(Sun Prairie) – In response to the violence and destruction of statues at the Wisconsin State Capitol, State Representative Gary Hebl released the following statement:
I cannot condone the violence and statue destruction that took place Tuesday night on the Capitol Square. I completely understand the anger and frustration of protestors fighting against an unjust system. However, the removal of the Forward statue and the statue of Hans Christian Heg on the Capitol grounds smacks more of destruction for destruction sake than fighting for justice. The cause of protesting systemic racism is just; wanton destruction is not. Mob mentality and violence detracts from that fight.
The legislature needs to go into special session to address the institutional racism that permeates our society. Waiting until after the election is not soon enough. These are issues that need to be addressed immediately. We must also examine why police forces too often seem to focus on aggression and militarization instead of de-escalation in tense situations. Chokeholds and other excessive aggressive acts must be eliminated.
Again, these are fixes that need to be implemented as soon as we can. Wisconsin Republicans are hoping that the current furor sweeping over the country will die down by the time they have to come back into session so they can once again focus on doing what their corporate donors demand of them instead of the constituents they are supposed to represent.
