Council president calls out profligate use of the race card.
The indentured servants remain gobsmacked that 14 of the 20 Madison WI alders had the fortitude to endure 7½ hours of screaming, F-bombing, and threats from the city’s well organized and terminally Woke social justice warriors. The 14 alders overcame the hollow accusations of racism, colonialism, misogyny, and fascism to fire the dysfunctional and biased independent police monitor. Without the editorial backing of the city’s newspapers. With minimal support from a cowed citizenry deathly afraid of being played the race card.
A lot of heroes; young Will Ochowicz, the alder representing the Lake Mendota side of the downtown isthmus, is surely one of them. Give some credit to Mayor Satya. Even more deserving is the president of the Madison Common Council, the felicitously named Sabrina Madison. The lady is a woman of color who calls out “the weaponization of race.” We excerpt from her aldermanic blog (this blogge does not capitalize race):
Weaponizing race versus addressing the problem
We all know that racism is real. It affects how black people are treated in workplaces, institutions, and public life. I would hope that we all agree that allegations of discrimination based on race should be investigated when warranted.
But race is absolutely being weaponized by some folks as of late. … The independent police monitor being black is being weaponized to discredit any questions related to her leadership. That is different from identifying actual racism. …
Treating black people as though they cannot be questioned without the questioner being racist is not protection. It is a different kind of dehumanization because it denies black people the same complexity, accountability, and ordinary human fallibility afforded to everyone else. … There is something I have observed in Madison since moving here almost 20 years ago that continues to frustrate me:
Some white people become so afraid of being called racist that they are unwilling to name a problem when a black person is involved.
I have seen folks willing to scrutinize questionable conduct and challenge organizations when they believe something is wrong. But when the person being questioned is black, some of those same people become really hesitant. They worry more about how they will be perceived than about whether the underlying concerns deserve attention. …
I am not suggesting that every white person who disagrees with the [police monitor] resolution is motivated by racial anxiety … but …
When your fear of being called racist becomes more important than examining a problem that affects black communities, your fear has become part of the problem.
If you believe black lives matter, then the work of the institutions responsible for protecting and serving black communities should matter, too. … You cannot allow the fear of being criticized to become an excuse to look away, say nothing, or just go along to get along.
I am asking that white people who care about racial equity be more willing to do the difficult work of distinguishing actual racism from legitimate questions about performance, process, and accountability.
Ald. Madison’s Bottom Line: “Otherwise, your want to be seen as an ally is taking priority over the needs of the black people you claim to support.”
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