Madison, WI – Freedom Inc. is a nonprofit group that has received $3.6 million taxpayer dollars in the past 5 years and over $1.5 million since 2018 through a variety of state-administered programs. Leaders of Freedom Inc. have been reported doing all of the following[1][2]:
– Taking and destroying the phone of a person recording a public meeting who had spoken in favor of school resource officers;
– Coordinating the shutting down local government meetings and interrupting anyone of an opposing viewpoint with accusations of racism;
– Stating “all actions against racist state violence are justified,” and threatening “stop murdering black people and your glass will be safe”;
– Wearing an ‘I hate pigs’ t-shirt and calling for the total elimination of police while blocking John Nolen Drive in Madison for eight hours June 1;
– Dismissing any criticism to these or other tactics as merely “a tool used by those in power to maintain that power”
Given the taxpayer funding of Freedom, Inc., their prior actions, and the calls of Governor Evers and former Vice President Biden for Wisconsin to heal, Senator Stroebel issued the following statement:
“I have heard criticism of individuals, groups and politicians for conduct and words less troublesome than those of the leaders of Freedom Inc. If leaders across Wisconsin wish to begin to heal after the Kenosha riots, then at the very least we must take a stand for reconciliation by ceasing our support of entities who advance themselves through orchestrated disorder and incendiary calls to action.”
“If fortunate enough to serve on the Joint Committee on Finance again next session, I will do everything in my power to see that taxpayers are not supporting Freedom Inc. and other organizations who cause disruption and incite division as part of their business model. I ask everyone who has publicly claimed a desire for healing to join me in this effort to stop subsidizing extremist actions if those calls are genuine.”