>> IN RECENT WEEKS, PROTESTERS
IN CITIES LARGE AND SMALL ACROSS
WISCONSIN HAVE BEEN RALLYING FOR
POLICE REFORM FOLLOWING THE
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE
HANDS OF MINNEAPOLIS POLICE.
DARRELL KEATON IS SEEN AS A
LEADER AMONG HIS PEERS IN THE
WAUSAU COMMUNITY AND HAS BEEN
ADVOCATING CHANGE DURING
DEMONSTRATIONS.
HE JOINS US THIS WEEK WITH HIS
PERSPECTIVES ON THE RACIAL
JUSTICE MOVEMENT IN CENTRAL
WISCONSIN.
MR. KEATON, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> YES.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOU FOUNDED AN
ORGANIZATION IN 2011 THERE IN
WAUSAU.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT AND WHY YOU
STARTED IT.
>> SO I DEVELOPED THE PROGRAM TO
WORK WITH AT-RISK YOUTH.
WE WANTED TO CATCH THE YOUTH
BEFORE ENTERING JUNIOR HIGH OR
HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WE WANTED TO WORK WITH THEM
THROUGH THE SCHOOL EDUCATION TO
IDENTIFY KIDS WHO ARE STRUGGLING
WITH ATTENTION DEFICITS,
BEHAVIOR ISSUES, ET CETERA.
AND WHEN THAT SITUATION TOOK
PLACE WITH GEORGE FLOYD, IT JUST
WOKE SOMETHING IN ME.
AND I KNEW THEN THAT I NEEDED TO
ACT AND I NEEDED TO ACT SWIFTLY
IN MY COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I DON'T
WANT SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO
HAPPEN HERE IN MY COMMUNITY.
>> AND SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU
NEEDED TO ACT AND YOU NEEDED TO
ACT SWIFTLY, WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> WELL, THE FIRST THING I DID
WAS I REACHED OUT WITH SOME OF
THE OTHER MEMBERS IN THE
COMMUNITY THAT I WORKED
ALONGSIDE IN THE PAST, AND I
WENT OUT, MYSELF AND MY TWO
GRANDDAUGHTERS, AND WE DID A
PEACEFUL PROTEST.
AND AFTER ME AND MY
GRANDDAUGHTERS WENT OUT AND DID
A PEACEFUL PROTEST, IT SPARKED A
MOVEMENT.
THE NEXT DAY WE HAD OVER 300
PEOPLE COME OUT AND JOIN US.
I JUST DON'T WANT TO SEE
SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN HERE.
AND SO IF YOU JUMP OUT IN FRONT
OF IT BEFORE IT COMES TO YOUR
DOORSTEP, THEN YOU CAN, YOU
KNOW, WORK WITH YOUR LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT
WE CAN BRIDGE THAT GAP BETWEEN
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
HERE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND WE'RE WORKING HARD SINCE
THIS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP.
AND I CAN PROUDLY SAY THAT
MYSELF, WITH MY MAYOR AND MY
CHIEF OF POLICE, WE HAVE REALLY
BEEN WORKING TOGETHER ON SOME
THINGS TO KIND OF HELP BRIDGE
THAT GAP.
I CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE
OFFICIALLY NEXT YEAR WILL
CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH IN THE CITY
OF WAUSAU, WHICH HAS NEVER
HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF THIS
COMMUNITY.
SO I JUST THINK THAT HAVING
SOMETHING HERE FOR THE BLACK
COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO BRING
POSITIVES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
>> IT'S SO COOL THAT YOU WERE
ABLE TO TELL US THAT WAUSAU IS
GOING TO BE CELEBRATING
JUNETEENTH NEXT YEAR.
>> YEAH.
IT IS.
I MEET WITH MY MAYOR AND I'VE
BEEN IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH
THE CHIEF AND WE THINK THAT THAT
WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD START AS
FAR AS --
>> YEAH.
>> -- BRIDGING THAT GAP AND TO
CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH HERE AND
HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, ON THE 400
BLOCK.
BECAUSE WE WANT ALL PEOPLE TO
COME TOGETHER.
WE DON'T WANT IT TO JUST BE
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONE RACE OF
PEOPLE.
WE WANT ALL PEOPLE TO COME
TOGETHER.
AND WE WANT THE BLACK COMMUNITY
TO FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING
HERE FOR THEM.
AND SO I WORK HARD TO TRY TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BRIDGE
THAT GAP.
AND I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR
THE PEOPLE OF WAUSAU, WISCONSIN.
THIS IS MY HOME.
>> YOU HAVE SAID THAT TAKING
PART IN DEMONSTRATIONS OR VIGILS
OR MARCHES, IT NOW SEEMS TO YOU
AS THOUGH WHITE PEOPLE ARE
LISTENING AND JOINING IN.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU THAT
THAT HAPPENS?
>> IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
I'VE SAID ALL ALONG THAT WE AS A
PEOPLE, AS THE BLACK COMMUNITY,
WE CANNOT TACKLE THIS SYSTEMIC
RACISM THAT HAS PLAGUED OUR
COUNTRY FOR 400 PLUS YEARS.
WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE GOOD WHITE
PEOPLE TO STAND WITH US TO
DEFEAT RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND YOU HAVE TO START WITH THE
HEAD OF THIS SYSTEMIC RACISM IN
OUR COUNTRY.
AND I FEEL THAT STARTS AT THE
TOP, WHICH IS OUR GOVERNMENT.
AND IF WE CAN START THERE AND
TRICKLE DOWN TO THE MIDDLE CLASS
AND THE LOWER CLASS, THEN MAYBE
WE CAN MAKE GREATER CHANGES IN
THIS COMMUNITY, AND IN AMERICA.
>> WHAT KIND OF DIALOGUE HAVE
YOU SEEN HAPPENING ON MATTERS OF
RACE THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN
HAPPENING BEFORE THE KILLING OF
GEORGE FLOYD AND DEMONSTRATIONS
OVER THAT?
>> CHANGES ARE OCCURRING EVERY
DAY.
I JUST -- LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I
FEEL THAT THIS TIME IT'S
DIFFERENT.
IT FEELS DIFFERENT.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT WE AS A
COMMUNITY, AS A WHOLE, IF WE
CONTINUE TO STAND TOGETHER, HATE
CANNOT DEFEAT LOVE.
>> DO YOU EXPECT PROTESTS AND
DEMONSTRATIONS TO CONTINUE IN
YOUR PART OF THE STATE?
>> NO, I DON'T.
I THINK AT THIS POINT THINGS ARE
GOING ACCORDING TO HOW THEY
SHOULD, AND I THINK IF THEY
CONTINUE ON THE PATH THAT THEY
ARE, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE'LL BE
OKAY.
>> SO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THE
LINES OF COMMUNICATION ARE OPEN
AND --
>> YES.
>> -- WHITE PEOPLE, AS YOU
SAID, ARE LISTENING.
>> YES.
>> AND YOU IN FACT HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO ALREADY MAKE SOME
TANGIBLE CHANGE, AND SO YOU SEE
MORE OF THAT COMING?
>> CORRECT.
YES.
I DO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
CHECKING IN WITH US AND TELLING
US ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN.
DARRELL KEATON, THANKS AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
YOU HAVE A BLESSED DAY.