Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee County Supervisor Eyon Biddle, Sr., released the following statement regarding yesterday’s observance of the National Day of Action in Milwaukee:
“First of all, I want to commend Chief of Police Ed Flynn and the rest of our distinguished men and women serving in the line of duty to protect our community. While I appreciate Chief Flynn and all of our public servants, his comments regarding the occupy movement’s takeover of the North Avenue bridge were way off base. He and the Mayor seem to be very concerned with the minor inconveniences of traffic jams, instead of the lack of jobs and economic base for people of color in our community. This lack of jobs perpetuates crime and violence in our neighborhoods.
“My message to Chief Flynn: If there are more jobs and economic development in our community, you might find your job a little bit easier. I find it strange that no one batted an eye when the tea party captured national attention by electing leaders that gridlock Congress. But, we take over a bridge for a few hours in protest of the economic and social injustices of our community who need jobs and resources, and we are mocked!
“The real problem is that many of the leaders in Milwaukee, including Mayor Barrett and Chief Flynn, do not understand the voices of a frustrated generation who have been written off and ignored. Change is being demanded. Folks are no longer going to fall in line with business as usual and status quo politics and leadership. I challenge everyone to take a closer look at the injustices that many working class people face every day. This is much more important than minor traffic inconveniences. I didn’t see this same outrage from these two gentlemen when it was announced that Milwaukee was the 9th poorest city in the country. They should take their faux outrage and direct it toward socioeconomic injustices that everyday people face.
“The bridge we occupied was a symbol. It represented jobs and infrastructure that would help my depressed community. I live right down the block, and I know my people need jobs. We should be outraged that black contractors, laborers and residents are not getting the lion’s share of a work at the $200 million Westlawn Housing Authority project. We should be outraged that bankers who gambled with our economy aren’t being held responsible for their actions. The rich are getting richer and bailed out while we get poorer and sold out by our own government who are here to serve the people. If Chief Flynn or Mayor Barrett need examples of this, they can look at SB 207/Felon Discrimination, the new voter ID law, Badger Care cuts, education cuts, and the collective bargaining law.
“I appreciate Chief Flynn for doing his job, but we are also doing ours. We are standing up for what’s right and calling attention to injustice and waking the people up. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream for us all – and for this country – that has not been made into a reality. That is an indictment on us all. People have a lot to be outraged about. It’s time to wake up, unify, organize and activate, not player hate.
“It's time for the people of Milwaukee to wake up.”
###
===========================
Harold Mester
Public Information Manager
Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
harold.mester@milwcnty.com
414-278-4051
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.