MADISON, Wis. – Drop the charade. It’s no longer about Tony Robinson.

Wednesday’s protests in Madison, largely organized by the SEIU-funded organizing group Wisconsin Jobs Now, officially co-opted the outrage over the death of 19 year-old Tony Robinson by a Madison police officer in order to tout a laundry list of liberal grievances including hiking the minimum wage, ending the voucher program, and restoring collective bargaining.

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A list of demands, delivered at the vacant Governor’s mansion, included:

 – No money for new jail construction or jail expansion.

– The City of Madison must pay the final expenses for Tony Robinson.

– We demand a TRUE third-party investigation into the state sanctioned murder of Tony Robinson, one where those who serve on the committee are NOT connected in any way to the police department.

– The immediate end to solitary confinement.

– Drastic reduction in the number of police contacts with Black people and poor people.

– Significantly increase voluntary referrals to community-led resources and programs when police do contact Black people and poor people.

– The immediate end to racial profiling, indefinite detention and deportation for immigrants.

– Cut in half the number of Black people and poor people arrested to address racial disparities.

These demands at least adhere to the issue of police relations and frustration with the criminal justice system. But the list of demands goes on, and here one can see the pernicious and political impact of a group like Wisconsin Jobs Now.

– We demand a living wage for ALL workers, as well as dignity and safety in ALL workplaces.

– Honor workplace protections for ALL workers, regardless of immigration status.

– We have the right to organize in our workplace. We stand with the right of workers to collectively bargaining with employers.

– We demand high quality, fully funded public education from Pre-K to graduate school.

– We demand a moratorium on charter and voucher school, and the restoration of funding to public schools, colleges, and universities statewide.

– We demand the immediate implementation of the DREAM Act.

– We demand the end of measures that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline.

– We demand the creation of an Office of Community Schools at the state level and the institution of the community schools model statewide.

Wednesday’s march also included a protest at a Burger King to demand a hike in the minimum wage (sound familiar?).

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This is opportunism at its worst.

A tragedy occurred Friday night on the streets of Madison. There is a lot about the events that we do not know. The details are murky and unclear, and we can only hope that a thorough investigation can provide the truth for the family of Robinson and for a deeply divided public.

But there are a few things we do know for certain. Whatever occurred between Tony Robinson and Officer Matt Kenny had nothing to do with voucher schools, hiking the minimum wage, collective bargaining, or the DREAM ACT. 

And that is what is so frustrating and outrageous about Wisconsin Jobs Nowand their charade. They aren’t interested in justice, fostering a conversation, or getting the truth. They are only interested in agitating for their political agenda. They are parasites.

I suspect there are many conservatives (the Koch Brothers, Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. Paul Ryan) out there who are deeply troubled by the the very real issues of police abuse, mass incarceration, injustice in the criminal justice system, and poverty. Some would love to be a part of the conversation, to offer ideas, and to work together on these very real and pressing issues. 

But when a tragedy like this one is co-opted to include non-germane demands to hike the minimum wage, restore collective bargaining, and end voucher schools it becomes just another political charade. It becomes a punchline. Any good that could come from a tragedy like this is completely squandered. And the public just becomes more divided – not less.

Authored by Collin Roth
Originally published here

Published with permission