VERY MUCH.
>> OKAY.
FREDERICA, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME.
>> OTHERS IN MILWAUKEE ARE AN
UNEQUIVOCAL HARD "NO" ON THIS
PROPOSAL.
OUR NEXT GUEST SAYS THIS DEAL IN
THE LEGISLATURE FAILS MILWAUKEE
BY OVERINVESTING IN POLICE AND
TAXING THE POOREST RESIDENTS.
DEVIN ANDERSON IS CAMPAIGN
DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
ROUNDTABLE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOUR ORGANIZATION IS
HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THIS SHARED
REVENUE PLAN AS IT AFFECTS
MILWAUKEE.
IN YOUR MIND, WHAT IS THE WORST
OF IT?
>> YEAH.
ALL OF IT IS PRETTY BAD, BUT I
THINK IF YOU LOOK AT IT IN ITS
TOTALITY, THE PROVISIONS THAT IT
PLACES ON MILWAUKEE IN
PARTICULAR BRINGING COPS BACK
INTO SCHOOL, FRIENDS AT LEADERS
IGNITING STRONG ORGANIZING TO
GET COPS OUT OF SCHOOL IF YOU
LOOK AT JUST THE CONTINUED
INVESTMENT THAT MILWAUKEE WOULD
HAVE TO MAKE INTO POLICING, PART
OF THE REASON MILWAUKEE'S IN THE
PROBLEM, THE BUDGET PROBLEM THAT
IT HAS IS BECAUSE OF ITS
OVERINVESTMENT IN POLICING AND
SO THIS BILL DOUBLES DOWN ON
THAT INVESTMENT AND WE HAVEN'T
EVEN GOTTEN TO THE 2% SALES TAX.
THAT'S A REGRESSIVE TAX, AND A
REGRESSIVE TAX IMPACTS THE
POOREST RESIDENTS, AND IT'S
SOMETHING WHERE PEOPLE,
RESIDENTS OF MILWAUKEE ARE
ALREADY STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS
MEET AND ADDING A 2% SALES TAX
WHEN THEY'RE REALLY GETTING NO
INCREASE IN SERVICES IS A BAD
DEAL.
>> SO DO YOU THINK CITY
RESIDENTS WOULD CONSIDER VOTING
TO APPROVE A 2% SALES TAX THAT
GOES TO PAY FOR POLICE PENSIONS?
NO.
I THINK THE ANSWER IS NO AND I
THINK THAT'S WHY WE'VE SEEN THE
PIVOT FROM THE LEADERSHIP AT THE
CITY AND COUNTY ASKING FOR THIS
TO BE APPROVED VIA THE RESPECTED
LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES RATHER THAN
GOING TO REFERENDUM.
I THINK PEOPLE IN MILWAUKEE HAVE
AN UNDERSTANDING AND DON'T WANT
TO SEE ANY OF THEIR SERVICES
CUT, BUT WHAT THEY KNOW IS THEY
DON'T WANT TO BE FORCED TO PAY
ADDITIONAL REVENUE AND NOT SEE
ANY EXPANSION IN SERVICES.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE
BILL AS INTRODUCED, INCLUDING
THAT REFERENDUM, TAKING THE 2%
SALES TAX TO VOTERS, WHEREAS
THAT IS NOT REQUIRED ELSEWHERE?
>> YEAH.
I THINK OUR POSITION IS STILL
WE'RE GOING TO OPPOSE A 2% SALES
TAX.
ONE THING WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO
LIFT UP IS THAT WISCONSIN HAS A
$7 BILLION SURPLUS.
SO INSTEAD OF ASKING VOTERS IN
MILWAUKEE TO DIG DEEPER INTO
THEIR POCKETS TO PAY TO MAINTAIN
SERVICES, THE STATE SHOULD WRITE
THE CHECK.
OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND I KNOW A
LOT OF FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT
IT, EVERYBODY ALWAYS SAYS
MILWAUKEE IS THE ECONOMIC ENGINE
OF THE STATE, BUT MILWAUKEE
DOESN'T RECEIVE ITS FAIR SHARE
OF SHARED REVENUE.
OUR FOGS AND WHAT WE'VE FIGURE
OUT FOR OVER THE LAST YEARS HAS
ALWAYS BEEN MORE INVESTMENT INTO
OUR COMMUNITIES.
SINCE WE LAUNCHED OUR CAMPAIGN
IN 2019, THAT'S BEEN CENTRAL TO
OUR DEMANDS, THAT OUR
COMMUNITIES NEED MORE.
THEY NEED MORE ACCESS TO PUBLIC
HEALTH, THEY NEED LONGER HOURS
AT THE LIBRARIES, THEY NEED
THEIR ROADS TO BE REPAIRED.
BUT OUR VISION OF HOW WE GET
THERE IS NOT TO INCREASE TAXES
ON THE POOREST PEOPLE OF
MILWAUKEE.
IT'S NOT TO SIGN DEALS THAT
CONTINUE TO ADD TO MORE POLICE.
AND INSTEAD, IT'S DEMANDING THAT
THE STATE GIVE ITS FAIR SHARE
BACK TO THE RESIDENTS OF
MILWAUKEE WHO PROVIDE SO MUCH TO
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
>> WHAT CONCERNS DO YOU AND
OTHERS HAVE THAT IN THE KIND OF
WRANGLING ABOUT THE PROCESS AND
THE SPECIFICS OF THIS BILL, THAT
THE WHOLE THING COULD GO DOWN
AND THEN MILWAUKEE AND OTHER
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DON'T GET THIS
SORELY NEEDED BOOST?
>> YEAH.
I THINK OUR CONCERNS ALWAYS LIE
WITHIN OUR RESIDENTS.
FOR TOO LONG, THE RESIDENTS THAT
WE'VE TALKED TO HAVE NOTED THAT
THEY ALREADY DON'T SEE THE
IMPACTS OF CITY GOVERNMENT.
AND SO OUR CONCERNS IS LIKE
LIFTING UP THEIR VOICE AND
NAMING RIGHT NOW THAT WE CAN'T
SIGN THIS DEAL JUST BECAUSE IT'S
THE ONLY DEAL ON THE TABLE; WE
HAVE TO ASK FOR MORE.
WE HAVE TO DEMAND MORE.
OUR COMMUNITIES DESERVE SO MUCH
MORE FROM OUR GOVERNMENT AND WE
HAVE TO BE DEMANDING THAT HAVE
AND NOT ACCEPTING THE SCRAPS
LEFT ON THE TABLE FOR US.
>> ARE YOUR SPROISES BEING HEARD
VOICES BEING HEARD IN ALL OF
THIS?
>> NO.
NO, THEY AREN'T.
WE'VE MADE IT LOUD AND CLEAR THE
LAST YEARS THROUGHOUT THE CITY
BUDGET PROCESS THAT ACTUALLY
WHAT MILWAUKEE RESIDENTS WANT IS
THEY WANT TO SEE MORE
INVESTMENTS INTO PROGRAMS LIKE
PUBLIC HEALTH, THEY WANT TO SEE
THEIR LIBRARIES EXPANDED, THEY
WANT TO SEE LESS MONEY SPENT ON
POLICE.
BUT INSTEAD WE CONTINUE TO SEE
STATUS QUO BUDGETS, WE CONTINUE
TO SEE ELECTION OFFICIALS MAKING
EXCUSES AROUND WHY FOLKS --
ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW MILWAUKEE
IS GOING TOWARDS THIS FINANCIAL
CLIFF, BUT WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANY
CHANGES IN TERMS OF THEIR
INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT FOR
POLICE AND POLICING.
AND SO FOR US, IT'S LIKE, YOU
KNOW, CITY LEADERSHIP WILL TALK
ABOUT LIKE HOW PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE LED US TO
THIS MOMENT, BUT ACTUALLY, THEIR
ADMINISTRATION AND THE BUDGETS
THEY PASSED LAST YEAR HAVE
CONTINUED TO PUSH US TOWARDS
THIS MOMENT AND WE SHOULDN'T BE
ASKING MILWAUKEE'S X X POOREST
RESIDENTS TO BAIL US OUT IN THIS
MOMENT.
>> DEVIN ANDERSON, WE'LL LEAVE
IT THERE.