LETTER: Support for black lives and the badge not mutually exclusive

To Ozaukee Press:

The world watched in horror at the recorded deliberate murder of George Floyd by police officers who had taken an oath to protect and serve the citizens of Minneapolis.

This one horrific event has cracked wide open two undeniable truths and laid bare what black people live with daily: Racism is baked into American society across the spectrum of American life; and law enforcement has not been held accountable for brutal and deadly force, often initiated for petty crime or no crime at all, disproportionately on black men, women and children.  

It has been heartening to see the swelling number of Ozaukee County citizens put on protective Covid-19 masks to march in declaration that here and everywhere—Black Lives Matter.         

It is a fact that people of color and biracial families face a different reality from their white neighbors when they step out of their front door in Ozaukee County, regardless of education or income.

Our county is home to people of a variety of races and religions. In addition, we have visitors coming from other places to work, socially engage, shop and eat in our restaurants or drive on our streets and highways. Everyone should feel wanted and safe in Ozaukee County.

Policies addressing racial equity must be implemented or re-examined by all police agencies, local governments and schools in Ozaukee County, as well as workplaces, churches and social organizations. We expect elected representatives to be clear with public statements about where they stand on racial justice.

We appreciate the many fine officers in our police forces. We support budgets for de-escalation and conflict resolution training, proper safety equipment and transparent policies for these officers. We support the badge and we support Black Lives Matter. These are not mutually exclusive concepts.

As Democrats, we applaud the individuals and communities that stand up against racism when it occurs, as was recently experienced by a biracial family in Cedarburg.

We applaud the fact that hateful speech toward young protestors in Port Washington had consequences. We applaud schools that deal with racism among their students.

The Democratic Party of Ozaukee County does not have all the solutions. 

What we do have is the determination to do what it takes to find solutions and to support candidates who do the same.

We are committed to voting rights and to asking the hard questions about where and how racism dwells in our communities. We commit to reimagining who we can be as a society and working to the goal of “justice for all,” as our Pledge of Allegiance professes.

Perry Duman
Port Washington
The letter writer is chairman of the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County.