- The youth led movement, Impact
Demand, formed out of the
Madison protests over the
killing of George Floyd.
Organizers say demonstrations
will not stop because they have
the energy to continue fighting
for change.
Organizer Ayomi
Obuseh joins us now with more.
And thank you so much for being
here.
- Thank you.
- So tell us, why is the youth
voice important?
- The youth is the future.
I think the youth voice is
essential and movements like
this because we can continue
the fight, have the motivation
to really make sure that people
are held accountable and
that it is impactful
in every essense of the word.
- You say that you are not
asking for change,
but that you are demanding it.
And among your demands
are community control
of policing, all but
banning 'no knock' warrants
and removing and punishing
police officers who shoot
unarmed citizens.
I know that the city of Madison
is considering
some of these demands and
others.
How is progress going
on your demands?
- So I feel like around this
time people are really starting
to listen and people
are starting to understand that
the anger that we feel and the
hurt that we felt during this
movement has been here for
years.
And the stuff that's being
recorded hasn't always been
recorded.
But the harassment from the
police, the deaths
from the police have been
here for years.
So I feel like now
is the time to demand these
actions because
now there is recognition of
the actions.
- So what is that like for you
and others in your movement
to, as you say,
finally be heard?
- There's a good thing and a
bad thing.
With this movement, it has
been empowering for the black
community, is empowering for
youth in general.
But there have been
retaliations from white
terrorist groups.
Stepping forward as a youth
organizer, we have been
followed. We have been stalked.
It is very scary.
Another organizer
that helped to watch from
Milwaukee to Madison,
and their 50 Miles March.
Their tires were slashed and
their wheels were loosened and
they started to cry because
this is very real.
People are coming after us.
But I feel like this means that
we're applying pressure in the
right areas and
that means change is coming and
it's going to be effective.
- Not withstanding those
threats and
the fear that you have,
you maintain and other
organizers maintain that you
will continue on through that.
- Absolutely.
I don't think that threats
or attempts
of violence is going to stop
or scare this movement.
Like we say, I'm not the face.
I am not a leader of this
movement.
It has many different faces.
Impact Demand tries to
encourage everyone to realize
that they are the leaders
in this movement.
We are the leaders that we were
waiting for and we just
encourage and empower everyone
to continue on because
it is here.
People are listening.
And change is coming.
- As for violence, as you
well know, last
month,
one of these protests did turn
violent.
Do you have concerns
at all that that kind
of thing sets
the movement back?
- I feel like what happens
is people talk
about the effects of violence
without talking about the cause
of it.
You have to understand that
people have been tired
and exhausted for many,
many years and we've been
peaceful protesting for
years and nothing has been
done. Even in Madison,
we had the ad hoc committee
and although they had over
100 suggestions of what they
could do to improve the police
force.
None of them were really taken
into consideration.
And this was after the death of
an unarmed 19-year-old Tony
Robinson.
So the frustration
is is real.
At the same time, I don't think
it will continue because
there needed to be that release
of pain. But now we're moving
in a more positive direction
into policy and reform.
- So what then, in your
mind, is the best way
to kind of bring this
policy and reform home?
What is the best way to have
your demands met?
- The best way is to hold
people that represent you
accountable.
So right now, we
talk to candidates.
We talk to different people
that work in policy, and
we try to hold them accountable
because if they represent the
community, they should know
the-- what the community is
asking for.
They should get to know
who we are and what we want
and why it is so imperative
that we change the way we
see justice.
Because right now we have an
injustice court system,
injustice society.
And what's scary is
Madison, in many different
places in Wisconsin are seen as
so liberal.
And that reality has
led us to continue oppressing
people because we believe we're
so progressive.
It hides the fact of many
racial injustice in every
different departments, not just
the police force, but in
housing and in Medicare.
So
I think it's imperative that
we hold people accountable
and then begin to write
legislation to move forward.
- Have you had successful
dialog, along with
your mission to hold people
accountable, have you had
dialog with the very people
that you're looking to change
things?
- I think right now and as
you saw with the talk with
the mayor.
First, her video came out to
the police force and then she
had to apologize to the black
community because she knew what
she was doing was wrong.
I think what happens now is
people need to acknowledge
the wrongdoings or the wrong
thought process and not
move in guilt, but move
in empathy, because once
you can recognize that what
you did was harmful and move
forward, that is how we
make changes, how we make a
difference.
- Ayomi Obuseh, Impact Demand.
Thanks very much for joining us
on this.
- Thank you so much.