AFSCME Wisconsin On Solidarity for an End to Police Brutality Print
Commentary
Wednesday, 03 June 2020 10:48

george-floyd-deathCallous disregard among police for the lives, labor, health, and safety of communities of color must be weeded out, says labor union.


MILWAUKEE, WI - AFSCME Wisconsin categorically rebukes the recent vicious murder of George Floyd, the killings of Wisconsin’s Tony Robinson, Jonathon Tubby, all unnamed victims, and all forms of violence against black, indigenous, and people of color by police. AFSCME Wisconsin is dedicated to eradicating all forms of violence against communities of color, including economic violence which exploits labor, as it has since the inception of our nation.

AFSCME Wisconsin Executive Director Patrick Wycoff stated, “AFSCME Wisconsin reaffirms our collective responsibility to resist police crimes, racism, and white supremacy as classist tools used to silence and injure the working class. Deploying police violence against the working class is not a new tactic. We must heighten our efforts to eliminate this violence with solidarity and accountability.”

Callous disregard for the lives, labor, health, and safety of communities of color must be met with a concerted movement to defund the militarized police presence in our communities and support community-controlled policing oversight. AFSCME Wisconsin is deeply dedicated to a labor movement led by black, indigenous, and people of color and healing the wounds of racism perpetuated against union members in the labor movement.

AFSCME Wisconsin President Paul Spink remarked, “at the very heart of the labor movement is the idea that an injury to one is an injury to all. AFSCME has taken pride in our involvement in the civil rights movement since 1968. We continue to commit today, and we stand in solidarity with all those who have been tragically killed by law enforcement officers who have sworn to protect them. We demand that our elected leaders hold all public employees to a high standard of accountability and integrity and that they do so now.”

Please contribute to organizations continuing the vital work of racial and economic justice including Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, Leaders Igniting Transformation, Voces de la Frontera, Indigenous Environmental Network, and Liberate MKE.