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Seeking clemency and compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic
“COVID Compassion.” That’s the name of an ongoing campaign by Forum For Understanding Prisons (FFUP), Wisdom and other groups advocating for the reduction of Wisconsin’s incarcerated population. Using a Zoom conference on April 5, currently incarcerated men and their families were given a platform to share the realities they face locked up during a pandemic. […]
Threats, privilege and confusion from anti-Safer at Home Wisconsin
When Rep. LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) first issued her criticisms of the anti-lockdown protests, she anticipated some backlash. “I made my opinion known because it was true,” Myers told Wisconsin Examiner. On April 24, she issued a statement calling the protests held outside the Capitol in Wisconsin, “clearly an exercise of white privilege.” Hundreds of people, […]
Legislative Black Caucus dives deep on COVID impacts
African-American elected officials say black communities are shouldering the brunt of the illnesses and deaths from COVID-19, but also suffering due to a lack of accurate information and leadership on a national level. So they are countering that misinformation by providing opportunities to share experiences, data and accurate medical information with their constituents. To fill […]
Poverty is common factor in COVID vulnerability
Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) admits, “Yes it’s true that not only in African American communities in Milwaukee, but around the country,” people are experiencing an acute effect from COVID-19. However, she notes, “There is no black gene that causes us to be more susceptible.” Moore joined elected officials and activists from her home town on […]
Restrictions on state parks and certain businesses relaxing
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been directed by Gov. Tony Evers to re-open several state parks on May 1. Of course, there are a few catches, given social distancing guidelines and limitations to park operations. The move comes on the heels of another Evers order relaxing some restrictions on businesses, which goes into […]
National Guard troops return from Afghanistan amid COVID-19 operations
About 150 soldiers of the National Guard’s 1st Battalion 128 infantry, are returning from a nearly seven-month mission in Afghanistan. According to the Guard, their return marks a continued draw-down of troops headed to the embattled country, officials say. The war in Afghanistan, at 19 years, is America’s longest-running war. Some soldiers deployed there today […]
Gypsy moth spraying program begins in western Wisconsin
Over the next month, if you notice a yellow plane spaying areas of your county, don’t worry. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), will begin an aerial spraying operation in May to control populations of invasive gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar dispar). Planes will begin spraying as early as 5 A.M in some […]
Activists and loved ones push to release vulnerable incarcerated people
The Forum For Understanding Prisons (FFUP), alongside other advocacy groups, is continuing the push to get people out of Wisconsin’s overcrowded facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Tony Evers has yet to deliver on campaign promises to reduce the prison population, the groups declare, and they are proactively drafting clemency requests for incarcerated individuals who, […]
DNR continues PFAS efforts, though Johnson Controls requests pause
Wisconsin’s efforts to track and contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and their chemical cousins continue. Although the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has adjusted its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PFAS testing and treatment have not halted. PFAS are part of a group of man-made compounds, ranging in the thousands, which were used […]
National Guard increases statewide COVID-19 operations
Wisconsin’s National Guard is stepping up its ongoing efforts to support state responses to COVID-19. Over 1,000 of Wisconsin’s nearly 10,000 guardsmen and women are now actively involved in a variety of operations meant to augment the state’s efforts. In a media briefing on April 22 Wisconsin’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, also said […]
Activists collect stories from people incarcerated during COVID-19
People incarcerated within Wisconsin’s prisons and jails aren’t counting on officials to respond to the threat of COVID-19 outbreaks inside those facilities. Activists and prison-reform groups are in regular contact with currently incarcerated people, who are proactively relaying their stories of their lives and worries about being locked up during a pandemic. Amplifying their voices […]
4/20: The fight for Badger State cannabis legalization continues
April 20, pandemic or not, is regarded as a day to celebrate cannabis, and this year being 2020 only further spices up the 4/20 celebration for advocates in America and across the globe. Prior to the advent of social distancing, momentum for cannabis reform had been steadily building in Wisconsin, both legislatively and on the […]