>> THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS A
PBS WISCONSIN ORIGINAL
PRODUCTION.
>> POLLS ALLOW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
ABUSERS TO ACCESS FIREARMS AND A
BIPARTISAN PUSH AND PULL ENDS IN
A DEAL TO FUND IMPROVEMENTS TO
THE BREWERS STADIUM.
I'M FREDERICA FREYBERG.
TONIGHT ON "HERE & NOW,"
CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE ON THE
LETHAL CONNECTION BETWEEN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND GUNS.
THEN, WE CONTINUE REPORTING ON
WISCONSIN FAMILIES WITH CLOSE
CONNECTIONS TO THE WAR IN GAZA.
THE SENATE MINORITY LEADER
DISCUSSES GETTING THE BREWERS
STADIUM FUNDING TO HOME PLATE.
AND THE LAST IN OUR SERIES,
WISCONSIN IN BLACK AND WHITE.
IT'S "HERE & NOW" FOR NOVEMBER
17.
>> FUNDING FOR "HERE & NOW" IS
PROVIDED BY THE FOCUS FUND FOR
JOURNALISM AND FRIENDS OF PBS
WISCONSIN.
>> THIS WEEK, WISCONSIN ATTORNEY
GENERAL JOSH KAUL ANNOUNCED HE
IS GOING AFTER A LOOPHOLE IN
STATE LAW THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE
CONVICTED OF DISORDERLY CONDUCT
INVOLVING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO
POSSESS A FIREMEN.
>> THE DATA IS -- POSSESS A
FIREARM.
>> THE DATA IS CLEAR WHEN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ACCESS TO
FIREARMS ARE LINKED, THE
DANGEROUSNESS OF THE SITUATION
DECREASES DRAMATICALLY.
IN SOME INSTANCES, ACCESS TO A
FIREARM CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WHETHER A DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE CASE RESULTS IN
SOMEBODY'S DEATH OR NOT.
>> MEANWHILE, THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT IS NOW CONSIDERING THE
CASE OF A TEXAS MAN WHO ARGUED
HIS SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS WERE
VIOLATED BECAUSE A 1994 FEDERAL
LAW PROHIBITED HIM FROM HAVING A
GUN AS THE SUBJECT OF A DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDER.
AS THE COURT WAS POISED TO HEAR
THE CASE, WISCONSIN U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE
INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION IN
CONGRESS CALLING ATTENTION TO
THE, QUOTE, RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN FIREARM VIOLENCE,
MISOGYNY, AND FROM ACCESSING
GUNS.
REPRESENTATIVE MOOR JOINS US
FROM WASHINGTON.
CONGRESSWOMAN MOORE, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> OH.
IT IS SO WONDERFUL ALWAYS TO BE
WITH YOU, FREDERICA.
>> SO YOUR RESOLUTION SAYS
LEGISLATION IS NEEDED TO PREVENT
INDIVIDUALS WITH A HISTORY OF
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN FROM
PURCHASING OR POSSESSING A
FIREARM.
>> WELL, WE ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW
IN THE SUPREME COURT A DECISION
THAT WAS MADE AT THE LOWER
COURT.
SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO WAIT A
YEAR FROM NOW TO SEE WHAT THE
COURT DOES.
WE'RE TRYING TO BE REALLY
PREEMPTIVE NOW SO THAT THERE
WON'T BE ANY GAP IN SUPPORT OR
SERVICES.
I MEAN, FOR 20 YEARS OR MORE,
IT'S SORT OF BEEN THE LAW OF THE
LAND THAT IF PEOPLE GO OUT AND
GET RESTRAINING ORDERS, IF
THERE'S BEEN A HISTORY OF
VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,
THAT YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO
WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE ACTUALLY
PULLS THE TRIGGER, AND WE SEE
THAT, YOU KNOW, FIREARMS IS THE,
YOU KNOW, 88, ALMOST 90% OF THE
CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE SITUATION, THAT THOSE
INTERVENTIONS CAN BE MADE,
BECAUSE WE ABSOLUTELY DON'T WANT
THERE TO BE ANY LAPSE IN THE
ABILITY FOR THE COURT TO DENY,
YOU KNOW, A GUN TO A KNOWN
BATTERER, AND SO WE THINK THAT
THIS -- THIS CIRCUIT COURT
DECISION COULD CREATE A LOT OF
CONFUSION AND REALLY PUT WOMEN'S
LIVES AT RISK.
SO WE DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANY
TIME TO WASTE.
>> SO THIS IS PERSONAL FOR YOU
AND YOU EXPRESSED THAT IN
INTRODUCING YOUR RESOLUTION.
WHAT HAPPENED THAT DRIVES YOU?
>> WELL, FREDERICA, YOU KNOW,
I'M 72 YEARS OLD, SO I'VE BEEN
AROUND A LONG TIME, AND, YOU
KNOW, WHEN I WAS IN MY EARLY
20s, LONG BEFORE THERE WAS THE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT, LONG
BEFORE THERE WERE ANY HOT LINES
TO CALL OR ANYTHING, A THEN
BOYFRIEND PULLED A GUN OUT TO MY
HEAD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I, YOU
KNOW, WAS TOO SASSY OR WHATEVER,
AND THREATENED TO SHOOT ME AND
I, BEING VERY FOOLISH, YOU KNOW,
TOLD HIM, JUST GO ON AND SHOOT
IT OR EAT IT, YOU KNOW, AND SO
HE JUST SAID I WAS CRAZY, WHICH
I PROBABLY WAS BECAUSE HE COULD
HAVE SHOT AND KILLED ME.
BUT I GUESS I'M GRATEFUL THAT HE
DIDN'T, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD
NOT HAVE TO DEPEND ON LUCK,
BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY WOMEN
WHO ARE NOT LUCKY.
THERE WAS A REPORT DONE BY END
ABUSE WISCONSIN THAT I FOUND
VERY, VERY DISTRESSING, TO BE
FRANK WITH YOU.
WE HAD SEEN A DECLINE IN
DOMESTIC ABUSE, THANKS TO THE
WORK OF A LOT OF AGENCIES ALL
AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT IN THE
LAST -- LAST YEARS, THERE'S BEEN
A HUGE UPTICK AND IN 2021, 2022,
WE SAW A HUGE UPTICK IN DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE, AND PARTICULARLY WITH
THE USE OF GUNS IN WISCONSIN.
WE'VE SEEN A DISPARATE IMPACT IN
MINORITY COMMUNITIES.
WITH REGARD TO THE SPLIT BETWEEN
URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES,
IT'S JUST ABOUT HALF-AND-HALF.
SO IT'S NOT JUST AN URBAN
PROBLEM; ASK IT'S A RURAL PROBLEM,
AND, OF COURSE, THE VICTIMS
DISPROPORTIONATELY SEEM TO BE
WOMEN.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T PRETEND
THAT IT'S NOT A SOCIAL PROBLEM
THAT WOMEN, CHILDREN, OTHER
FAMILY MEMBERS, THAT ARE NEARBY
AREN'T AFFECTED BY THIS SCOURGE
AND THERE'S, LIKE I SAID,
THERE'S BEEN A HUGE UPTICK IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
>> THOSE ARE EXTREMELY ALARMING
STATISTICS, AS YOU POINT OUT.
WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT, THOUGH,
TO KIND OF TRANSLATE THOSE
STATISTICS INTO MEANINGFUL
PROTECTIVE POLICY.
>> WELL, FREDERICA, QUITE
FRANKLY, I THINK THAT PEOPLE
HAVE ELEVATED, YOU KNOW, THE
QUOTE/UNQUOTE SECOND AMENDMENT,
YOU KNOW, ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR
VALUE FOR LIFE, BY FAR.
THESE HOMICIDES OCCUR BECAUSE
THERE'S AN AVAILABLE FIREARM.
>> WHAT IS THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN MISOGYNY, VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN, AND FIREARM
VIOLENCE, EVEN THE INCREASE IN
MASS SHOOTINGS?
>> LET ME TAKE THAT LAST PART
FIRST.
IT WAS STUNNING TO ME TO LEARN
THAT MANY OF THE MASS SHOOTINGS
THAT WE SEE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAD
PRIOR BEHAVIOR AS DOMESTIC
ABUSERS.
SO, YOU KNOW, SURPRISE,
SURPRISE.
HERE'S A MASS KILLER, BUT THEY
HAD BEEN PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN
ENGAGED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
BEFORE THE ACT OF BEING A MASS
KILLER, SO THERE'S VERY CLEARLY
A CONNECTION.
AND, OF COURSE, MISOGYNY, ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT OCCURRED DURING
COVID, WHEN WE HAD ALL OF THESE
COMMERCIALS SAYING "YOU'RE SAFER
AT HOME," IS WHEN WE STARTED
SEEING REALLY A HUGE UPTICK IN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND I REALLY
HAD TO COME OUT AND SAY, MY GOD,
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT SAFER AT HOME.
BUT I THINK WHAT REALLY
CONTRIBUTES TO THE DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE IS THE PRESENCE OF A
GUN.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE, WE
LEAVE IT THERE.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
BE WELL.
>> TURNING TO INTERNATIONAL
NEWS, IT'S NOW MORE THAN FIVE
WEEKS SINCE THE HAMAS TERRORIST
ATTACK ON ISRAEL.
WITH THE DEATH TOLL IN GAZA
TOPPING 11,000 AND GROWING.
"HERE & NOW" REPORTER ADITI
DEBNATH CONTINUES THAT REPORTING
ON HOW THE ESCALATING WAR
CONTINUES TO TORMENT THESE
WISCONSIN FAMILIES.
>> THERE ARE NO POSITIVE WAYS TO
SPIN WHAT IS HAPPENING.
>> I JUST WANT THIS THING TO BE
END.
>> THIS WISCONSINITES HAVE CLOSE
TEXAS CITY TO THE WAR.
LIKE HAMA, A NATIVE OF GAZA,
WHOSE FAMILY THERE DOES NOT HAVE
INTERNET ACCESS TO TELL HER IF
THEY'RE ALIVE.
FOR NOW, PICTURES OF HER FAMILY
ARE ALL SHE AND HER MOTHER HAVE.
>> SHE JUST HAVE OUR HOUSE WITH
US AND THE CRYING.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING SHE'S
DOING RIGHT NOW.
>> HAMA RECENTLY APPLIED FOR
U.S. CITIZEN AND FEARS
PALESTINIAN BACKLASH IF SHE
SPEAKS TO THE MEDIA.
SHE ALSO WORRIES THAT HER FAMILY
IN GAZA WILL BE TARGETED.
>> I HAVE ZERO HOPE TO SEE THEM
AGAIN.
>> THIS WAR IS IN A DECADES-LONG
CONFLICT.
SHE FEARED FOR HER FAMILY IN
2014 ALSO.
>> THAT WAR, I LOST MY AUNT
FAMILY, EIGHT PEOPLE DIED,
KILLED IN THAT ONE.
>> WHO LIVE UNDER THE CONSTANT
THREAT OF MISSILE ATTACKS AND
DEATH.
>> THE FATE OF ALL PEOPLE IN
GAZA AND ISRAEL READS RABBI BET
SID FORESTER TO PRAY FOR THEM
MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY.
>> TO HOLD IT TOGETHER I BELIEVE
IS WHAT MY JOB IS.
>> BUT IT WAS HARDER FOR HER TO
HOLD IT TOGETHER WHEN HER
HUSBAND, SCOTT, WAS IN ISRAEL
WITH THEIR DAUGHTER, AND ISRAEL
DECLARED WAR.
>> I FELT VERY HELPLESS HERE.
>> SCOTT IS BACK HOME NOW BUT
STILL UNSETTLED.
>> EVERYBODY IS WALKING AROUND
WITH A CLOUD HANGING, YOU KNOW,
A CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY.
>> FOLLOWING HAMAS' ATTACK
KILLING AN ESTIMATED 1,200
ISRAELIS, THE UNRELENTING
RETALIATION BY ISRAEL HAS SO FAR
KILLED MORE THAN 11,000 PEOPLE
IN THE GAZA STRIP, AND THAT
NUMBER CONTINUES TO GROW DAILY.
UW-MADISON PROFESSOR SAMER
ALATOUT, IS A NATIVE OF
PALESTINE AND A GEOPOLITICAL
EXPERT OF THE REGION.
HE SAYS AT ISSUE IS ZIONISM.
THE MOVEMENT TO ESTABLISH A
JEWISH NATION ON PALESTINIAN
LAND.
>> THE PEOPLE WHO PAID THE PRICE
FOR THE ZIONIST PROJECT ARE THE
PALESTINIANS, AND THEY PAID A
HEAVY PRICE.
>> THAT HEAVY PRICE IS WHAT
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DEEMS
APARTHEID.
DECADES OF ISRAELI LAWS AND
POLICIES DESIGNED TO, QUOTE,
MAINTAIN A CRUEL SYSTEM OF
CONTROL OVER PALESTINIANS.
EVEN IN ISRAEL, MOST CITIZENS
DON'T SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT'S
LEADERS, ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY
THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER.
>> SO IT'S A REALLY, REALLY
TOUGH TIME TO BE AN ISRAELI.
>> MARC KORNBLATT LIVED IN
MADISON FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS
BEFORE HE AND HIS WIFE MOVED TO
ISRAEL IN 2019.
NOW IN TEL AVIV, HE SAYS MOST
ISRAELIS DO SUPPORT PALESTINIAN
LIBERATION.
>> I'VE NOT BECOME MORE
ZIONISTIC OR MORE RIGHT WING OR
MORE RELIGIOUS.
I'VE BECOME MORE JEWISH.
>> KORNBLATT SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT
TO SHOW HIS COMMUNITY THAT
THEY'RE NOT ALONE.
HE VOLUNTEERS AT A CLOTHING
DONATION CENTER AND PARTICIPATES
IN A CITIZEN PATROL.
>> I WOULD RATHER IS THE VITAL
LIFE THAT I HAVE HERE WHERE I
MIGHT MAKE A SMALL DIFFERENCE,
THAN THE QUIET LIFE THAT I COULD
CHOOSE BY LEAVING.
>> KORNBLATT SAYS THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY IS A SMALL ONE.
.2% OF THE WORLD POPULATION,
ACCORDING TO PEW, AND MANY OF
HIS NEIGHBORS KNOW SOMEONE WHO
HAS BEEN TORTURED OR KILLED
NOTICES WAR.
>> ONE OF THE BIG CALLS THAT
COMES OUT TO THE PLACE WHERE
I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
DONATED CLOTHES IS FOR SOCIAL
WORKERS, TO BE ABLE TO SIT WITH
PEOPLE AND LET THEM TRY AND
BREATHE AND TALK.
>> OVER IN GAZA, A WISCONSIN
MAN'S SISTER WAS KILLED IN A
BOMBARDMENT WHILE AT A
MARKETPLACE THERE SOON AFTER THE
OCTOBER 7th ATTACK.
SHE WAS A PALESTINIAN SOCIAL
WORKER AND HER BROTHER, MOHAMMED
HAMAD, LIVES IN BROOKFIELD.
>> AND SHE WORKED ALL HER LIFE.
HER KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH
TRAUMA.
>> HAMAD SAYS HE'S LIVED THROUGH
NUMEROUS WARS AND HOPES FOR AN
IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE.
BETSY SAYS THE CURRENT WAR IS
ONLY SETTING PALESTINIAN
LIBERATION BACK.
>> LARGE SWATHS OF THE ISRAELI
POPULATION AND THE AMERICAN
JEWISH POPULATION HAVE BEEN
WORKING HARD FOR A TWO-STATE
SOLUTION AND AN END TO THE
OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK.
>> PROFESSOR ALATOUT BELIEVES IN
ONE STATE, FROM THE JORDAN RIVER
TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA THAT
EQUALLY INCLUDES PALESTINIANS
AND ISRAELIS.
>> THE SOLUTION IS ONE
DEMOCRATIC STATE BETWEEN THE
RIVER AND THE SEA WITH A STATE
OF ITS CITIZENS AND FOR ITS
CITIZENS AND WITH EQUAL RIGHTS
TO EVERYBODY.
>> NO MATTER THE SOLUTION, HAMAD
SAID THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT OF
THIS WAR.
>> THERE WILL BE END FOR THIS
FIGHTING BY AGREEING, BY PEOPLE
AGREEING THAT THEY WILL LIVE
SIDE BY SIDE IN PEACEFUL
SITUATION.
>> UNTIL THEN, THE CLOUD OF
UNCERTAINTY AND THE FOR A OF
DEATH REMAINS FOR THESE
WISCONSIN FAMILIES AND HANGS
HEAVY.
FOR "HERE & NOW," I'M ADITI
DEBNATH.
>> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS IS
EXPECTED TO SIGN THE NEW BREWERS
STADIUM FUNDING PACKAGE, KEEPING
THE TEAM IN MILWAUKEE UNTIL
2050, OR ANOTHER 27 YEARS.
THE SLIM DOWNED STATE
CONTRIBUTION OF AN ESTIMATED
NEARLY 366 MILLION DOLLARS WITH
THE HELP OF TICKET SURCHARGES
HELPED PUSH BIPARTISAN APPROVAL
OF THE PLAN.
STILL, THERE WAS ALSO BIPARTISAN
OPPOSITION TO SIGNING ON TO SUCH
PUBLIC FUNDING OF A MAJOR LEAGUE
BALLPARK.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER, MELISSA
GARD, HELPED NEGOTIATE THE
TERMS.
SHE JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU
TO KEEP THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS IN
MILWAUKEE?
>> WELL, IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME
THAT THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS ARE
HERE IN WISCONSIN AND IN
MILWAUKEE.
THEY'RE PART OF OUR CULTURE AND
AS A STATE THAT IS SUFFERING
FROM AN AWFUL LOT OF OUT
MIGRATION OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE,
TO ME, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE THINK ABOUT THE IMPACTS
OF OUR CULTURE LEAVING OUR
STATE, MAKING SURE THAT THE
BREWERS STAY HERE IN WISCONSIN,
NOT ONLY IS GOOD FOR THE TALKING
POINTS AND, YOU KNOW, THE VISION
OF WHAT WISCONSIN IS GOING TO
LOOK LIKE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT
IT'S GOOD-PAYING JOBS FOR THE
PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THE STADIUM,
THAT IT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL
REVENUE TO COUNTIES AROUND THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN BECAUSE WE
WERE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A
DECREASE IN SALES TAX FEES THAT
THE STATE WILL COLLECT FROM
THOSE COMMUNITIES, THAT WE KNOW
THAT THERE ARE GOOD JOBS THAT
WILL GO INTO THE RENOVATIONS
THAT NEED TO HAPPEN AT THE
STADIUM.
ULTIMATELY, IT HITS A LOT OF
MARKS ON HOW IT IS THAT
WISCONSIN WILL BENEFIT FROM
KEEPING THE BREWERS HERE.
>> WAS THE THREAT OF THEM
LEAVING REAL?
>> ABSOLUTELY, YES.
IT WAS MADE VERY CLEAR TO ME
THAT THE BREWERS HAD RECEIVED
MULTIPLE OFFERS FROM OTHER TEAMS
ACROSS THE NATION -- OR OTHER
CITIES ACROSS THE NATION AND
THAT, IN JANUARY, THEY WERE
GOING TO BE TAKING VERY
SERIOUSLY COMMUNICATING WITH
THOSE LOCATIONS.
>> WOULD YOU HAVE VOTED FOR IT
OR UNDER URGED YOUR MEMBERS TO IF IN
THE END THE BILL DID NOT REDUCE
THE STATE'S FINANCIAL
CONTRIBUTION?
>> I BELIEVE THAT GOOD WORK WAS
DONE EARLY ON BY GOVERNOR TONY
EVERS AND MY COLLEAGUES IN THE
ASSEMBLY TO GET THE BILL TO A
BETTER PLACE THAN WHEN IT WAS
FIRST INTRODUCED, BUT I WAS ALSO
VERY CONFIDENT THAT I WAS ABLE
TO BRING THE VOICES OF MY
COLLEAGUES AND THE CONSTITUENTS
WHO WE REPRESENT TO THE TABLE IN
THE SENATE AND MAKE IT EVEN
BETTER, SO I'M GLAD I DIDN'T
HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE SALES OR
THE STATE REVENUE NUMBERS DOWN
FOR THE INVESTMENT AND ALSO
NEGOTIATE SEATS AT THE TABLE FOR
THE LOCALS, THE COUNTY AND THE
CITY, AND THAT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT TO ME AND MY CAUCUS AS
WELL.
>> TELL ME ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF THAT.
>> THERE'S AN OLD SAYING.
IF YOU'RE NOT AT THE TABLE,
YOU'RE ON THE TABLE, AND KNOWING
THAT THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND
THE COUNTY OF MILWAUKEE ARE TWO
PARTNERS IN DELIVERING FUNDS TO
KEEP THE BREWERS HERE IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN, I THINK IT'S
VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALSO
ARE SITTING AT THE TABLE IN PART
OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.
>> STILL, AS WE MENTIONED, THERE
WAS OPPOSITION TO THIS FROM
THOSE SAYING THAT IT'S A
WINDFALL FOR THE BREWERS, TOO
MUCH PUBLIC FUNDING FOR A
PROFITABLE SPORTS TEAM.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THOSE
CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS?
>> CERTAINLY THAT IS A MORAL
ISSUE NATIONWIDE WHEN IT COMES
TO PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS,
BUT THIS IS THE TREND AND, YOU
KNOW, WE CAN HAVE THOSE
CONVERSATIONS AND WORK WITH OUR
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS AND
THEIR ASSOCIATIONS TO CHANGE
THAT DYNAMIC.
BUT RIGHT NOW, IF WE WANT TO
KEEP THE BREWERS IN WISCONSIN,
THERE HAD TO BE A STATE
CONTRIBUTION.
WE DO HAVE A $7 BILLION SURPLUS,
AND FRANKLY, I WOULD HAVE
PREFERRED THAT WE HAD GONE DOWN
THE PATH THAT WAS PROPPED PROPOSED BY
GOVERNOR EVERS BUT THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE
DIDN'T LIKE THAT.
WE WERE ABLE TO BRING DOWN
CONTRIBUTIONS BY TAX DOLLARS AND
TAKE SOME OF THAT PRESSURE OFF,
ADD MORE VOICE TO THE TABLE FOR
OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ALSO
NEGOTIATE BENEFITS FOR OUR
COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN THROUGH THIS DEAL.
IS IT EXACTLY PERFECT IN NO.
BUT I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
THAT WE KEEP THE BREWERS HERE IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND I'M
GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO GET THERE.
>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER PRIORITIES
OF YOURS THAT COULD USE AN
INFUSION OF CASH, PARTICULARLY
AS WE SPEAK ABOUT THAT SURPLUS,
THOSE THAT YOU'VE ENUMERATED
INCLUDE EDUCATION, THE UW,
INCREASING WAGES AND CHILDCARE
FUNDING. THIS BREWERS PACKAGE
WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL AND A LOT OF
STATE MONEY WENT TOWARD IT.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE OTHER
PRIORITIES OF YOURS?
>> SO ABSOLUTELY.
WE KNOW THAT IN THE LEGISLATURE,
WE CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE
SAME TIME, THAT WE CAN WORK HARD
ON MULTIPLE DIFFERENT POLICIES.
PROTECTING OUR TEAR AND WATER,
ADDRESSING POST P.F.O.S.
CONTAMINATION, FUNDING OUR
SCHOOLS AT ALL LEVELS, WHETHER
IT'S OUR K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS,
OUR UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS,
UNSTICKING THE BLOCK THAT IS
PREVENTING WORKERS AT OUR
UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS FROM
RECEIVING THE WAGES THAT THEY
WERE PROMISED THROUGH OUR
BUDGET.
THESE ARE ALL PRIORITIES OF
DEMOCRATS IN THE LEGISLATURE AND
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE PUSHING
FOR THEM BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
WE HAD ANOTHER CONVERSATION THAT
NEEDED TO HAPPEN AND THAT WAS IN
REGARDS TO THE BREWERS.
>> JUST VERY BRIEFLY, WITH LESS
THAN HALF A MINUTE LEFT, THERE
WAS BIPARTISAN NEGOTIATION HERE.
DO YOU THINK THAT BODES WELL
GOING FORWARD?
>> WE'VE HAD BIPARTISAN
NEGOTIATIONS ON A NUMBER OF BIG
BILLS THIS SESSION, AND I DO
MAINTAIN HOPE.
THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN
WANT.
THEY WANT US TO WORK WITH EACH
OTHER.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SENATOR AGARD, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE TURN NOW TO OUR SERIES OF
SPECIAL REPORTS ON RACE, WITH
WISCONSIN IN BLACK AND WHITE, IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEHEMIAH
CENTER FOR URBAN LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT.
LAST WEEK, REPORTER NATHAN
DENZIN BROUGHT US THE STORY OF
ONE MAN'S HEALTH JOURNEY AS HE
WORKS TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES
FOR ALL BLACK MEN.
TONIGHT WE LOOK AT GENERATIONAL
TRAUMA AND ITS IMPACT ON MENTAL
HEALTH OF HERE'S THE FINAL
INSTALLMENT OF WISCONSIN IN
BLACK AND WHITE, HEALTH DIVIDES.
- If I'm talking about it and I'm not embarrassed about it,
then you don't have to be embarrassed either.
The mental health of so many people, you know,
myself included, are just being, I mean,
it feels like you're just being constantly attacked.
- Nathan: Reverend Everett Mitchell
is a pastor at Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church
in Madison, and also a Dane County judge.
- I don't know what it is,
but people are feeling darker now.
- Mental health is so, so extremely important,
especially in the aftermath of COVID.
- Nathan: Dr. Jasmine Zapata is the
chief medical officer for community health
at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
- Younger people, and in particular our Black youth,
where we see increases in overdoses,
mental health concerns, adverse childhood experiences.
- I grew up, there was a lot of trauma,
but nobody talked about it.
There was a lot of pain; nobody expressed it.
We saw cycles of people, you know,
alcoholism and drug abuse,
just kind of going through the same cycles.
- Nathan: Repeating cycles in families that go way back.
For Lilada Gee, many of the mental health issues
facing the Black community today can be attributed
to the generational trauma they hold.
- I think there is not a Black American
that is not touched by generational trauma.
- Nathan: Gee is the founder of Defending Black Girlhood,
a nonprofit that works with Black girls and women
to unpack and heal their trauma.
As part of that work,
she creates art depicting resiliency.
She is also a lecturer at the Madison-based Nehemiah's
Justified Anger: Black History for a New Day course.
The nine-week course teaches the community about race,
history, and justice.
- In the way I would define it is something
has happened to an ancestor that was so devastating
that the impact reverberates to today.
- Nathan: Even if you aren't aware
of the trauma you carry,
Reggie Jackson says it can affect your life.
- It teaches you to see yourself in a very specific way.
It teaches you that somehow, you can't think
of yourself in a positive way.
- Nathan: Jackson is a community leader in Milwaukee.
- You are going to be told by society,
generation after generation,
even after slavery ends, that you are an inferior species,
that you are not deserving of being treated
as a first-class citizen in America.
- If you don't have the experience to be able to heal,
then that trauma remains there.
- It passes down in terms of the way that you interact
with your family members, your children,
your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.
All of those things are impacted by the people
that came before you.
- Nathan: Generations of people being treated
as second-class citizens,
often expressed by what are known as microaggressions.
- Microaggressions from my definition, are these small,
insidious experiences that happen on a regular basis.
- Nathan: Some are small and insidious; others are overt,
and they can happen in every facet of life,
like trying to schedule appointments.
- The lady I'm talking to,
she puts her hand over the phone and says to somebody
in the background, "I don't mean to be racist,
but I think I'm talking to an angry Black woman here."
- Everett: We thank you, God, for all these blessings...
- Nathan: At Christ the Solid Rock, Mitchell says
the trauma his parishioners carry is always on his mind.
- I prioritize not only education about the faith,
but also your mental health,
mental well-being as a spiritual priority.
- Nathan: While church attendance is declining,
nearly 70% of Black Americans still go to church
at least once a month.
- The Black church is essential because it speaks
to the issues that people experience.
- Nathan: The Black church has been part of American life
before America was even founded.
The first Black church was founded in 1773 during slavery.
- In many ways, the Black church is a response to the,
you know, the brutality of slavery in our American history.
- Nathan: Mitchell says the Black church differs
from most white churches
because they often talk about religious practicality.
- What you experience on the outside of the world
should be brought in here so we can better understand
how we deal with it, how we talk about it.
- Nathan: To help his congregation
through the trauma they may have,
Mitchell gives a five-week sermon every year to help define
and heal from trauma and resulting problems
with mental health.
- You don't have to pray it away.
It is something we identify and we live with,
and it's the living with it that gives us the courage
to be able to transform it into something that can be useful
for us and for our families that we serve.
- Nathan: He says the sermons have had
a tremendous impact on his congregation.
- But it's something within us.
That in and of itself has given people permission to move in
and out of the space of trauma without thinking that this
is something that they need to get rid of or that one sermon
or one prayer is gonna just release it.
- Nathan: For Lilada Gee,
the most important healing work is with Black women.
- It's hard for the Black community to move forward
if Black women are not healed,
and if Black women are not healed,
then they continue to pass that pain on
to generation to generation.
- Nathan: But she says that healing is possible
if you're willing to put in the work and lean into joy.
- Joy is something that you feel, you just get to feel
when you lean in, and comes from gratitude,
and it comes from hope and the belief
that your life can be better.
- Our messages have to become brighter,
and the only way that we can do that is to give people
a demonstrated experience in our local community
to offset all of the crazy stuff that they're hearing about.
- The trauma that we've experienced is not something
we have to carry for a lifetime.
- Nathan: For Here & Now, I'm Nathan Denzin.
>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
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THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT.
I'M FREDERICA FREYBERG.
HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.
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