FOR YOU HERE.
WE HAVE 200 MASKS.
>> CREWS FROM THE BOYS & GIRLS
CLUB OF DANE COUNTY SPENT THE
WEEK GIVING AWAY 15,000 MASKS
THAT WERE DONATED BY A SAFETY
EQUIPMENT COMPANY IN NEVADA.
THE EFFORT IS THE LATEST EXAMPLE
OF THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNITY
OUTREACH DURING THIS DIFFICULT
TIME.
MICHAEL JOHN ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT AND CEO, JOINS US NOW.
MICHAEL, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
SEEING YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME O.
>> SO WITH DANE COUNTY'S MASK
ORDINANCE IN PLACE, WAS IT YOUR
SENSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE GOOD
ACCESS TO THEM?
>> YEAH.
I THINK ANYTIME YOU HAVE A
CRISIS LIKE THIS, YOU HAVE
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CHALLENGING
CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WE'VE GIVEN
ALMOST 10 #0,000 MASKS OUT SINCE
THIS PANDEMIC.
WE GET PHONE CALLS, MESSAGES
FROM PEOPLE SAYING THERE'S A
LACK OF ACCESS FOR THEIR
FAMILIES.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE
THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD IT HAVE
ACCESS TO THEM.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER MAJOR
CONCERNS FOR THE COMMUNITIES
THAT YOU SERVE AS WE SEE SPIKES
IN COVID-19?
I
>> I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT
OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE OR UNDER DN
EMPLOYED PEOPLE OR TEENAGERS WHO
MAY NOT BE WORKING AT THIS TIME,
THAT'S WHY WE DECIDED TO PUT 150
TEENAGERS TO WORK IN THE LAST
COUPLE WEEKS TO KEEP RESOURCES
IN THEIR POCKETS.
AND THEN WHEN YOU LIVE IN
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, BEING
ABLE TO PAY YOUR BILLS AND BEING
ABLE TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN
NEED, THAT'S WHY WE'VE DONE
NONTRADITIONAL THINGS THAT YOU
TYPICALLY DON'T SEE BOYS AND
GIRLS CLUBS DOING.
WE PAID THE BILLS OF OVER 8,000
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE 61 KIDS WHO WERE IN
COLLEGE.
WE HELPED TO PAY FOR THEM TO GET
BACK HOME.
WE PAID THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,
INCLUDING KIDS AND SENIOR
CITIZENS, OVER THE LAST 90 DAYS,
MAKING SURE THAT NO PERSON GO
HOME HUNGRY AT NIGHT.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT
TRADITIONALLY BOYS AND GIRLS
CLUBS DON'T DO AND WE JUST WANT
TO CONTINUE TO THINK OUT OF THE
BOX TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
SUPPORTING OUR CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES AND SENIORS WHO NEED US
THE MOST.
WE ALSO RAISED MONEY FOR
DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES.
I'M GETTING LETTERS FROM
BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN THANKING US
FOR HELPING THEM TO STAY OPEN.
SO THERE'S JUST SO MANY
CHALLENGES GOING ON RIGHT NOW
THAT WE'RE TRYING TO LEVERAGE
OUR RESOURCES TO HELP THOSE WHO
NEED US THE MOST.
>> NOW, ALL OF THAT IS
HAPPENING, OF COURSE, AS
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION
AND HERE AT HOME GRAPPLE WITH
AND DEMONSTRATE OVER RACIAL
JUSTICE AND POLICING.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE LAST
SPOKE IN THE DIRECT AFTERMATH OF
THE GEORGE FLOYD KILLING,
INCLUDING MOVES TOWARD POLICE
REFORM AND LOTS OF DIALOGUE AND
RECKONING OVER RACISM.
WITH ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO
WITH BUILDING BRIDGES, HAVE YOU
SEEN PROGRESS IN THESE
INTERVENING DAYS?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF
DISCUSSIONS.
WE'VE BEEN HAVING DISCUSSIONS
FOR YEARS.
I THINK IT'S TIME THAT WE HAVE A
SUBSTANTIVE PLAN THAT'S ALIGNED
WITH THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO
BE ABLE TO BACK IT UP.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS THE
DISCUSSION ABOUT OVERSIGHT,
POLICE BOARD WITH CIVILIANS.
AND WHILE WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THESE KIND OF ISSUES FOR
DECADES, I THINK NOW IS THE TIME
THAT WE GO BEYOND THE STUDIES,
WE GO BEYOND THE TOWN HALL
MEETINGS AND WE ACTUALLY EXECUTE
A PLAN WITH THE FINANCIAL
RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO BACK IT
SO THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT FEEL
THE MOST MARGINALIZED SEE ACTION
ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE.
SO I'M GOING TO SAY TO BE
DETERMINED.
>> YOU HAVE MET, I UNDERSTAND,
WITH GOVERNOR EVERS.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE FROM HIM
OR THE STATE?
>> I WOULD SAY WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE USE OF FORCE GUIDELINES, I
THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ACROSS
EVERY MUNICIPALITY IN WISCONSIN
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE
CHIEFS AND THE FIRE AND POLICE
COMMISSIONS AND THEIR BOARDS ARE
REVIEWING THOSE POLICIES AND
HAVING DIALOGUE IN THEIR
INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES.
I THINK THAT'S VERY, VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT.
I ALSO THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE
MORE RESOURCES TOWARDS
COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, POLICING.
AND SO WHILE I WANT TO SEE --
WHILE YOU HEAR PEOPLE USE THE
WORD "DEFUND THE POLICE," I
THINK THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE
RESTRUCTURED TO BE ABLE TO
SUPPORT COMMUNITY POLICING,
INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY IN THAT
PROCESS.
I ALSO HAVE TALKED TO THE
GOVERNOR, THE LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR AND ALSO THE SECRETARY
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
ADMINISTRATION.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE
REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF
COLOR AT THE STATE CAPITOL.
THERE'S NO REPRESENTATION RIGHT
NOW.
SO WE PROPOSE A BILL THAT A VEL
FILL FLIPS
PHILLIPS STATUE GO UP.
WE HAVE A PROPOSAL THAT WILL
HOPEFULLY BE APPROVED AND
REPRESENTATION WILL SOON BE AT
THE CAPITOL TO REFLECT ALL THE
GREAT WORK THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE PROVIDED
IN THIS STATE OVER THE LAST 150
PLUS YEARS.
>> THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
ANY IDEA WHEN THEY MIGHT ERECT
THAT STATUE OF VEL PHILLIPS?
>> YEAH.
SO THERE'S A VOTE THAT HAS TO
TAKE PLACE WITH THE BOARD.
SENATOR RISSER IS THE CHAIRMAN
OF THAT BOARD.
WE'RE HOPING WITHIN THE NEXT 60
DAYS TO HAVE SOME RENDERINGS
DONE.
ONCE THOSE RENDERINGS IS DONE,
IT WILL TAKE ABOUT A YEAR FOR IT
TO HAPPEN.
I'M OPTIMISTIC GIVEN THAT VEL
PHILLIPS WAS THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN JUDGE IN THE
STATE AND THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE
ELECTED TO CITY COUNCIL, THE
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN IN THIS
COUNTRY TO BE ELECTED TO A
STATEWIDE OFFICE.
AND SHE WAS RAISED AND DID ALL
HER GREAT WORK IN THIS STATE,
AND I THINK WHITE KIDS, BLACK
KIDS AND KIDS OF COLOR NEED TO
SEE REPRESENTATION AT OUR STATE
CAPITOL.
AND I'M OPTIMISTIC AND HOPEFUL
THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN WITHIN THE
NEXT 12 MONTHS.
>> GREAT NEWS.
MICHAEL JOHNSON, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> OKAY.