Vote No on COPS Grant
We don't want the grant today, tomorrow or next month.
During a recent Common Council meeting, eight of the 15 alders (Ald. Milele Coggs, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, Ald. Nikiya Dodd, Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, Alderman Nik Kovac, Ald. José Pérez, Ald. Khalif Rainey and Ald. Russell Stamper) rejected the COPS grant, a $9.7 million federal grant to support 30 additional officers for three years. The community believed that the Common Council listened to the countless voices demanding that no additional money be added to the Milwaukee Police Department, not just through the COPS grant, but overall.
Later in this same meeting where they voted “no,” Ald. Dodd made a motion to reconsider the grant, meaning it will go back to the Common Council in January.
Hundreds of voices that spoke at budget hearings over the past two years said they don’t want the COPS grant today, tomorrow or next year! The community wants something else, and it’s not more police.
We will continue to ask people to reach out to their alders, asking them to support the hundreds and hundreds of their constituents who have called for a divestment, not reconsiderations of resourcing MPD.
We hope the Common Council will hold the “NO” vote and reject this grant once and for all in January. Then, it can focus on community safety strategies like non-police responses to mental health, a priority we presented in a letter signed by over 80 community organizations and community leaders, with a similar resolution being unanimously adopted by the Common Council.
We will LiberateMKE!
Markasa Tucker is the director of the African-American Roundtable, a coalition led by and serving the African American community in Milwaukee, including the LiberateMKE campaign.
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
More about the 2020 Racial Justice Protests
- Evers Reflects on Year of Pandemic, Protests - Shawn Johnson - Dec 28th, 2020
- The Year of the National Guard - Jenny Peek - Dec 28th, 2020
- Baldwin Questions U.S. Marshall’s Role in Tosa Protests - Isiah Holmes - Dec 19th, 2020
- Op Ed: Vote No on COPS Grant - Markasa Tucker - Dec 18th, 2020
- People’s Revolution Marks 200 Days of Protest - Graham Kilmer - Dec 15th, 2020
- Supervisor Clancy Applauds Activists on 200th Day of Protests - Sup. Ryan Clancy - Dec 14th, 2020
- The “Molotov Cocktail” That Wasn’t - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 23rd, 2020
- City Hall: Police Chief, Alderman Fight Over Use of Canines - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 23rd, 2020
- Will BLM Movement Sway State Voters? - Bridgit Bowden - Oct 20th, 2020
- City Hall: Community Groups Propose Changes - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 19th, 2020
Read more about 2020 Racial Justice Protests here
Political Contributions Tracker
Displaying political contributions between people mentioned in this story. Learn more.
- December 31, 2019 - Marina Dimitrijevic received $50 from Nikiya Dodd
- January 13, 2016 - Ashanti Hamilton received $20 from Nikiya Dodd
- January 4, 2016 - Russell W. Stamper, II received $20 from Nikiya Dodd
- December 30, 2015 - Milele A. Coggs received $20 from Nikiya Dodd
Op-Ed
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Where America Stands Now
Jan 17th, 2021 by Gregory Humphrey
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Scott Fitzgerald Has Very Bad Week
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GOP Needs to Move Beyond Trump
Jan 13th, 2021 by John Torinus
Most all citizens in Milwaukee, including persons of color, see a need for a law enforcement agency that can respond responsibly to a wide variety of incidents in the community which can impact the health, safety, and property of the residents. The paramount issue which most politicians and community activists choose not to address is changing the practices and police culture which are the cause of so many problems. “Defunding the police” is a nice sounding slogan but so far has done nothing to change the way the police deal with the community.