Madison Police Need Community Oversight
I have organized around police accountability for over five decades and helped to lead the fight for civilian oversight in St. Louis, MO. I was appalled, but not surprised, to hear that Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is already proposing cuts to Madison’s agencies that oversee police operations. This is what happens when the police unions get in the ears of elected officials with their veiled threats and predictions of increased crime. Given the history of the city’s police abuse, the community’s demand for an independent and effective Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) is a step in the right direction.
Who can stop the genocide in Gaza?
If the ultimate goals are peace and sovereign respect, new thinking is mandatory to re-imagine how we get there.We are past the one year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. To mark the deadly occasion, Vice-President Kamala Harris planted a pomegranate tree at her home and President Joe Biden lit a candle at the White House. The initial calls for a ceasefire now seem woefully inadequate and definitely ineffective. It’s time to light some fire under Congress.
Nobody Wants to be a Public Servant
Police Chiefs and County Sheriffs across the country will tell you with a straight face that it’s the anti-police rhetoric that’s responsible for the precipitous drop in staffing and the inability to recruit. Milwaukee County recently pulled street patrol personnel and reassigned them to the courts. Dane County’s plan is moving ahead to expand its jail despite the disproportionate numbers of African Americans being housed.