Here & Now

Wisconsin One Year After George Floyd's Murder

Murv Seymour:

Mr. Crowley, thank you for joining us.

David Crowley:

Thank you for having me.

Murv Seymour:

So as we revisit images from the past year, I get the sense, the raw emotion from what happened to George Floyd, the stress of the Derek Chauvin trial, it feels like the weight of all this is gonna be here for some time. Can you give people a sense of what they can do to lift some of the pain from what they’re feeling?

David Crowley:

Well, one, when we think about the pain that we have been feeling, you know, we have to talk about it. And I think one of the things that we have done right here within Milwaukee County is one, we have to acknowledge that there is a issue going on, when you think about both pandemics that we have been in with COVID-19 and racism, but it’s not just about talking about it. It’s not just about acknowledging it, because we can’t be complacent about what has been going on. So we have to continue to form partnerships, work with our neighbors, organizations, government at all levels about how we continue to move forward and make sure that people in this community feel heard and they have a right to life.

Murv Seymour:

And what are your thoughts on how people have been commemorating this emotionally painful murder a year later?

David Crowley:

You know, I know a lot of people have really taken to the streets. One, to let their voices be heard, but really to call for an investment in social programs that will help out this community. When we think about what we have seen in the past many years, generations, it has been an unequal distribution of resources from government at all levels. And so for us, you know, it’s about listening to the community and doing what we need to do to make sure that we’re combating racism across this whole country. But we also have to make sure that we’re starting right here within Milwaukee county. And I would say that’s also one of the reasons why we say that racism was a public health crisis, the first in the nation. And we have seen 180 communities follow suit. So we know that we are on the right path, but we know that we still have a long road ahead of us.

Murv Seymour:

Yeah, I know you mentioned that a year ago that you saw racism as a public health crisis and you wanted to see some change come. Has there been enough change in your view in the last year?

David Crowley:

Well, I would say that it’s never enough. When you think about everything that we have been enduring in the middle of this pandemic with COVID-19. And so I would say that we see a lot of change here within Milwaukee County. We not only say that racism is a public health crisis, but we’ve been focusing on our first strategic plann in over 20 years. And we have three strategic focus areas that we’re focusing on, which is one, intentional inclusion, making sure that the people at the table, the decision makers, looks exactly like the community. We want to bridge the gap in both race and health disparities, making sure that we can break down silos, but we also have to put our money where our mouth is, and that’s investing in equity, making sure that people feel heard and feel like they are being valued. So for us, I would say that we are constantly taking baby steps to combat these forces, but we can’t do it alone. It’s gonna take all of us coming together and making sure that we do this right. And I would say that when you think about this work, it’s not for the lighthearted; this is hard work. It can take a huge toll on us, and self-care is definitely needed, but we need all hands on deck. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, a union member, or a business owner, we need you at the table to figure out how we solve the issues our community faces.

Murv Seymour:

Yeah, a new poll by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center indicates that most Blacks think that racism and police brutality are serious problems. A far less percentage of whites feel the same way. Why do you think we see the disparity of opinion between the races?

David Crowley:

I guess at the end of the day, it’s really about having that cultural conversation. A lot of the times, you don’t understand what somebody has experienced until you have that deep conversation, and sometimes it can be uncomfortable. And so, what we need to do is one, recognize that there are certain experiences that certain people have in this community and we need to call it out. But I know it’s not gonna be easy when you have two forces coming together with opposing views to make the change that’s needed. But it’s really about becoming comfortable being uncomfortable, learning about different backgrounds, different belief systems, because we can’t continue to allow zip codes, what you look like, to determine what the outcomes are gonna be in your life.

Murv Seymour:

You mentioned zip codes, do you think this issue of social justice resonates in the rural communities throughout Wisconsin?

David Crowley:

Oh, I would say absolutely. You know, when we think about violence in general, poverty, when we think about the issues of education, the issues of jobs, that is shared between many urban and rural communities alike. And so a lot of the times, if you ask me, the issue is that it just looks different in each of those communities. And so we just need to, again, step outside our comfort zone and learn about what other folks are going through, but it’s gonna take time, you know. We are talking about a particular -ism, racism, which has been here for many decades, hundreds of years. And so I don’t believe that we’re gonna solve all of our problems overnight or within a year, but we have to continue to make every stride that we have available to us to make sure that we combat all of these forces and really eliminate racism as an issue here in America, and across the country and the world.

Murv Seymour:

And for you as a Black man, at the table in Wisconsin’s largest Black populated city, what kind of things have you been able to accomplish from your position as county executive during the past year?

David Crowley:

Well, great question. You know, in the middle of this pandemic, we’ve seen how it disproportionately affected communities of color. And so, one of the first things that we did, is we created a dashboard in March of 2020, which allowed people to actually see what our COVID numbers really look like. And so for us, it’s about making sure that we continue to do what we’re doing, you know. We started a healthy homes program not too long ago, to help those who are homebound and can’t leave their homes, to make sure they get vaccinated. We wanted to help out many small businesses. We gave out $11 million to small businesses, with the majority of the recipients being minority, women-owned, and disabled-owned veterans. And so, we’re gonna continue to do work like this. And even with our zip code program, you know, we’ve seen how the distribution of vaccines was not fair, or it wasn’t equitable. And so we started the zip code program to help those in some of the most underserved zip codes within the city of Milwaukee. So we want to continue to have programs like this, because we’re learning that we’re on the right path, but it’s gonna take all of us coming together to really tackle this issue and solve the problem.

Murv Seymour:

I’ve got time for one quick one, really quick. Does the anniversary of George Floyd’s death become the permanent time marker we use to measure progress on social justice, real quickly?

David Crowley:

I think it’s not just about George Floyd. We have numerous amount of Black people, Black women and men, people of color who have all died. And so I think that when we look at George Floyd, we look at justice as it relates to Chauvin being found guilty. But I think that as we look at this, we have to recognize that these killings are still going on. Brutality is still happening. And so we still have a long road ahead of us. It’s about making sure that we build a big enough table, so everybody can sit around to help solve these issues.

Murv Seymour:

All right, we’ll have to leave it there. David Crowley, a Milwaukee County executive, thank you for joining us for this important discussion.

David Crowley:

Thank you for having me.