STARTED IN MID-MARCH, WE HAVE
CHECKED IN WITH GOVERNOR TONY
EVERS TO GET THE NEWEST
INFORMATION ON THE STATE'S
RESPONSE TO COVID-19.
I TALKED WITH GOVERNOR EVERS
EARLIER TODAY AS WE READ INTO
ANOTHER SUMMER WEEKEND.
BUT FIRST, WE BEGAN WITH HIS
REACTION TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE
FLOYD, WHO WAS KILLED WHEN A
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER
PRESSED HIS KNEE ONTO FLOYD'S
NECK.
THAT OFFICER HAS NOW BEEN
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
AND, GOVERNOR, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.
THANKS, FREDERICA.
>> WELL, YOU PUT OUT AN
IMPASSIONED STATEMENT TODAY ON
THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD SAYING
THIS WAS NOT AN ANOMALY AND WITH
IT WE RELIVE THE PAIN OF THE
DEATH OF BLACK WISCONSINITES
LIKE DONTRE HAMILTON.
YOU SAY THAT WE MUST SEE THE
TRAUMA, FEAR, AND EXHAUSTION
OF BEING BLACK IN OUR STATE
AND OUR COUNTRY.
MY QUESTION TO YOU IS,
AND THEN WHAT?
>> WELL, IT IS-- IT'S A
PERSONAL STATEMENT THAT I HAD
THERE, BUT AS A STATE AND AS A
NATION, WE DO HAVE TO GRAPPLE
WITH THE ISSUE OF RACISM AND HOW
ISSUES ARE DEALT WITH
DISPROPORTIONATELY, WHETHER IT'S
ISSUES AROUND THE PANDEMIC OR
ISSUES ABOUT WHETHER PEOPLE WALK
AWAY FROM AN INCIDENT WITH A
POLICE OFFICER AND LIVE.
AND SO IT IS-- IT IS TIME FOR
ALL OF US TO REFLECT ON THAT AND
MAKE SURE THAT OUR HEARTS ARE IN
THE RIGHT PLACE.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S POLICIES THAT
WE CAN LOOK AT TO CHANGE THINGS,
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE
CHANGE HAS TO HAPPEN INTERNALLY
AND I'M JUST-- IT'S SUCH A
DEPRESSING SITUATION.
BUT WE CAN RISE ABOVE IT.
BUT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT.
>> THERE WAS PROTESTS IN
MILWAUKEE THIS AFTERNOON, THE
TITLE OF WHICH WAS "NO MORE
BEING STOOD ON; WE CAN'T
BREATHE."
MILWAUKEE SUFFERS SOME OF THE
WORST INEQUALITIES IN THE
NATION.
ARE THESE CONDITIONS URGENT
FOR YOU, A PUBLIC EMERGENCY
OF SORTS?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO
SEVERAL LEADERS IN THE MILWAUKEE
COMMUNITY, INCLUDING ELECTED
OFFICIALS, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY
LEADERS TODAY, AND CLEARLY THIS
IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL TAKE
SERIOUSLY.
WE JUST-- YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS
EASY ONCE WE'RE A WEEK OR TWO
OUT FROM THIS TO SAY-- TO NOT
THINK ABOUT IT.
BUT THIS IS A WATERSHED MOTION
FOR-- TIME FOR OUR STATE AND
FOR OUR NATION.
I'M VERY HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN
TAKE A LOOK AT RACISM, HOW IT
IMPACTS PEOPLE'S LIVES AND HOW
ISSUES AROUND DISPROPORTIONATE
HEALTH CARE OUTCOMES AFFECT
CERTAIN PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY,
CERTAINLY PEOPLE OF COLOR
DIFFERENTLY, AND ECONOMICALLY,
HOUSING, YOU NAME IT.
THERE'S A DISPROPORTIONATELY,
FRANKLY, ON ALL ISSUES
THAT FACE US.
AND SO, YES, IT IS GOING TO BE
AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO
TALK ABOUT.
>> AS IF TO MIRROR THE
DISPARITIES OF WHICH YOU SPEAK
IN MILWAUKEE, COVID-19 NUMBERS
AND DEATHS THERE ARE
DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND HISPANICS.
AND NOW THE STATE REOPENS.
TODAY WE SEE THAT THERE WERE 733
NEW COVID-19 CASES AND 18 NEW
FATALITIES.
YOUR COMMENT ON THOSE NUMBERS?
>> WELL, THEY'RE HIGH,
OBVIOUSLY.
AND WE'RE TESTING MORE, SO THAT
DOES PLAY A ROLE IN THIS.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE
NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THE
REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS, YOU
KNOW, SOCIAL DISTANCING, MAKING
SURE WE'RE SIX FEET AHEAD,
MAKING SURE OUR HANDS ARE CLEAN,
WEAR A MASK.
ALL THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
AND WE NEED TO KEEP EMPHASIZING
THAT.
CLEARLY-- BUT I WANT TO CYCLE
BACK.
THIS ISSUE DOES IMPACT PEOPLE OF
COLOR IN A REALLY
EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFERENT WAY
AND A NEGATIVE WAY.
AND IF-- AS A STATE IF WE DON'T
STATE TO TAKE ON THAT ISSUE
SERIOUSLY-- YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST
GO BACK TO SOMETHING I WORKED ON
LAST YEAR AROUND OUR BUDGET WITH
MEDICAID EXPANSION.
WE COULD HAVE HAD-- WE COULD
HAVE HAD RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH
THOSE DISPROPORTIONATE HEALTH
OUTCOMES.
INSTEAD OF HAVING IT BE SHOWN UP
AGAIN IN THIS PANDEMIC, WE COULD
BE WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE COULDN'T GET
THE LEGISLATURE TO THINK THROUGH
THAT.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IN THE
MIDST OF ALL OF THIS WHEN YOU
SEE CROWDS OF PEOPLE AS SUMMER
BREAK IS HERE NOT WEARING MASKS
AND NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING?
>> I UNDERSTAND BEING COOPED UP.
THAT ISN'T ANYTHING ANYBODY
LIKES.
BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT,
WE NEED TO DO THE THINGS THAT
ARE IMPORTANT.
IT DISAPPOINTMENTS ME WHEN IT
DOES HAPPEN, WHEN I SEE PICTURES
OF THAT, THAT PEOPLE ARE
CONGREGATING RIGHT NEXT TO EACH
OTHER WITHOUT MASKS.
THAT DOESN'T WORK.
THE VIRUS DOESN'T REALLY CARE
ABOUT YOU BEING COOPED UP IN
YOUR HOUSE.
IT'S GOING TO INFECT YOU.
AND SO WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP
REMINDING PEOPLE.
I THINK OUR BUSINESS LEADERS FOR
THE MOST PART DO BELIEVE THAT
THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT AND
THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING THOSE
THINGS IN THEIR PLACES OF WORK.
BUT IT'S OUTSIDE OF THAT REALM
THAT SCARES ME.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GOVERNOR EVERS, WE LEAVE IT
THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR