Citizen Action Weekly; Friday, June 12th
Friday, June 12th
Attend a BLM event near you this weekend!
Checkout list of events in Wisconsin.
We will be attempting to post as many events on our facebook page. Please check our page for events near you. Citizen Action facebook page.
Also, check with your regional organizer about events in your region.
Bring Climate Equity to Wisconsin
Join Northside Rising and Citizen Action at a public hearing. Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in addressing climate change. A state task force is advising the Governor on strategies the state can take to fight global warming.
You can be part of this efforts to move Wisconsin forward by attending or speaking at one of the public hearings. Let our leaders know how we can make our state a healthier, safer, and more sustainable place to live.
There are 5 scheduled online hearings:
– June 23, 6-9pm
– June 27, 12-3pm
– July 7th, 6-9pm
– July 9th, 6-9pm
– July 15th, 6-9pm
For more information, contact the co-op organizer at [email protected]
Facebook event page
Southwest Wisconsin small towns join in Black Lives Matter protests
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the murder of Breonna Taylor in her sleep by Louisville police America has seen its largest protest movement in history. America is waking up to the fact that systemic racism is literally killing our black communities. Over the past two weeks protests have spread to all 50 states and across the world. This movement has sparked protests in cities big and small. Rural Citizen Action of Wisconsin members have even taken to the streets in small towns that don’t normally see social justice rallies. Viroqua (population 4,400) had an amazing turnout of 250 people protesting last week. Reedsburg (population 9,500) had 300 people turn out last Saturday for a rally.
You can read about the Viroqua protest here.
Citizen Action Stands in Solidarity with George Floyd/Black Lives Matter Marches throughout North Central WI
Various organizations and community groups organized George Floyd marches throughout the NC region. Citizen Action members and allies stood in Solidarity with many of these events, and in some communities, were actively involved in Organizing them. In the Western most part of the region, in Ladysmith (Rusk County), members of the Western WI and NC Organizing Co-ops worked through the Rusk County Democrats to put their event together.
There were also marches or solidarity rallies in Elcho (Langlade County), Minocqua (Vilas/Oneida Counties), Merrill (Lincoln County), Stevens Point (Portage County), and Wausau (Marathon County). In fact, Wausau’s march was the largest demonstration that the City has ever seen!
In Wausau, the Wausau Police Department, the Wausau Mayor, and several other governmental entities supported the march. The police were the first ones there, and trailed the march offering water to the participants.
This really set a positive tone in Wausau, and it shows that this community has grown significantly. The newly elected Mayor, Katie Rosenberg, and City Council are shining brightly, in a way that has not happened in the past. Movement politics is working, and we must stay the course, so that we can see this kind of leadership all across our state and nation!
Green Bay Justice for George Floyd, Justice for Jonathan Tubby.
Last weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Green Bay to demand Justice for George Floyd, Justice for Jonathan Tubby, and to fight for anti-racist policies in our community. Robin Tinnon, co-founder of Black Lives United and Citizen Action Co-op member Kristina Shelton, Vice President of the Green Bay School Board, gave the following remarks:
“I’ve grown up here, I’m very invested in this community as a business owner, as a college student, all those things, as a mom. We are all out here gathering because we want to tell you about George Floyd but also tell you about all the other Black men and women who die at the hands of police. We have for so long stood up for this in our community. We have for so long cried on camera and called out to our aldermans and our city officials to tell them to stop allowing Black bodies to be equal to nothing in the United States of America. And what we’re seeing worldwide is an uprising. People are done. And our community is done. We’re telling folks that Black Lives Matter.”
-Robin Tinnon, co-founder of Black Lives United
“This is a movement for the people. This is about equity. White people have to put it on the line to stand up for their Black and brown community members. It is undeniable what is happening around the country, it’s undeniable what’s happening here. The videos over and over have shown us and given us a glimpse of what Black and brown community members have been dealing with for hundreds of years. It is undeniable. And now is the time for us to stand up and put, quite frankly, our lives on the line, our property on the line, our rights on the line, our privileges on the line, to say we stand with you, not in words, but in action in the community. Action is what love looks like in public. And we will not sit at home anymore and give lip service to white supremacy to racism and oppression and power structures that no longer hold up everyone in this community. We must do a better job.”
-Kristina Shelton, Vice President of the Green Bay School Board
Tinnon (right) and Shelton (Center) speak at Green Bay Protest. Shelton is a co-op member
Volunteer to help Citizen Action Co-op member and endorsed state legislative candidate Emily Siegrist this Sunday at Noon in Brown Deer .
Come and join Emily Siegrist for a volunteer event to deliver Emily’s campaign literature to homes of voters in Brown Deer this Sunday, June 14th, Noon, 8060 N 60th St.
Emily is strongly encouraging volunteers to wear masks while out in the community. Emily will have masks for those who need them.
Please RSVP and let her know you’re coming so we can cut enough turf.
TAKE ACTION: Expand BadgerCare & Free COVID-19 Testing & Treatment!
It’s time for us to unite across our differences and work together to deliver free testing and treatment for COVID-19 for everyone in Wisconsin. We need to open BadgerCare to everyone without insurance and require insurance companies to provide free COVID 19 testing and treatment without any copays or deductibles, we can ensure that all Wisconsinites have the health care we need through this crisis.
Contact your state legislators today in support.
Consumer Protection Team Healthcare Survey.
Do you know anyone who is struggling with an unpaid medical bill? How about complaining that a preventive test they thought was covered, is now not? Take our Citizen Action healthcare survey to help us fight back against the big health insurance companies and healthcare providers (e.g. clinics, hospitals) that are hurting everyday people seeking care.
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig discussed how we translate the historic protests sparked by the racist murder of George Floyd into deep reform on the Jeff Santos Radio Show
The justice for George Floyd protest in tiny Viroqua, co-organized by Citizen Action’s Driftless Area Co-op Organizer Ben Wilson, drew great local media coverage.
“Listening to Sterling Brown” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast.
We welcome Mark Thomsen, the attorney for Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown, to discuss critical lessons from Sterling Brown’s legal case against the Milwaukee Police and what they teach us about police reform. In addition, we discuss the Wisconsin Election Commission’s unanimous decision to send absentee ballot application to 2.7 million Wisconsin registered voters.
Listen Now – Episode #446
Download MP3
Facebook post of the week
