Milwaukee DSA Supports Rick Banks for State Assembly, District 16
Among the candidates running in the Democratic Primary, Rick stands out for his commitment to building working-class power.
Rick Banks. Photo by Jack Fennimore.
MILWAUKEE, WI – July 30, 2018 – Capitalism isn’t working for Milwaukee. Working-class people throughout this city have difficulty making monthly rent, buying groceries, and paying for their prescriptions. At the same time, for unscrupulous landlords, voucher-school profiteers, low-wage employers, and the prison-industrial complex, Milwaukee remains “open for business.”
Milwaukeeans in the 16th Assembly District need someone to represent them in Madison who understands what it will take to build economic and political power for the working class, and someone who is committed to struggling against an economic system that prioritizes profit over values of human dignity, equality, and solidarity. That is why the Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is endorsing Rick Banks for State Assembly.
Among the candidates running in the Democratic Primary, Rick stands out for his commitment to building working-class power. Rick is a democratic socialist, who believes that “our economy should work for the needs of the people,” not the profits of a few. As a policymaker, Rick will push beyond reformist legislation that treats capitalism’s symptoms without addressing root problems. Instead, he supports legislation that builds power in the workplace and at the ballot box. That includes:
- Raising the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour;
- Strengthening unions’ collective bargaining capacity by repealing Act 10 and ending “right to work” in Wisconsin;
- Supporting worker-owner cooperatives through the creation of a state-owned bank, technical assistance, and tax incentives for investors;
- Empowering working parents by pushing towards universal pre-K and childcare programs, paid parental, family, and sick-leave; and single-payer, universal healthcare;
- Giving municipalities more power to regulate unscrupulous employers, improve workplace conditions, raise wages, and ensure housing quality; and
- Ballot-box reforms that make it easier for working people to register and vote (automatic registration at the DMV, and making elections a holiday).
Rick has also advocated for a practical set of reforms that would improve the daily lives of his constituents in the 16th Assembly District. That includes:
- Providing state aid to address the public health crisis caused by toxic lead infrastructure in our water;
- Fixing potholes to make our streets less dangerous;
- Expanding access to housing for low-income people––strengthening tenant rights, increasing emergency rent assistance, and promoting cooperative housing development;
- Abolishing mandatory minimum sentencing and strengthening the public defender system; and
- Ending the practice of jailing people for crimeless technicalities and closing the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF), which is responsible for 17 inmate deaths and countless human rights abuses.
Members of Milwaukee DSA are excited to encourage voters who live in Assembly District 16 to vote for Rick Banks in the August 14th Primary. We are proud to support someone who believes that a better world is possible and who will do what it takes to empower working people in Milwaukee.
About Democratic Socialists of America:
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States with over 47,000 members (as of July 2018). DSA’s members are building progressive movements for social change while establishing an openly democratic socialist presence in American communities and politics.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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