FIRST, REPUBLICANS AND THE
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR WERE AT ODDS
OVER THE PATH FORWARD DEALING
WITH CORONAVIRUS.
NOW ANOTHER CONTENTIOUS ISSUE
WHEN IT COMES TO POLICE REFORM.
JIM STEINEKE JOINS US FROM
KAUKAUNA.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN IN A
COUPLE WEEKS.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
DEADLY FORCE USED IN THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD?
>> ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC.
I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYBODY THAT
COULD WATCH THAT VIDEO, OVER
EIGHT MINUTES THE OFFICER
KNEELING ON GEORGE FLOYD'S NECK,
HIM PLEADING FOR HELP, AND
EVENTUALLY PASSING AWAY AND NOT
FEEL THE OUTRAGE THAT I THINK
EVERYBODY SHOULD FEEL.
IT WAS DISGUSTING.
SOMETHING THERE IS NO PLACE FOR
IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE HAVE
TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THESE CASES
DON'T REOCCUR.
>> A DEMOCRATIC BILL AT THE
STATE CAPITOL WOULD MAKE THE
PRIMARY DUTY OF ALL LAW
ENFORCEMENT TO PRESERVE THE LIFE
OF ALL INDIVIDUALS AND THE
DEADLY FORCE IS TO BE USED ONLY
AS A LAST RESORT.
HOW WILLING IS THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY TO GET BEHIND THIS
LEGISLATION?
>> WELL, YEAH, I GUESS WHEN IT
COMES TO THAT PARTICULAR PIECE
OF LEGISLATION I'M NOT EXACTLY
SURE WHAT THE GOAL IS BECAUSE
THAT IS ALREADY IN PLACE IN
POLICE HEADQUARTERS ALL OVER THE
STATE.
POLICE HEADQUARTERS ALL OVER THE
STATE ALREADY HAVE A GOAL OF
DEESCALATION, MINIMIZING THE USE
OF FORCE, I MEAN, WHEN WE TALK
ABOUT THE USE OF FORCE IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT I THINK IT'S
SOMEWHERE AROUND LESS THAN 1% OF
THE CASES WHERE THERE'S ANY KIND
OF USE OF FORCE IN AN ARREST.
SO WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A SMALL
MINORITY OF THE CASES, BUT
OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU HAVE
SITUATIONS LIKE GEORGE FLOYD,
AND OTHERS WHO HAVE FELL VICTIM
TO POLICE BRUTALITY, IT
HEIGHTENS THE ISSUE AND
HIGHLIGHTS IT MORE, BUT THERE'S
ALREADY THESE POLICIES ON THE
BOOKS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
>> POLICIES ON THE BOOKS WOULD
BE DIFFERENT THAN STATE
STATUTES, SOMETHING PASSED BY
LEGISLATORS.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN
YOUR INITIAL COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR
HORROR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO
GEORGE FLOYD.
YOU SAID THAT REALLY SOMETHING
NEEDS TO BE DONE.
WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
>> I MEAN, IT'S HARD AS A
LEGISLATOR TO ADMIT THAT WE
DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
IT'S HARD TO PUT FORWARD PIECES
OF LEGISLATION THAT WILL END
RACISM AND CHANGE THE HEARTS AND
MINDS OF PEOPLE THAT DO HARBOR
THOSE RACIST TENDENCIES.
I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
GOING FORWARD THAT WHATEVER WE
DO IS DONE IN A VEIN THAT MAKES
SURE WE PROTECT THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS.
MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR
LIVING IN OUR COMMUNITIES DON'T
FEAR THE POLICE, THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT AS A WHITE MALE I
JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.
SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT
BETTER AND THE CONVERSATIONS
HAVE TO BE HELD WITH PEOPLE OF
COLOR THROUGHOUT THE STATE,
LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, LAW
ENFORCEMENT, THE FAITH
COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO HAVE A
BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE
AND WHAT WE CAN DO AS A SOCIETY
AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST THROUGH
LEGISLATION, BUT THROUGH
SOCIETAL CHANGE AND REFORMS THAT
WILL HELP MOVE THIS PROCESS
ALONG FURTHER.
>> I KNOW THAT GOVERNOR EVERS
WOULD LIKE TO SEE LEGISLATION
HIT HIS DESK AROUND THIS ISSUE
OF POLICE REFORM.
ARE YOU SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT -- ARE
YOU WILLING TO SPEAK WITH AM
ABOUT THIS?
>> WELL, YES.
CERTAINLY WE ARE WILLING TO
SPEAK WITH HIM.
I MEAN -- THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
I WOULD, I THINK EVERYBODY IS
OPEN TO CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
LEGISLATION GOING FORWARD.
I THINK LIKE I SAID, WE ARE NOT
SEEING LEGISLATION DOES NOT NEED
TO HAPPEN, BUT I THINK THE
BROADER CONVERSATION NEEDS TO
HAPPEN.
PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBER IN
WISCONSIN WE HAVE ALREADY DONE
SOME REFORMS TO HOW
OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS ARE
INVESTIGATED AND OTHER THINGS
THAT KIND OF HAVE CHANGED THE
CONVERSATION OVER THE COURSE OF
THE YEARS AND MOVED US FORWARD.
BUT CONTINUING THOSE
CONVERSATIONS IS CRITICAL AND
ESPECIALLY HEADING INTO THE NEXT
LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
>> HAVE YOU HAD ANY OF THOSE
CONVERSATIONS YET WITH THE
EVERS' ADMINISTRATION?
>> NO, THE EVERS' ADMINISTRATION
HAS NOT REACHED OUT TO US, WITH
THE NEWS OF HIS SECRETLY TAPE
RECORDING OUR CONVERSATIONS THAT
HAS PUT A WEDGE IN BETWEEN THE
TWO SIDES EVEN FURTHER THAN WAS
ALREADY THERE, AND HAS DAMAGED
SOME OF THE TRUST THAT WE WERE
TRYING TO BUILD GOING FORWARD SO
WE CAN HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT THESE MONUMENTAL ISSUES.
BUT HOPEFULLY THE EVERS'
ADMINISTRATION WILL RECOGNIZE
HOW SERIOUS A MISTAKE THAT WAS
TO SECRETLY RECORD THESE
CONVERSATIONS AND DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT.
>> I DO KNOW ON THAT THAT THE
GOVERNOR SAID HE HIMSELF WAS NOT
AWARE OF THAT BUT UNDERSTOOD AND
THANKS VERY MUCH, REPRESENTATIVE
STEINEKE, FOR JOINING US.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THANK YOU.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT, IF HE DID
NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WAS GOING
ON, I TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD.
BUT WHOEVER AUTHORIZED THIS IN
HIS OFFICE SHOULD PAY THE
CONSEQUENCES FOR IT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
REPRESENTATIVE STEINEKE, THANK
YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AMONG THE PROTESTORS THIS