Wis. Governor Calls Session On Police Reform; Republicans Refuse To Show

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, left, speaks at a news conference on Aug. 27 in Kenosha, Wis. The news conference was held to discuss the recent civil unrest surrounding the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot several times in the back in front of his children.





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Republican State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who is in the middle of a campaign for Congress, was silent for several days following Blake’s shooting and the governor’s call. On Friday, his office confirmed the Senate will officially convene on Monday without any senators present.

In a prepared statement, Fitzgerald said he expects lawmakers to consider a variety of proposals related to policing «in the coming months. He said he would like those bills to include legislation to increase penalties for violence against police.

«The riots in Kenosha and Madison this week further demonstrated that first responders are performing their public service duties at great risk to their personal safety, he said.

Another proposal from a different Republican state senator, unveiled last week, would penalize local governments for shifting money from their law enforcement budgets to other things, like public health or education initiatives — a move many activists are calling «defunding the police.

State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos argues Evers is being disingenuous and partisan in calling the special session.

«We have an opportunity to bring people together to find solutions, Vos said shortly after Evers called the special session. «Instead, the governor is choosing to turn to politics again by dictating liberal policies that will only deepen the divisions in our state.

As an alternative, Vos announced a legislative task force on «racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards. Similar past initiatives on subjects like homelessness and adoption have taken several months to produce legislation.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats are meeting Republicans’ resistance to convene with anger and frustration.

«We’ve got 400 years of systemic racism in this country, and if we don’t do something about it, we’ll be repeating Kenosha in cities all over our country and in our state, Evers said on Thursday. «I’m counting on the Republicans to show up next Monday.

Democratic state Sen. LaTonya Johnson of Milwaukee issued a statement last week that she was «sick to [her] stomach at the GOP’s resistance.

«The question for us, Wisconsin, is when are we going to make Republicans do their jobs, or do we continue to sit idly by and watch this state burn? she said.

Late last week, a woman from Burlington, Wis., began a petition drive to try to recall Gov. Evers, citing in part his response to the aftermath of Blake’s shooting. The state Republican party is not affiliated, but state Democrats did sharply criticize the move.