Frederica Freyberg:

Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes joined reporter Marisa Wojcik this week on her online “Noon Wednesday” program to talk about police reform, racism and reallocating police budgets.

Mandela Barnes:

Every other budget that gets cut it seems like oh, well, you know, we just had to cut this budget. We had to do what we had to do. We had to tighten up our purse strings. We had to tighten up our belt. But the minute you talk about reducing a police department’s budget, it’s like all hell breaks loose and everybody acts like you are signaling Armageddon. But that’s not the case. It’s about reallocating funds in a way that actually promotes safety and I don’t think that when virtually every department and every level of government sees these sweeping cuts that all of a sudden police officers are being attacked because they are being asked to do the same thing as everybody else in government. Especially at times like now where revenues are down, given the economic devastation that COVID-19 has brought about, you know, cities are going to be strapped for cash, counties are going to be strapped for cash, our state is going to be strapped for cash. So we’re going to have to take a hard look at what is being funded at what level and you know, what is going to make the most sense for us to see a full recovery in Wisconsin. And not just back to normal, but because life after COVID is going to be much different than life before COVID, no matter how you look at it. That’s a reality I think people are not necessarily — have not necessarily grasped because it’s a tough one. It’s a tough one to not imagine things going back to the way they were, but we shouldn’t want things go back to the way they were. We should want things to be much better and much more equitable.

Marisa Wojcik:

You’ve worked on these issues for a long time and you’ve said you’re tired of disregard for black lives. What do you say to those who are like you who are experiencing this fatigue in this time?

Mandela Barnes:

That is — that is a really good question because folks are experiencing fatigue, and now that we are in the midst of this, of mass demonstrations across the country, I think that our mental health is even more important because with every speech, with every sign, with every list of demands laid out by protesters and organizers, we see things within our own lives that we have experienced that we probably shouldn’t have had to. Things that folks have brushed off. Adversity that was, you know, undue and unjust and that can weigh heavily. Because you carry a different burden. I’ll even say myself in this position, I’m honored to have this position, especially at a time like this, but there are so many folks who are just kind of comfortable and that comfort is again one of the many reasons why we are where we are and there’s a burden that I notice that a lot of folks, too many people in elected office don’t have to carry. Some people, and it’s amazing, too, when you think about how many elected officials were able to get into office without ever considering the issue of racial justice, never having to talk about the issue of racial justice, never having to confront their own bias, never having to confront their own comfort with racism, and they have gotten pretty far. There a lot of people who are just fine and there are some people who, you know, might sit back and now look at the polling data and you see them send out an email that talks about the issues of the day, because the polling data is in favor of the plight of African-Americans, of marginalized communities, people of color across this country and they’ll send out a tweet or something and that will be it. And they still get to go home and rest comfortably. And sometimes I wish I had that same comfort. But these things remain on my mind because I think about my own family members who got mixed up in the criminal justice system. I think about my own family members who’ve experienced policy violence. I think about my own friends and family members that I’ve lost to gun violence, too. And not everybody shares the governing burden the same when it comes to an issue that is this heavy.