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.