Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression: Statement against J.D. Vance’s visit to the Milwaukee Police Association

[Milwaukee, WI] – J.D. Vance spoke earlier today at the Milwaukee Police Association’s (MPA) headquarters. Vance’s focus was on “public safety,” but his remarks were simply fear mongering tactics to continue attacking immigrants and justify police crimes. Vance continually redirected questions about the budget issues police departments cause and crime in order to make insubstantial and inflammatory comments against immigrants. These racist dog whistles are common parlance from the MPA and the Trump campaign, and as such, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression denounces Vance’s visit to our city. 

Before Vance spoke, different representatives of the MPA offered remarks. One representative referred to the police officers as traumatized victims when they shoot people, recounting the officer-involved shooting on July 17th. Not only is this victimization of police officers a disrespectful tactic that obfuscates how victims of police crimes and their loved ones are the real victims, but it’s also a misapplication of Marsy’s Law, which the MPA continues to cite when interfering with transparency and accountability from the Milwaukee police. 

The Ohio senator’s visit comes exactly a month after Samuel Sharpe Jr. was killed by Columbus police officers during the Republican National Convention (RNC), and there was no mention of this critical incident at all. As a senator of Ohio, Vance has been silent about how police from his state brutally killed Sharpe Jr. in broad daylight. Additionally, as a premier guest at the RNC, he was silent about the role of the RNC in bringing those officers to Milwaukee. Sharpe Jr.’s family, the Milwaukee Alliance, and organizers in Columbus are demanding justice for Sharpe Jr., but Vance and the MPA have made it clear that they will do whatever it takes to ignore these demands and stand against people seeking transparency and accountability from law enforcement. 

It’s fitting that Vance spoke at the MPA’s headquarters, an entity that doesn’t represent the interests of the people of Milwaukee, as proven by their constant interference around Standard Operating Procedure 575. Both the Trump campaign and the MPA view Milwaukee as a crime-ridden city that needs to spend even more money on policing and get tougher on crime. The people of Milwaukee know these words simply mean further repression of Black, Indigenous, and poor people of color. However, the people of Milwaukee and organizations like ours also know that these words mean we must continue organizing in order to prioritize our communities and hold the police accountable for their crimes. 

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) campaigns against police crimes committed primarily against the poor and Black, Indigenous, and people of color. We demand the creation of a civilian police accountability council, or CPAC, to ensure that our community is in direct control of our police force.