Dear Wisconsin Sierra Club members,
We’re writing to you with heavy hearts about the senseless act of violence that occurred in our state recently. As you may be aware, Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha Police Department officers August 23. Mr. Blake’s children witnessed the police brutality against their father. This is yet another tragic example of excessive force being used to injure, harm, and kill Black men and women across the United States. The power dynamics we are witnessing are clear.
We have further seen a backlash that is tolerated, if not sanctioned, by police and our officials. Peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment rights are bludgeoned and tear-gassed. Last night, an extremist shot 3 peaceful protesters in Kenosha, killing 2 of them. These dangerous currents in our country increase the need for the Sierra Club to raise the banner of justice.
Sierra Club’s Executive Director, Michael Brune, and the Sierra Club Southeast Gateway Group of Wisconsin Co-Chairs, Tom Rutkowski and Laura Buska, denounced this violence with the following statement,
"When we joined our partners in calling for the immediate defunding of the police, we did it specifically to put an end to terrorism against Black and Brown people by law enforcement. Instead of fulfilling their duty to protect and serve the people, all too often, police throughout the country are hurting, terrorizing, and killing Black people without a second thought due to the anti-Blackness that runs deep throughout the U.S.”
As a result we are following the lead of our community partners in sharing the following action steps:
- We demand that the officers involved in Jacob Blake’s shooting be immediately arrested and charged. We also continue to demand that Attorney General Daniel Cameron immediately arrest and criminally charge the three officers who murdered Breonna Taylor in her own home on March 13, 2020.
- We ask for donations to be sent to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund which is currently collecting donations to support the many protesters in Kenosha, WI who have been arrested demanding justice for Jacob Blake: https://bit.ly/3aWTnbN.
- You can donate to Jacob Blake’s Go Fund Me to help cover medical costs as media reports indicate that he is paralyzed from the waist down and is going to need extensive ongoing medical care.
- As we learn about opportunities to help the loved ones of the victims of last night’s shooting, we will share those as well.
In June, following the tragic murder of George Floyd, the Sierra Club joined racial justice activist’s calls across the country to reduce excessive funding for militarized policing and to instead reallocate that funding to invest in initiatives that support the well-being of Black people experiencing social and economic injustice. As September approaches, our nation must come to grips with yet another senseless shooting. It must stop - now.
As Sierra Club members, we are not only fighting for clean air and water and halting climate change to ensure a habitable planet, we are fighting for healthy and safe communities for all Americans. As one of the world's leading environmental organizations, it is imperative for us to address police brutality, racism, and systemic oppression.
Simply put, environmental justice is racial justice. Far too often it is Black and Brown communities who suffer the brunt of environmental harms. Environmental injustice is racial injustice.
No American should ever feel threatened by those charged with keeping us safe. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
As Sierra Club members, we are listening to the grief expressed by those most impacted by these tragedies especially as the world is already grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. When systems are broken and people are suffering, we must re-examine our values and actions, and must stand and fight harder for the humanity and dignity of all people.
We hope you'll continue to work together with us to make a future world where this no longer happens.
Sincerely,
Don Ferber and Elizabeth Ward
Chapter Chair and Director
Tom Rutkowski and Laura Buska
Southeast Gateway Group Co-Chairs