Here & Now

DNC 2020 Milwaukee: A 'Here & Now' Special

Announcer:

A PBS Wisconsin original production. The following program is part of our “Here & Now” 2020 election coverage.

This 2020 Milwaukee Democratic National Convention Special is presented in partnership by PBS Wisconsin’s “Here & Now” and by Milwaukee PBS’s “10/36.”

Joe Biden:

I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America.

Tammy Baldwin:

Here in Wisconsin, our state motto is just one word: Forward. This November let’s move forward and never look back.

Tony Evers:

Holy mackerel, folks. Let’s get to work.

Frederica Freyberg:

Governor Tony Evers, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” Milwaukee’s virtual convention week for the Democrats. Zac Schultz joins us from Milwaukee, where he talked with U.S. Representative Gwen Moore about the impact of the convention on people of color in that city. Our partners at Milwaukee PBS talked to voters and will share a story called “Porch Politics.” And Marisa Wojcik reports on a growing political engagement among young people of color. It’s “Here & Now” for August 21st.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:

All week, the Democrats have been calling this the “unconventional convention.” So what was it like on the ground in Milwaukee? “Here & Now” Senior Political Reporter Zac Schultz was there all week and brings us this report.

Zac Schultz:

Monday morning was the day Milwaukee was waiting for. An electronic billboard registered zero days until the start of the Democratic National Convention. The event that would certify Milwaukee as a peer to other major cities around the country.

Danielle Melfi:

Good morning, Wisconsin Democrats.

Zac Schultz:

Technically, Milwaukee was still the host city, even if concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic meant the Wisconsin delegate breakfast took place online.

Ben Wikler:

We are also gathered virtually because of a tragedy, an unfolding tragedy right now, a tragedy, frankly, that we can lay at the feet of the president of the United States.

Zac Schultz:

Speakers tried to put on a brave face.

Tom Barrett:

This is truly an exciting moment.

Zac Schultz:

Trying to make sure a virtual experience could still be a shared experience.

Tony Evers:

I’ve still got my breakfast with me today, Egg McMuffin.

Zac Schultz:

Republicans tried to capitalize on the absence of the Democrats with Donald Trump flying into Oshkosh and to assemble a crowd and then flaunt Wisconsin’s mask order.

Donald Trump:

So we’ll call it a peaceful protest. That way we can do whatever we want.

Zac Schultz:

The night before the “Women for Trump” bus tour hit southeast Wisconsin asking voters to value being there over being safe.

Mercedes Schlapp:

We thought Joe Biden was supposed to be in Wisconsin.

Woman:

Where’s Joe?

[applause]

Zac Schultz:

They even rented a billboard right in front of the empty Fiserv Forum. But there wasn’t anybody to see it.

Man:

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Corporate Joe has got to go.

Zac Schultz:

Only a handful of protestors showed up at the security parameter.

Man:

Joe Biden opposed breaking up corporate monopolies.

Zac Schultz:

It was so quiet Mayor Tom Barrett encouraged locals not to be afraid to come downtown.

Tom Barrett:

Absolutely no reason to stay away from downtown other than COVID-19.

Wally Paget:

There were fears like that.

Zac Schultz:

Wally Paget is co-owner of Buck Bradley’s Saloon, just a few feet away from the convention site.

Wally Paget:

Well, it was quite a blow. We ended up having several bookings which ended up cancelling. I rarely talk figures but these parties were going to be mid five figures. So of course that hurt. But we’ve been shut down for three months also.

Zac Schultz:

The convention programming was so worldly that Wisconsin speakers had to remind people they were still the host.

Announcer:

Wisconsin.

Mandela Barnes:

Welcome back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a great city on native land on a great lake. It’s the place where I was born and raised right in the heart of 53206 zip code.

Zac Schultz:

The convention ended with Joe Biden accepting the nomination from Delaware without even mentioning Milwaukee or Wisconsin.

Joe Biden:

Thank you and may God bless you and may God protect our troops.

Frederica Freyberg:

Zac Schultz joins us post-convention in Milwaukee. Zac, thanks very much.

Zac Schultz:

My pleasure, Fred.

Frederica Freyberg:

So the fact that Milwaukee was chosen for the Democratic Convention was a very big deal in this state. But what in the end do you think about whether given its virtual footprint the national audience could even tell its official location, much less kind of a showcasing of the city?

Zac Schultz:

Yeah. There definitely was a lack of focus on Milwaukee. There weren’t any of the flashy things showing the skyline or any of the intro graphics coming back talking about welcome back to Milwaukee that you hear in other convention programs. The national perspective, from what I was able to gather, seemed to be that was okay, that the virtual format brought in the whole country at the same time instead of focusing on one area. Clearly the people here in Milwaukee and Wisconsin would have liked the reverse, but I think they understood that they had to bring the attention to themselves when it was their opportunity to remind them that Wisconsin and Milwaukee were the host places.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now as you mentioned, Donald Trump and Mike Pence were both in Wisconsin this week. Did they steal any of the spotlight from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris who in fact did not come to the state?

Zac Schultz:

Well, there was certainly local media attention placed on those visits. We certainly followed up on that. But in the end, the convention mostly took place during the evening and from the viewers’ perspective, from a national perspective, that’s not when the Trump campaign was on the ground. So you could question whether they were able to steal some of that attention and bring some of it in. But I think the evenings really belonged to the Democratic National Convention, what people were watching and talking about.

Frederica Freyberg:

One thing that was positive was that the police presence didn’t need to be massive.

Zac Schultz:

Yeah. There was definitely a lack of police presence down here, and that was probably a good thing. The mayor actually commented that there were no major disturbances. There were some very small limited protests, but no arrests that we have heard about. So it was a happy thing that the city didn’t have to worry about all the conflict that we’ve seen around the country in other major cities coming here. There definitely was concern in the run-up to this of whether we would have enough police presence here in Milwaukee to handle that.

Frederica Freyberg:

Super briefly, obviously people in the city felt the loss of opportunity, particularly businesses. But it wasn’t just businesses that lost out.

Zac Schultz:

No. There was a sense of civic pride that was lost. People really wanted to see Milwaukee and Wisconsin put on the map. We spoke to Congresswoman Gwen Moore about that very issue.

Gwen Moore:

Tonight we are gathered to reclaim the soul of America.

Zac Schultz:

As sergeant-at-arms of the Democratic National Convention, Congresswoman Gwen Moore was one of the first speakers Monday night.

Gwen Moore:

Today we gather virtually. However, we gather unified in spirit, unified in our values and purpose.

Zac Schultz:

She was also one of the only speakers actually in Milwaukee.

Gwen Moore:

Oh, I sure wish you all were here in the city of Milwaukee.

Zac Schultz:

Seeing the DNC go virtual was a crushing blow to the city.

Tom Barrett:

And as we all recognize, it’s not exactly what we thought it was going to be. But what we have been forced to deal with.

Gwen Moore:

There’s a lot of disappointment, a lot of economic activity that’s not going to occur.

Zac Schultz:

But next to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis and the Black Lives Matter protests, a virtual convention is not the defining issue for Milwaukee’s communities of color.

Debra Wilkerson:

We were kinda looking forward to seeing Biden in person. It would have boosted the morale of the people.

Zac Schultz:

Debra Wilkerson was in a long line of people waiting for an appointment at the Human Services building just a few blocks from the convention center. She says they don’t need a convention to remind them of what’s at stake this fall.

Debra Wilkerson:

We are going to vote and I hope that the line will be this long come election day.

Zac Schultz:

She says the effects of the coronavirus on jobs and the state’s delays in processing unemployment benefits are the biggest concerns for everybody in this line.

Debra Wilkerson:

Unemployment is very important here. Very important. The DNC convention, nice if it would have been here. But unemployment.

Gwen Moore:

Milwaukee is the place that I love. And it’s the place that has had all of those challenges and problems.

Zac Schultz:

The DNC was supposed to turn the spotlight on the city.

Gwen Moore:

Wisconsin and Milwaukee, this is a microcosm of the Democratic Party.

Zac Schultz:

Gwen Moore knew that meant highlighting the good stories and the inequities.

Gwen Moore:

Pre-COVID it was designated as one of the worst places for a black child to grow up because of the poverty.

Zac Schultz:

Marc Levine is with the UW-Milwaukee’s Center for Economic Development. His latest study shows no large American city ranks worse across the board on indicators of black community well-being than Milwaukee.

Marc Levine:

We have got the most impoverished African-American community in the country and it’s a community that has become increasingly impoverished.

Gwen Moore:

This is a city where blood was shed for labor rights.

Zac Schultz:

Moore hoped that spotlight of the DNC would open the eyes of the nation to the challenges in Milwaukee.

Gwen Moore:

These issues are not new to Milwaukee and the struggle is not new to Milwaukee.

Zac Schultz:

Instead, COVID-19 has shown those inequities exist all over the country and Moore says the time has come for the nation to address them.

Gwen Moore:

We have public sentiment around coping with racism, with the justice system, around inequality, around health care for everyone, around climate change.

Zac Schultz:

Gwen Moore says the lesson to learn from all of this is for people to take matters into their own hands. She sees that in the protests.

Gwen Moore:

So this next generation is fighting for a better quality of life for — you know, I’m just ready to see them come online and do it.

Protesters:

Whose streets?

Our streets!

Gwen Moore:

This next generation is fighting for a better quality of life for — you know, I’m just ready to see them come online and do it.

Man:

This is not the convention….

Zac Schultz:

She even sees that in the Democrats’ approach to a virtual convention.

Gwen Moore:

I am not going to apologize for this being a different convention.

Zac Schultz:

Moore says the silver lining to the Milwaukee DNC is you don’t have to be there to get involved. She says COVID gave them lemons.

Gwen Moore:

But we have made gallons and buckets and buckets of lemonade out of it.

Woman:

I love you all.

Man:

I love you.

[applause]

Zac Schultz:

That’s a story worth telling to the nation.

Gwen Moore:

We get to tell that story, right here in some studio in Milwaukee. And it matters.

Frederica Freyberg:

Thanks to Zac Schultz for his coverage this week.

Next, we turn to our program partners at Milwaukee PBS, where reporters took to neighborhoods to hear from voters. 10/36 host Portia Young has more.

Portia Young:

We’ve heard from the polls, pundits and politicians. Now it’s time to hear from the voters themselves. Milwaukee PBS producers headed out to three key Milwaukee County neighborhoods, where all eyes will be looking at election day turn out to ask people who they’re voting for and to talk some “porch politics.”

Female Reporter:

The November election is less than three months away and regardless of who wins, this is a pivotal moment in the country. With all the chaotic changes we’ve seen in 2020, we wanted to hear from the people who have the final say: voters.

Male Reporter:

So Milwaukee PBS producers went to three Milwaukee County neighborhoods to ask people who they’re voting for and the issues they care about most.

Female Reporter:

We started on Milwaukee’s north side in the Sherman Park neighborhood. A dependable block of Democratic voters.

Male Reporter:

Then we headed to the south side, to the Burnham Park neighborhood. Another reliably blue district.

Female Reporter:

We finished in West Allis, near the State Fair Park, where it’s more of a purple mix.

Male Reporter:

We saw yard signs of every flavor.

Female Reporter:

Wisconsin was the tipping point state in 2016 so it’s no wonder the Dems chose Milwaukee for the convention. So the big question remains, if you had to vote today, who would you vote for?

Herbert Wayne Sherrer:

Biden.

Female Reporter:

Why?

Herbert Wayne Sherrer:

Democrat. Better than — anybody but Trump. I’m being honest with you. Anybody but Donald Trump.

Caprese Murphy:

I would vote for Biden.

Female Reporter:

Why?

Caprese Murphy:

To get Trump out of office, just simply said.

Brian Martinez:

Definitely would be Biden.

Lexie McCullen:

President Trump.

Man:

Yeah.

Male Reporter:

And why for President Trump?

Lexie McCullen:

I feel like he’s kind of — he doesn’t necessarily follow like the Republican way.

Paula Carrington:

Biden is my choice because Trump is just irritating and I just can’t take what he is saying about the Black lives, about anything. It just drives me nuts.

Kathy O’Neal:

Joe Biden.

Martin Moldenhauer:

Trump and Pence.

Male Reporter:

Trump and Pence. And why that ticket?

Martin Moldenhauer:

Well, I’m Republican, is one thing. And I just think we need to keep things moving in a safe and controlled environment.

Teresa Gates:

Do I have to say it?

Female Reporter:

We’d like you to.

Teresa Gates:

It won’t be Trump.

Female Reporter:

Why is that?

Teresa Gates:

I don’t like him. He crooked. He just like some of my grandkids. He play games.

Harvie Spikes:

Obviously Biden.

Male Reporter:

And are you excited about his candidacy?

Harvie Spikes:

Let’s just say he’s the best out of a bad situation.

Dave Reineck:

Well, I’m hoping Trump wins. That’s who I voted for the last election. I’m hoping that’s who wins this election. I’m a little scared if he doesn’t win what might happen with all the stuff that’s going on.

Cornell Terry:

Joe Biden.

Female Reporter:

And why is that?

Cornell Terry:

Because Trump, he’s — he’s no good.

Female Reporter:

And —

Cornell Terry:

He’s a bigot. And instead of him bringing everybody together, he’s dividing everybody.

Male Reporter:

What issues are most important to you?

Harvie Spikes:

What issues are most important to me? First of all, what we’re going to do to finally fix this whole pandemic and how you’re going to take care of all the people that lost their jobs.

Male Reporter:

What issues are the most important to you?

Dave Reineck:

Employment, the economy.

Caprese Murphy:

Right now, employment.

Herbert Wayne Sherrer:

The racism. I really hope that we can get past that. I mean, I’m 61 years old and I’ve seen a lot and I know it’s a lot of stuff I didn’t see. But being at my age and what we have today, there’s got to be a change.

Edith Romero:

Immigration. Sometimes it’s hard for us with the new rules.

Scott Schindler:

Decent jobs, decent pay.

Cornell Terry:

There’s too many people out here with too many guns and too many people’s getting killed for no reason.

Martin Moldenhauer:

Well, being retired recently, the economy. Also, I’d like to see inflation kept at bay.

Brian Martinez:

It would be nice to get schools back open, but only if we can do that safely.

Kathy O’Neal:

So many people don’t have jobs and I’m impacted by it because I don’t have a job. I work for the school. And I’m just hoping and wishing that everything just turn around and we could just get back the way it was.

Portia Young:

We found that President Trump’s supporters were concerned about maintaining the rule of law during these uncertain times and for a lot of Biden supporters we spoke with, they’d vote for anyone not named Donald Trump. Frederica, back to you.

Frederica Freyberg:

Thanks to Portia Young and Milwaukee PBS for their reporting.

As to voters, how many in Milwaukee and elsewhere will decide to cast mail-in absentee ballots? In the midst of the pandemic, election clerks are gearing up for an influx of such ballots. But what about the U.S. Postal Service? The postmaster general is under fire from Democrats saying his cost-cutting measures are slowing down mail delivery even ahead of the election. Meanwhile Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson has concerns about the politics of those criticisms of the USPS and held a hearing on the matter just today.

Ron Johnson:

Postmaster DeJoy’s commendable attempts to reduce those excess costs are now being cynically used to create this false political narrative. According to Democrats, the postmaster is trying to sabotage the postal system to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming elections. Notices that were sent before he was sworn in meant to inform election officials to factor in normal postal capabilities in setting their ballot deadlines are being used as evidence of this conspiracy theory and the willing media is once again, happily playing along.

Mark Pocan:

One, this will not stop your ability to vote. Don’t let it. Second, I have written a letter that is signed by — last time I looked, 75 or so members of Congress asking the board of governors of the postal service to fire Postmaster DeJoy. I think his actions have been reprehensible. I think he’s acting as a political leader in the Trump campaign rather than the postmaster general.

Frederica Freyberg:

As partisan politics continues apace amongst elected officials in Washington, a recent national survey shows that young people’s engagement in the 2020 elections is higher than in 2016 or 2018. The pandemic is credited in part with this growth in interest and involvement, having shown them how politics directly impacts their everyday lives. For youth of color, racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement has made the stakes higher. 83% of young people surveyed said they believe they have the power to change the country. “Here & Now” reporter Marisa Wojcik spoke with numerous Black and Brown youth leaders in Milwaukee who are seizing this moment to make a difference in their communities.

Woman:

Black lives matter!

Crowd:

Black lives matter!

Marisa Wojcik:

2020 has upended most people’s lives. But for some, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and a presidential election means that this is a moment to be seized.

Priyana Cabraal:

Black Lives Matter movement, killing of George Floyd, even the coronavirus in general, it’s just opened people’s eyes to a lot of things that are going on in the world that they didn’t care about or they didn’t think impacted them.

Lazabia Jackson:

To have our country exposed to the point where people really see had to see the country in flames to actually see that something is wrong.

Marisa Wojcik:

For young people, these issues can’t be separated and youth of color were hit hardest by the pandemic.

Maya Neal:

I think it’s putting the urgency that young people and people of color and other marginalized communities have seen for years. That’s putting that in the light for everyone to see. Change is a matter of life or death for our community.

Woman:

I feel like every day you’re still standing here to get over the age of, I think it’s 25, and to be a black male is something that’s to be accomplished and it shouldn’t be.

Man:

My reasons for being out here is because I’d rather be human than not be human. I’d rather live than not live.

Woman:

Say his name!

Crowd:

Joel Acevedo!

Marisa Wojcik:

A recent Tufts University survey says that 83% of youth believe they have the power to change the country, in the streets and at the ballot box.

Peter De Guzman:

A majority of young people say they feel they’re a part of a movement that will vote to express its views. So it really isn’t an either/or with protests and voting but there are just different ways that young people can be civically engaged.

Sherlean Roberts:

I hear a lot of people telling me, “Oh, I’m not gonna vote. I don’t want to vote. It’s pointless. It don’t matter.” And it’s just like it do matter. Like we’re trying to see change.

Webster X:

Because otherwise people in office, whether you think it affects you or not, are going to be able to control your life in so many different ways.

Peter De Guzman:

We’re seeing about half of young people have convinced other young people to vote.

Kris English:

The youth turnout has been going up. I can tell from numerous people that I have worked with, some people that you would have never thought would be into this type of stuff is doing this type of stuff, helping me out. So seeing that firsthand is a change. I can see a change coming.

Webster X:

This is important to me because this is something that’s old and should have already been figured out a long time ago. But racism is still alive.

Sherlean Roberts:

I feel like nothing that is present now hasn’t already been brought up. Like it’s already been brought up in another shape or form. It’s like the new Jordans that come out. They apparently came out years ago when my mom was a child but now they’re coming out now in probably a different color. So that’s how I see issues in America.

Jada Young:

It does go back for generations. My grandma was alive when the civil rights movement was going on and my mom was born in 1968. That was at the height of the movement as well. And it is kind of sad to see we’re still fighting for the same injustices that we were fighting for 60 years ago.

Peter De Guzman:

Young people are really diverse in the issues that they care about and those issues are not ones that are being resolved right this instant. So the top three issues that we saw mentioned were the environment and climate change, racism and accessibility and affordability of health care. These are issues I think that have been salient for a while in America and continue to be salient and so that’s why I kind of see this increase in this activism and engagement continuing.

Woman:

I feel like if I was at home not doing anything, I just wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror.

Priyana Cabraal:

When you ask me what I want to change, I want to change everything. I want to disrupt all systematic discrepancies put in place that oppress people and hold people down. I want equality in the education system, in the justice system, because as much as people deny it and say stuff isn’t real, it’s as apparent as ever to us. Especially us being, you know, students in our inner-city public school district. We can see like clearly see the differences between what resources we have put into our schools and what our white counterparts in the suburbs have put into their schools.

Kris English:

There’s not a lot of opportunities for us. I don’t hear kids, five, six, seven talking about I want to be an astronaut or I want to do this with my life. No. You just only hear two things. Rap or play basketball.

Priyana Cabraal:

So we just want to see more equality. We want to see more opportunities presented to us because we’re worth it.

Sherlean Roberts:

Everyone needs to try to understand that Black Lives Matter is just so we can get the respect and the dignity that we so deserve like black people. Black people are fighting for something that we have been fighting for for years and it’s like it’s constantly overlooked.

Kris English:

This year, definitely a make or break year. We need everybody and anybody to vote.

Lazabia Jackson:

That’s why I’m here. I want to bring that same energy so we can get together. We can galvanize. We can get together so we can make a change. That’s really what I’m here for, like to bring that same energy so they feel like they making a change if they vote. But also, while you voting, make sure you got that same energy in yourself and in your city.

Webster X:

You can definitely see the authenticity and the courage and the strategy and the wherewithal that black and brown youth have here.

Priyana Cabraal:

So let us tell our story and let us lead the movement. All we’re asking is that you listen.

Sherlean Roberts:

Your voice matters and we all need to make sure we have our seat at the table. Whether it’s small or big, get your seat at the table. Get there, stay there.

Marisa Wojcik:

For “Here & Now,” I’m Marisa Wojcik in Milwaukee.

Frederica Freyberg:

The youth survey said that while young people are more engaged than before, access to information on registration and voting during a pandemic will be the biggest issue for young voters. For questions like that, you can find complete voter information and candidate profiles by going to WisconsinVote.org and look for reporting online throughout the week for election and other news updates at PBSwisconsin.org and then click on the news tab. Also, for ongoing in-depth coverage on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit our partner news site at WisContext.org. On next week’s program, the issues and themes of the Republican National Convention. That’s our program for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a great weekend.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.