Say Something Real
GOP Legislators Effort to Score Political Points with MPA
By Michell Bryant
Michelle Bryant
My grandfather used to say, “Get out of my pocket!.” It was a simple reminder that we were making plans for his paycheck, frequently without consulting him. Mind you these were not life changing purchases, but as grandkids we had some fairly grandiose ideas about what we wanted to buy when he got paid. New shoes. Two pairs of Levis 501 button-fly jeans. A Pogo Stick. We would plot, he would laugh and then treat us to ice cream. At least it was chocolate!
Funny how life works though, because today there are folks in my “pocket.” Unlike my grandfather, I am not amused. The culprit of my pocketbook sweep is the Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Legislature. Through a series of legislative maneuvers, Milwaukee taxpayers are being forced to pay for a service that many of us neither want nor can afford.
As a part of a bill to increase shared revenue to municipalities and an allowance to institute increased sales taxes, Republicans threw in a caveat that will cost Milwaukee residents an extra 2 million dollars a year. The expense is to return police officers to Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Disregarding the wishes of the MPS Board of Directors and parents that elected them, legislators ignored the previous decision of the local community to sever their contract with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD).
In a 2018 report, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) and the Center for Popular Democracy found that police officers placed in MPS “disproportionately impacted Black and Brown students and students with disabilities”. The report further found that Black students made up about 50% of MPS’ student population. While 84% of all police referrals were issued for Black students.
In 2016, as a result of complaints of excessive police arrests of students, MPS ceased the practice of placing officers in schools. MPD continued to patrol outside of schools, but in the wake of the George Floyd murder, the district ended their contract in 2020. Republicans were not pleased with the decision because the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA) was not happy. Under the guise of increased public safety and a recruitment tool to beef up personnel numbers, the GOP found a way to avenge the MPD’s removal from the district.
The MPA is the real beneficiary of this unfunded mandate. Yes, unfunded! The law requires a minimum of 25 officers to be placed in MPS. Estimating that the entry level salary for these positions will be nearly $88,000 annually, this was a political gift to the MPA. Simultaneously, it was a big fat middle finger to Milwaukee residents. More personally, it was another layer of legislative and policy attacks on the Black community.
Cuts or removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion departments, nonsensical bills about Critical Race Theory, elimination of Affirmative Action in Higher Education, book banning, and revisionist history of the treatment of Black people in this country permeate conservative agendas around the country. This is just another opportunity to disregard the issues raised by Black residents and parents. If you are going to take my money, at least tell the truth about what you wanted it for.