8/9/2019 Even #Milwaukee liberals are against the #streetcar scam

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Lost opportunity for Black community

By Robert Miranda

Wisconsin Spanish Journal

January 26, 20!

An article published in Urban Milwaukee entitled, "Streetcar Responses Shows Wide

Support", illustrates clearly the lost opportunity being ignored by Black elected officials toshow the power they have as representatives of their counity!

he nuber of responses that Black alderpersons received in a survey published in this

article about the streetcar, clearly shows that if these black elected officials were trulydedicated to standing against the current conditions of hypersegregation, poverty and high

rates of incarceration of Black people that e#ist in Milwaukee, now would be the tie toake that stateent!

$n addition, a %anuary &, '()& *egislative Reference Bureau +*RB eo showed that

Milwaukee -ublic Schools +M-S, Wisconsin.s largest public education syste where thestudents attending are predoinantly Black, will be on the hook for about /0( illion ta#

dollars to help pay for the streetcar! 1owever, the city took e#ception to the eo releasingtheir response to the *RB eo on %anuary 2, '()& arguing that the *RB isinterpreted

the ta# that will be taken!

Still, whatever ta# forula or interpretation the city wishes to argue about what type of ta#that will go towards paying for the streetcar, one thing is certain, ta# dollars are being spent

on building the streetcar, not going towards educating Black children!

So you see, while the ayor wants to bet on Milwaukee.s future, he is doing so using ta#revenue once eararked to educate Black children, risking their future as he places his bet!

And what are Black Alderpersons getting in return for their streetcar vote3 What.s the pay

off for the Black counity to allow the ayor to syphon off education oney frothe city.s predoinately Black public school syste3

4othing5

hat.s why now would be the tie to tell the ayor and all the developers supporting this

streetcar that business as usual in Milwaukee cannot continue!

8/9/2019 Even #Milwaukee liberals are against the #streetcar scam

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he tie to strike would be now! 6oting against this streetcar is the strongest possible

essage to send to the status 7uo covert segregationists that econoic apartheidagainst Black people ends!

4ow is the tie to strike by voting against the for the years of incarcerating black peoplefor inor drug charges and unchecked police brutality!

What other opportunity presents itself in the future than now3 6oting to end their profit

fro the construction of the streetcar unless they present a twenty year plan of prosperity

for the Black counity is fair trade for the Black vote!

Unless, Black elected officials are in it only for theselves, then doing the ayor.s biddingfor a favor in return later akes sense! Shae!

Miranda is editor of the Wisconsin Spanish Journal