MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman released the following statement concerning the death of George Floyd and related protests.
I strongly condemn the actions of the Minneapolis police that led to George Floyd’s death. The family of George Floyd deserves justice.
I agree with my colleague, Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson, who last week said: “The only way to work towards justice is to replace systemic racism with a society based on equity, and that is what Milwaukee County government is committed to doing.”
Milwaukee’s communities of color have already been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. I urge protesters to be aware of our ongoing public health emergency. Please continue to wear masks and social distance when possible.
Businesses are already suffering from the impacts of COVID-19. We cross a line when we do violence and destroy property and businesses. During this time of high unemployment, putting people out of jobs is not the way forward.
Milwaukee County Executive Crowley said it best: “Using dignity and respect as our guideposts, Milwaukee County will continue to partner with both community and police to provide training, trauma response and mental health care. We will continue to provide racial equity training for all our employees. We will work toward reforming our contracts and policies so that we can address implicit bias and promote equitable practices at all levels of government.”
