE DEFINING SAFETY AS A
% COMMUNITY?
% HOW ARE WE KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE?
% AND WHAT ARE BIGGER REFORMS THAT
% WE ARE LOOKING AT, WHETHER IT'S
% TARGETING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
% BUDGET BUT ALSO ON THE OTHER
% HAND MAKING SURE WE'RE INVESTING
% THOSE RESOURCES INTO MENTAL
% HEALTH, YOUTH PROGRAMS,
% TRANSPORTATION SO PEOPLE CAN
% HAVE ACCESS TO LIVING WAGE JOBS.
% I THINK THOSE ARE BROADER
% CONVERSATIONS.
% SO I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE
% INITIAL CONVERSATIONS.
% BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY I
% THINK PEOPLE WANT SOMETHING
% THAT'S LONG LASTING.
% IT'S GOING TO BE OVER SEVERAL
% YEARS.
% >> YEAH.
% AT THE STATE LEVEL THERE SEEMS
% TO HAVE BEEN SO FAR VERY LITTLE
% TRACTION ON AGREEMENT OVER
% REFORMS IN THIS REGARD.
% HOW IMPATIENT ARE PEOPLE FOR
% CHANGE?
% >> YEAH.
% I MEAN, I THINK PEOPLE ARE
% INCREDIBLY IMPATIENT AND THAT'S
% WHY WE'RE IN THE MOMENT WE ARE
% NOW.
% WHEN YOU REALLY HAVE TO JUSTIFY
% YOUR EXISTENCE AS A BLACK
% PERSON, PEOPLE ARE FED UP AND
% PEOPLE ARE INPATIENT.
% AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOOKING
% FOR THAT TANGIBLE SOLUTIONS AND
% RESULTS AND LEADERSHIP.
% PEOPLE ARE MAKING THEIR VOICES
% HEARD, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY
% IF OUR LEADERSHIP AND
% LEGISLATURE, IF THEY'RE NOT
% WILLING TO ACT, THEN I IMAGINE
% THESE PROTESTS ARE GOING TO
% HAPPEN UNTIL THERE'S REAL
% CHANGE.
% >> YOUR ORGANIZATION IS IN THE
% MIDST OF MOBILIZING THE VOTE.
% HOW HAVE THE PANDEMIC AND
% RESPONSE AND REACTION TO
% SYSTEMATIC RACISM AFFECTED THAT
% WORK?
% >> YEAH.
% IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN AN
% INTERESTING YEAR FOR US.
% WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE A
% LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE
% BECAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST
% PRESIDENTIAL CYCLE AS AN
% ORGANIZATION.
% SO THIS IS NEW FOR US.
% BUT WE WERE READY FOR THE
% CHALLENGE.
% BUT LATER WITH THE COVID, WE'VE
% HAD TO MOVE EXCLUSIVELY TO
% DIGITAL.
% WE ARE TEXTING AND PHONE
% BANKING, RAMPING UP OUR SOCIAL
% MEDIA PRESENCE.
% WE'RE DOING VIRTUAL TOWN HALLS
% WITH CANDIDATES THAT ARE ON THE
% BALLOT FOR AUGUST.
% WE ARE STILL LOOKING TO HAVE A
% FELLOWSHIP ON JULY 14 AROUND
% VOTER REGISTRATION AND HOW TO
% REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT.
% WE'RE STILL LOOKING TO EXPAND
% OUR TEAM, SO WE'RE HOLDING
% INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK TO HIRE
% MORE AMBASSADORS.
% EVEN KNOW WE'RE NOT ABLE TO BE
% ON DOORS, WE'RE HOPEFUL WE'RE
% ABLE TO DO THAT LATER ON.
% WE'RE USING THIS OPPORTUNITY AS
% A LEARNING AND EDUCATIONAL
% MOMENT.
% HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY BEING ABLE
% TO CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN
% HISTORY AND HOW WE'VE GOTTEN
% HERE IN THIS MOMENT.
% SO OUR TEAM, THEY GET HOMEWORK
% ASSIGNMENTS, THEY'RE LOOKING UP
% THINGS LIKE BLACK WALL STREET,
% GERRYMANDERING AND VOTER
% SUPPRESSION EFFORTS IN THE
% '60s.
% SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PAINT
% THIS FULL PICTURE WITH OUR TEAM
% ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE.
% THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT
% HAPPENED OVERNIGHT.
% WHEN I SEE THE PROTESTERS, I
% FEEL THAT IT'S MIRRORING THE
% CIVIL RIGHTS ERA AND IT'S THE
% CLOSEST THING I HAVE SEEN TO ANY
% COMPARISON TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS
% ERA.
% AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO REPEAT
% HISTORY.
% SO WE'RE USING THIS AS AN
% OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT THE DOTS
% OF HOW WE GOT HERE AND WHY IT'S
% SO IMPORTANT TO MAKE OUR VOICES
% HEARD IN NOVEMBER, TOO.
% >> GREAT.
% ANGELA LANG, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
% TIME ONCE AGAIN.
% >> THANKS.
% I APPRECIATE IT.