Every time fascists label a group subhuman, they are starting a process that ends with dehumanizing everyone. Blocking that process by actively standing in solidarity with the targeted group is a foundational civic duty in a free society. 

The Democratic Party has been controlled by people who fail that duty, both nationally and locally.

We were warned. There were many Brower skeptics on the left who warned that he was only interested in self-promotion. He had seized control of the Milwaukee’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter, causing many members (including the abolition working group, cooperation Milwaukee, and even the electoral working group) to leave the organization over a couple months.

The modus operandi for those in power who have brought us to this point have blamed each other, and while that blame is not misplaced, it is not a substitute for accountability for the failings by any individual party. The mayor, the common council, MHD and the new leadership of MPS need to come together to address this issue collectively. 

 I feel like some of us forgot that politicians are allowed to have bold ideas. I think I would take 10 Alex Browers over a Cavalier Johnson, a man whose only ideas include conceding to Republicans, enriching his corporate backers and rich friends, and vilifying Milwaukee’s most vulnerable people.

In addition to overtly Republican projects, the core of Cavalier Johnson’s day-to-day politics is simply aligned with Republican values: pro-business, pro-police, pro-oligarchy. You can’t pursue those interests without acting to harm many of the people living in Milwaukee.

Alexander Kostal is running on protecting renters, affordable housing, and preserving district 3’s income diversity. Kostal has been involved in public service his whole life. As a public defender, member of Milwaukee County’s Human Rights Commission, and in other roles, Alexander Kostal has spent years working for the common good. 

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffery Norman is trying to fill his department with officers who have been stewed in Republican villianization of our city. Mayor Cavalier Johnson and a majority of Common Council members gave that plan a green light last month. 

African American Roundtable highlighted that police were bankrupting Milwaukee in our report in 2021, yet nothing has changed and no one has seemed to listen. Police are the only department where results or metrics don’t matter. If crime is up, we need more police; if crime is down, we need more police. This logic fails to keep us safe, and this narrative fails to acknowledge what residents need and deserve.

Mayor Johnson is making a cynical calculus that is unfortunately typical with liberals: that tacking to the right’s benefits outweigh the political costs. He’s doing what the Milwaukee Police Association and Republican legislators want, maybe gaining him a bit of credibility with Wisconsin’s power structure –but losing only a few principled, abolitionist voters/elected officials/organizations/etc in the process.