democracynow--2020-08-26--Two Shot Dead in Kenosha as Armed Militias Confront BLM Protests over Police Shooting of Jacob Blake

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to begin with a warning to our audience : The following story contains graphic footage of violence .
A white gunman opened fire Tuesday night on people protesting the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
Two people were killed , a third was injured , in the gunfire .
AMY GOODMAN : Bystander video shows the man , a white man , falling to the ground and shooting into a crowd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenosha police say armed vigilantes had been in the streets , and they were looking for a man with a long gun .
As we broadcast , no arrests have been made yet , and those killed have not been identified .
Earlier Tuesday night , police in riot gear shot tear gas and rubber bullets at Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse .
This marks the third night of unrest in Kenosha since Sunday , when police shot Jacob Blake , an unarmed 29-year-old Black man , seven times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a car .
His three children , ages 3 , 5 and 8 , witnessed the shooting from the car .
Blake was reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women before the shooting .
Jacob Blake ’ s family and lawyers said Tuesday he ’ s conscious but still in critical condition , that he ’ s paralyzed from the waist down .
Blake ’ s mother , Julia Jackson ; sister , Letetra Widman ; and father , Jacob Blake Sr. , spoke at a news conference outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is civil rights attorney Ben Crump , who ’ s representing Jacob Blake .
AMY GOODMAN : For more , we ’ re joined in Madison , Wisconsin , by Mandela Barnes , the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin , the first African American to be elected to this position .
Lieutenant Governor , thanks so much for joining us on Democracy Now !
If you can start off by giving us the latest on what is understood ?
The sheriff , although they haven ’ t explained why the police shot Jacob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest incidents of violence , which looks like white shooters — called them militia or vigilantes in the streets .
Two are dead now , and one critically wounded .
Can you explain what you understand is happening in Kenosha ?
And then we ’ ll go back to the original police shooting .
LT. GOV .
MANDELA BARNES : Yeah .
Thank you so much , Amy .
Yeah , the most recent report I still have , that I saw , as of 10 minutes ago , said that two people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was able to talk about what happened there .
And this is the Kenosha County sheriff .
It was the city of Kenosha Police Department , if I ’ m not mistaken , that carried out the shooting on Jacob Blake .
But while we still don ’ t have answers , what we know is , last night , with the fans of hate being flamed , you see these militia groups decide to take up arms and try to handle a situation on their own .
And these sorts of instances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back at President Donald Trump when he threatened gun violence .
He even threatened to sic dogs on protesters outside of the White House .
If this is the message coming from the top about how to handle people who are , you know , standing up against racial injustice in this country , I mean , those — the protesters are the people who are , like I said before , the people who are trying to bring this country together , the people who are standing up and demanding an America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all people .
And so , to see the video first thing in the morning , and I ’ ve — recently , it ’ s just been so difficult to go to sleep , one , because of everything going on ; two , because you don ’ t know what you ’ re going to wake up to see next .
And to see this is — it ’ s heartbreaking to know that people who want a safer country , who want a safer state , who want a safer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for children , have been subject to being shot at by vigilantes and a gunman .
And I don ’ t know this person ’ s political affiliation .
I don ’ t know what group specifically this person came from who opened fire .
But what we do know is that it happened .
What we do know is that activity wasn ’ t discouraged by some of our leaders .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , Lieutenant Governor Barnes , that ’ s what I wanted to ask you about .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Because there are now National Guard that have been mobilized .
What are the instructions to the guard and to local police about how to deal with , one , the protesters , and then with any potential vigilantes ?
Because the initial reports I read were that there were these armed men outside a gas station for a while , and then the shooting happened much later on .
LT. GOV .
MANDELA BARNES : So , and I ’ ll start from the back , because you said that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a while .
I mean , how many times across this country do you see armed gunmen , you know , protesting , walking into state capitols , and everybody just thinks it ’ s OK ?
People treat that like it ’ s some kind of normal activity that people are walking around with assault rifles .
You know , in many instances , these people have been led on by various conspiracy theories that have ruminated on the internet , and these people are demanding to have their country back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to happen , to assume that these people are up to — or , have the most fine intentions , is completely ridiculous .
And so , for folks that — you know , we can ’ t even act surprised that this happened , because this is what they ’ ve been saying that they are going to do , whatever armed militia group .
You know , they don ’ t do those quasi-military tactical trainings for nothing .
They are preparing for an event , and it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are standing up , demanding racial justice in this country — is a perfect opportunity for them to strike .
And that is what you saw in that video .
Armed guard — or , excuse me , the National Guard was mobilized .
The instructions for the National Guard were to protect critical assets and help with fires .
And I don ’ t know what the police response would have been .
I don ’ t know if they were expecting — I mean , I ’ m pretty sure they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open fire , but I don ’ t know why people wouldn ’ t expect for it to happen , because if you see somebody with a gun who is living in constant fear of whatever , you should expect them to want to use that weapon .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I wanted to ask you to go back to the incident that touched all of this off : the shooting of Jacob Blake .
Could you tell us what you understand is what the police have reported on what touched off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police have been relatively — they haven ’ t said much at all , even for a normal shooting event .
LT. GOV .
MANDELA BARNES : They haven ’ t said much at all .
They have not said much at all .
And with them not having said much at all , you have to — it ’ s easy to assume that what the report finds out will not be good .
I don ’ t have any additional information .
I wish I did , but at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have additional information .
We see the video .
We saw what happened .
And we know that it should not have , when the way that that was carried out , the way that the shooting happened — I mean , I don ’ t know — if they wanted to prevent him from getting into the car , there are multiple means to prevent him from getting into the car : You could tackle the guy ; you could use a baton to stop him from getting into a car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tase him .
But the amount of officers there , that were there on site , that were present , it ’ s not justified , how this situation ended up and for him to be shot in his back as many times .
You know , you hear the grueling accounts of the internal damage that was done to him .
And there ’ s no way that any officer could look at that video and say that that ’ s the way policing should happen .
And , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like , as tough as things are , as dire as things are , especially in America , in terms of relations with law enforcement , I ’ m still not going to sit here and say that it ’ s every officer , because it ’ s not .
And it ’ s more than just a single police .
It is policing .
Policing in America has got to change , because if policing in America allowed for that scene to take place , then the problem is deeper than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks stepping up , after months of people protesting in every corner of this state , every corner of this country to demand justice , if an officer still thought that that was OK behavior or an all right response or a proper response to the situation , then they are totally out of touch , out of step , with where we should be in America in terms of justice being applied equally in any way .
AMY GOODMAN : In case there ’ s anyone who hasn ’ t seen this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second cellphone video has come out .
The man who took the first video from across the street , he is suffering post-traumatic stress .
I mean , he said it was horrifying as he was filming .
But the idea that the policeman , as he was getting into his car , is holding the back of his T-shirt and shoots him at point-blank range seven times in the back as his little children are in the car that he ’ s getting into — 3 , 5 and 8 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video , that has come out today , you see family coming out on the property .
It ’ s the other side of the car .
And they ’ re shouting at the police .
They already know what ’ s going to happen .
I mean , they already know because they ’ ve seen these videos so many times .
You have little tiny children on the grass .
You have parents .
You have parents telling their kids to come back .
You have Jacob Blake walking around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bang , bang , bang — these seven shots .
So , I wanted to ask you about attorney Ben Crump , who ’ s representing Jacob Blake and has represented the families of , oh , George Floyd , as well as so many others , Breonna Taylor — tweeted , “ Kenosha city council passed an ordinance in 2017 requiring all officers wear body cams .
But they never bought them .
They ’ re in the budget.. in 2022 .
If it weren ’ t for a neighbor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blake would ’ ve vanished & no officers would be held accountable.
” That ’ s the tweet of Ben Crump .
So , that ’ s the only video we ’ re seeing right now , because there isn ’ t bodycam video .
If you can talk about how this legislation , that passed , was gotten around ?
And then talk , at the state level — you are the lieutenant governor — about what is being done at the state level for police reform .
LT. GOV .
MANDELA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before , that video , it was brazen .
The officer ’ s actions were brazen .
And I ’ ve said before also , in my own statement , that “ What if there wasn ’ t video footage of what happened ?
” Now , I can ’ t speak to specifically what happened with the city of Kenosha ’ s budget and why the bodycams were not made a priority .
But , obviously , this is something we ’ ve been talking about for years and years and years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Legislature , about the need to have bodycams for added accountability .
And when you don ’ t have that bodycam footage , it is your word versus the officer ’ s word .
And people , the law , people who decide the fate in these situations , district attorneys , typically are going to side with law enforcement , if it ’ s the words of a police officer versus someone else .
And I ’ ll say , at the state level , even in the wake of George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the governor introduced a legislative package .
Now , we know that a legislative package is not going to solve the deep problems , but it takes a coordinated effort .
We need action at every level of government .
We need local government to act .
We need police departments , sheriff ’ s departments to acknowledge that there is a real problem in the culture of policing .
We need our city councils to demand justice .
And we need also that accountability , like you said , with the bodycam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allocated , having an appropriation in the budget , but never being purchased .
That is a real problem .
And then , at the state level , we need to make sure that all of our departments , all of our law enforcement departments within our state , are doing the right thing .
You know , these are basic steps that people can take , but if there ’ s a basic step taken at every level , we can have a true response .
But deeper than that , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reimagining what keeping people safe looks like .
It goes to making sure that there is funding on the front end to prevent violence from happening in the first place , like violence interrupters , but also having support for community organizations , having support for job training programs , you know , whatever the case may be , to create communities , to create societies , where people have an opportunity to thrive , where less or fewer police are actually needed to respond to anything in the first place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , just all across the board , there is the larger injustice .
Of course , there ’ s the injustice of unarmed Black men being shot , but there ’ s a deeper injustice that spreads far beyond that .
It ’ s what leads to these situations .
It ’ s what leads to the prejudice .
It ’ s what prevents people from having an opportunity to grow and reach their full potential .
You know , the number of police calls in a certain community , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s a bad neighborhood.
” But it takes more thought to say , “ Oh , well , that is a community that has been starved of resources .
That ’ s a community that doesn ’ t have what another neighborhood five miles down the road has that prevents them from having as many interactions with law enforcement.
” JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Lieutenant Governor Barnes , I wanted to ask you — you mentioned that the governor has called a special session to take up some police brutality legislation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ because this — the Jacob Blake case is being investigated by the local district attorney .
District attorneys are notoriously very close to and cozy with their local police departments .
Do you support an independent investigation ?
And have you had discussions with the governor about this ?
And also , what is precisely some of the key reforms that you ’ re hoping to take up in the Legislature ?
LT. GOV .
MANDELA BARNES : Yeah , so , it ’ s not the district attorney .
The state is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations for police shootings .
I think we passed that bill in either 2014 or 2015 .
I was in the Legislature at the time .
So , it is the state .
It is the Office of Criminal Investigation who ’ s leading the investigation , independent from the district attorney .
So , there is that independent aspect that ’ s there , recognizing that local law enforcement shouldn ’ t investigate themselves .
The results truly yield the actual justice that people are looking for .
But whether it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s mandatory reporting for a person — or , mandatory intervention for a partner when things start to go south and they don ’ t deescalate the situation , the mandatory deescalation training , again , the violence interrupters piece , which I ’ ve talked about , which is one of the most critical ones , because you have these police officers who , unfortunately — I could speak to Milwaukee — who don ’ t live in the neighborhoods that they serve .
And , you know , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about this , too , that doesn ’ t get talked about enough .
Any police officer should live in the city that they serve .
If you ’ re going to have to — if you ’ re going to uphold the law in a specific jurisdiction , you should live under that law also , under the laws of that jurisdiction , as well .
And the fact that police officers were able to move out created an even deeper disconnect .
It created a policing in communities where you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t understand necessarily how people live , how people function .
You don ’ t understand the language .
And by understanding the language , I mean just norms of existing in a society within — you know , within the people that you are to serve and protect .
You know , that ’ s been a big problem .
And it says something if you don ’ t want to live in the city that you ’ re supposed to — that you ’ re sworn to serve and protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come in as some sort of guardian and then leave .
And without that connection , you make decisions that aren ’ t always going to be in the interest of improving that community .
AMY GOODMAN : Lieutenant Governor Barnes , we just have a minute , but I wanted to get your response to a local Fox affiliate that says , “ According to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows ’ aide , local law enforcement in Wisconsin told the White House they need at least 750 National Guard Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sending 250 , up from 150 … On Tuesday , Meadows ’ aide said Meadows called the governor and offered 500 additional National Guard members to meet the police needs , … Evers declined.
” Can you talk about the — what is the mandate of the 250 you ’ ve already sent ?
And what about this possibility of the feds sending in , like we saw in Portland ?
LT. GOV .
MANDELA BARNES : Yeah , so , those numbers that were reported , those were not accurate numbers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning .
And Mark Meadows , they wanted to send Department of Homeland Security .
Now , we can go back to our request to the White House , because we wanted to have our COVID-19 relief effort , that is administered by the National Guard , fully funded , and were soundly rejected by the White House .
And so , if Mark Meadows wants to talk facts , then let ’ s talk facts , because that ’ s the real deal when it comes to numbers .
They can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus testing ; how can we trust them to appropriately come in and manage a situation that is as volatile as this one ?
And when it comes to the number of National Guard troops that were requested by Kenosha County , that 750 number is inflated , as well .
Governor Evers responded to the request of local officials .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , Mandela Barnes , we want to thank you so much for being with us , lieutenant governor of Wisconsin .
Of course , we ’ ll continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenosha .
Up next , as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 180,000 , we go to night two of the Republican convention .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to begin with a warning to our audience: The following story contains graphic footage of violence. A white gunman opened fire Tuesday night on people protesting the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Two people were killed, a third was injured, in the gunfire.
PROTESTER 1: Oh my god! Oh my god!
PROTESTER 2: Medic! Medic! Medic! Medic!
AMY GOODMAN: Bystander video shows the man, a white man, falling to the ground and shooting into a crowd as protesters attempt to disarm him. Kenosha police say armed vigilantes had been in the streets, and they were looking for a man with a long gun. As we broadcast, no arrests have been made yet, and those killed have not been identified.
Earlier Tuesday night, police in riot gear shot tear gas and rubber bullets at Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse. This marks the third night of unrest in Kenosha since Sunday, when police shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back as he was getting into a car. His three children, ages 3, 5 and 8, witnessed the shooting from the car. Blake was reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women before the shooting. Jacob Blake’s family and lawyers said Tuesday he’s conscious but still in critical condition, that he’s paralyzed from the waist down. Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson; sister, Letetra Widman; and father, Jacob Blake Sr., spoke at a news conference outside the courthouse.
JACOB BLAKE SR.: They shot my son seven times — seven times — like he didn’t matter. But my son matters. … How would you feel if your white son walked up to you, as a mother, and said, “Mommy, why did the police shoot my daddy in the back?” You have no clue.
JULIA JACKSON: My son has been fighting for his life. … So, I’m really asking and encouraging everyone, in Wisconsin and abroad, to take a moment and examine your hearts. Citizens, police officers, firemen, clergy, politicians, do Jacob justice on this level and examine your hearts.
LETETRA WIDMAN: I am my brother’s keeper. And when you say the name Jacob Blake, make sure you say “father,” make sure you say “cousin,” make sure you say “son,” make sure you say “uncle,” but, most importantly, make sure you say “human.”
AMY GOODMAN: And this is civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Jacob Blake.
BENJAMIN CRUMP: We don’t have to give you a lot of legal treatises to let you know that what they did to Jacob Sr. and Julia’s son was done with deliberate indifference. … But the medical diagnosis right now is that he is paralyzed. And because those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae, that attorney Salvi will get to in more detail, it is going to take a miracle — it is going to take a miracle — for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again.
AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined in Madison, Wisconsin, by Mandela Barnes, the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, the first African American to be elected to this position.
Lieutenant Governor, thanks so much for joining us on Democracy Now! If you can start off by giving us the latest on what is understood? The sheriff, although they haven’t explained why the police shot Jacob Blake, has said that in this latest incidents of violence, which looks like white shooters — called them militia or vigilantes in the streets. Two are dead now, and one critically wounded. Can you explain what you understand is happening in Kenosha? And then we’ll go back to the original police shooting.
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: Yeah. Thank you so much, Amy.
Yeah, the most recent report I still have, that I saw, as of 10 minutes ago, said that two people were dead. And Sheriff David Beth was able to talk about what happened there. And this is the Kenosha County sheriff. It was the city of Kenosha Police Department, if I’m not mistaken, that carried out the shooting on Jacob Blake.
But while we still don’t have answers, what we know is, last night, with the fans of hate being flamed, you see these militia groups decide to take up arms and try to handle a situation on their own. And these sorts of instances, you know, you can look back at President Donald Trump when he threatened gun violence. He even threatened to sic dogs on protesters outside of the White House. If this is the message coming from the top about how to handle people who are, you know, standing up against racial injustice in this country, I mean, those — the protesters are the people who are, like I said before, the people who are trying to bring this country together, the people who are standing up and demanding an America that is truly representative and responsive to all people.
And so, to see the video first thing in the morning, and I’ve — recently, it’s just been so difficult to go to sleep, one, because of everything going on; two, because you don’t know what you’re going to wake up to see next. And to see this is — it’s heartbreaking to know that people who want a safer country, who want a safer state, who want a safer world to live in for themselves, for children, have been subject to being shot at by vigilantes and a gunman.
And I don’t know this person’s political affiliation. I don’t know what group specifically this person came from who opened fire. But what we do know is that it happened. What we do know is that activity wasn’t discouraged by some of our leaders.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Lieutenant Governor Barnes, that’s what I wanted to ask you about. From your understanding, what are the instructions? Because there are now National Guard that have been mobilized. What are the instructions to the guard and to local police about how to deal with, one, the protesters, and then with any potential vigilantes? Because the initial reports I read were that there were these armed men outside a gas station for a while, and then the shooting happened much later on.
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: So, and I’ll start from the back, because you said that the armed men were outside the gas station for a while. I mean, how many times across this country do you see armed gunmen, you know, protesting, walking into state capitols, and everybody just thinks it’s OK? People treat that like it’s some kind of normal activity that people are walking around with assault rifles. You know, in many instances, these people have been led on by various conspiracy theories that have ruminated on the internet, and these people are demanding to have their country back. And to assume that nothing bad is going to happen, to assume that these people are up to — or, have the most fine intentions, is completely ridiculous.
And so, for folks that — you know, we can’t even act surprised that this happened, because this is what they’ve been saying that they are going to do, whatever armed militia group. You know, they don’t do those quasi-military tactical trainings for nothing. They are preparing for an event, and it’s something like this, where people are standing up, demanding racial justice in this country — is a perfect opportunity for them to strike. And that is what you saw in that video.
Armed guard — or, excuse me, the National Guard was mobilized. The instructions for the National Guard were to protect critical assets and help with fires. And I don’t know what the police response would have been. I don’t know if they were expecting — I mean, I’m pretty sure they weren’t expecting a gunman to open fire, but I don’t know why people wouldn’t expect for it to happen, because if you see somebody with a gun who is living in constant fear of whatever, you should expect them to want to use that weapon.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I wanted to ask you to go back to the incident that touched all of this off: the shooting of Jacob Blake. Could you tell us what you understand is what the police have reported on what touched off the altercation between police and Blake? Because the police have been relatively — they haven’t said much at all, even for a normal shooting event.
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: They haven’t said much at all. They have not said much at all. And with them not having said much at all, you have to — it’s easy to assume that what the report finds out will not be good. I don’t have any additional information. I wish I did, but at the same time I wish I didn’t have additional information. We see the video. We saw what happened. And we know that it should not have, when the way that that was carried out, the way that the shooting happened — I mean, I don’t know — if they wanted to prevent him from getting into the car, there are multiple means to prevent him from getting into the car: You could tackle the guy; you could use a baton to stop him from getting into a car; you could, at worst, tase him. But the amount of officers there, that were there on site, that were present, it’s not justified, how this situation ended up and for him to be shot in his back as many times. You know, you hear the grueling accounts of the internal damage that was done to him.
And there’s no way that any officer could look at that video and say that that’s the way policing should happen. And, you know, I’ve said before, still, like, as tough as things are, as dire as things are, especially in America, in terms of relations with law enforcement, I’m still not going to sit here and say that it’s every officer, because it’s not. And it’s more than just a single police. It is policing. Policing in America has got to change, because if policing in America allowed for that scene to take place, then the problem is deeper than anybody could imagine. After months of folks stepping up, after months of people protesting in every corner of this state, every corner of this country to demand justice, if an officer still thought that that was OK behavior or an all right response or a proper response to the situation, then they are totally out of touch, out of step, with where we should be in America in terms of justice being applied equally in any way.
AMY GOODMAN: In case there’s anyone who hasn’t seen this video, just a description, now a second cellphone video has come out. The man who took the first video from across the street, he is suffering post-traumatic stress. I mean, he said it was horrifying as he was filming. But the idea that the policeman, as he was getting into his car, is holding the back of his T-shirt and shoots him at point-blank range seven times in the back as his little children are in the car that he’s getting into — 3, 5 and 8 years old.
Now, the second cellphone video, that has come out today, you see family coming out on the property. It’s the other side of the car. And they’re shouting at the police. They already know what’s going to happen. I mean, they already know because they’ve seen these videos so many times. You have little tiny children on the grass. You have parents. You have parents telling their kids to come back. You have Jacob Blake walking around the car, and then you hear — bang, bang, bang — these seven shots.
So, I wanted to ask you about attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Jacob Blake and has represented the families of, oh, George Floyd, as well as so many others, Breonna Taylor — tweeted, “Kenosha city council passed an ordinance in 2017 requiring all officers wear body cams. But they never bought them. They’re in the budget.. in 2022. If it weren’t for a neighbor’s video, the police shooting of Jacob Blake would’ve vanished & no officers would be held accountable.” That’s the tweet of Ben Crump.
So, that’s the only video we’re seeing right now, because there isn’t bodycam video. If you can talk about how this legislation, that passed, was gotten around? And then talk, at the state level — you are the lieutenant governor — about what is being done at the state level for police reform.
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: Yeah. Like we said before, that video, it was brazen. The officer’s actions were brazen. And I’ve said before also, in my own statement, that “What if there wasn’t video footage of what happened?”
Now, I can’t speak to specifically what happened with the city of Kenosha’s budget and why the bodycams were not made a priority. But, obviously, this is something we’ve been talking about for years and years and years, even back when I was in the Legislature, about the need to have bodycams for added accountability. And when you don’t have that bodycam footage, it is your word versus the officer’s word. And people, the law, people who decide the fate in these situations, district attorneys, typically are going to side with law enforcement, if it’s the words of a police officer versus someone else.
And I’ll say, at the state level, even in the wake of George Floyd, we introduced — or, the governor introduced a legislative package. Now, we know that a legislative package is not going to solve the deep problems, but it takes a coordinated effort. We need action at every level of government. We need local government to act. We need police departments, sheriff’s departments to acknowledge that there is a real problem in the culture of policing. We need our city councils to demand justice. And we need also that accountability, like you said, with the bodycam footage, about them being funded, allocated, having an appropriation in the budget, but never being purchased. That is a real problem. And then, at the state level, we need to make sure that all of our departments, all of our law enforcement departments within our state, are doing the right thing. You know, these are basic steps that people can take, but if there’s a basic step taken at every level, we can have a true response.
But deeper than that, it goes to the culture. It goes to reimagining what keeping people safe looks like. It goes to making sure that there is funding on the front end to prevent violence from happening in the first place, like violence interrupters, but also having support for community organizations, having support for job training programs, you know, whatever the case may be, to create communities, to create societies, where people have an opportunity to thrive, where less or fewer police are actually needed to respond to anything in the first place.
You know, I just feel like, just all across the board, there is the larger injustice. Of course, there’s the injustice of unarmed Black men being shot, but there’s a deeper injustice that spreads far beyond that. It’s what leads to these situations. It’s what leads to the prejudice. It’s what prevents people from having an opportunity to grow and reach their full potential. You know, the number of police calls in a certain community, it’s easy to say, “Well, that’s a bad neighborhood.” But it takes more thought to say, “Oh, well, that is a community that has been starved of resources. That’s a community that doesn’t have what another neighborhood five miles down the road has that prevents them from having as many interactions with law enforcement.”
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Lieutenant Governor Barnes, I wanted to ask you — you mentioned that the governor has called a special session to take up some police brutality legislation. But I wanted to ask you, because this — the Jacob Blake case is being investigated by the local district attorney. District attorneys are notoriously very close to and cozy with their local police departments. Do you support an independent investigation? And have you had discussions with the governor about this? And also, what is precisely some of the key reforms that you’re hoping to take up in the Legislature?
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: Yeah, so, it’s not the district attorney. The state is actually investigating. We do have independent investigations for police shootings. I think we passed that bill in either 2014 or 2015. I was in the Legislature at the time. So, it is the state. It is the Office of Criminal Investigation who’s leading the investigation, independent from the district attorney. So, there is that independent aspect that’s there, recognizing that local law enforcement shouldn’t investigate themselves. The results truly yield the actual justice that people are looking for.
But whether it’s excessive use of force, whether it’s mandatory reporting for a person — or, mandatory intervention for a partner when things start to go south and they don’t deescalate the situation, the mandatory deescalation training, again, the violence interrupters piece, which I’ve talked about, which is one of the most critical ones, because you have these police officers who, unfortunately — I could speak to Milwaukee — who don’t live in the neighborhoods that they serve. And, you know, that’s one of the major parts about this, too, that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Any police officer should live in the city that they serve. If you’re going to have to — if you’re going to uphold the law in a specific jurisdiction, you should live under that law also, under the laws of that jurisdiction, as well. And the fact that police officers were able to move out created an even deeper disconnect. It created a policing in communities where you have very little relativity, where you don’t understand necessarily how people live, how people function. You don’t understand the language. And by understanding the language, I mean just norms of existing in a society within — you know, within the people that you are to serve and protect. You know, that’s been a big problem. And it says something if you don’t want to live in the city that you’re supposed to — that you’re sworn to serve and protect. It says that you want to come in as some sort of guardian and then leave. And without that connection, you make decisions that aren’t always going to be in the interest of improving that community.
AMY GOODMAN: Lieutenant Governor Barnes, we just have a minute, but I wanted to get your response to a local Fox affiliate that says, “According to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ aide, local law enforcement in Wisconsin told the White House they need at least 750 National Guard Tuesday night. Gov. Evers is … sending 250, up from 150 … On Tuesday, Meadows’ aide said Meadows called the governor and offered 500 additional National Guard members to meet the police needs, … Evers declined.” Can you talk about the — what is the mandate of the 250 you’ve already sent? And what about this possibility of the feds sending in, like we saw in Portland?
LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: Yeah, so, those numbers that were reported, those were not accurate numbers. I was actually going over those this morning.
And Mark Meadows, they wanted to send Department of Homeland Security. Now, we can go back to our request to the White House, because we wanted to have our COVID-19 relief effort, that is administered by the National Guard, fully funded, and were soundly rejected by the White House. And so, if Mark Meadows wants to talk facts, then let’s talk facts, because that’s the real deal when it comes to numbers. They can’t send people in there to provide coronavirus testing; how can we trust them to appropriately come in and manage a situation that is as volatile as this one?
And when it comes to the number of National Guard troops that were requested by Kenosha County, that 750 number is inflated, as well. Governor Evers responded to the request of local officials.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Mandela Barnes, we want to thank you so much for being with us, lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. Of course, we’ll continue to follow what’s happening in Kenosha.
Up next, as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 180,000, we go to night two of the Republican convention. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-08-26--Headlines for August 26, 2020

Headlines for August 26, 2020

The violence came on the third night of unrest in Kenosha following the police shooting on Sunday of Jacob Blake , an unarmed 29-year-old Black man .
An officer shot Blake seven times in the back as he was getting into a car .
His three young children witnessed the shooting .
Blake was reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women before the shooting , but the police have not explained why they went after him .
He remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition Monday .
His lawyers said Tuesday he is paralyzed from the waist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He had a bullet go through some or all of his spinal cord , at least one bullet .
He has holes in his stomach .
He had to have nearly his entire colon and small intestines removed .
He suffered damage to his kidney and liver , and was also shot in the arm.
” Members of Jacob Blake ’ s family spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since the weekend police shooting , calling for the firing and arrest of the officers responsible .
And they called for more peaceful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sister Letetra Widman .
Letetra Widman : “ This is nothing new .
I ’ m not sad .
I ’ m not sorry .
I ’ m angry , and I ’ m tired .
I haven ’ t cried one time .
I stopped crying years ago .
I am numb .
I have been watching police murder people that look like me for years.
” After headlines , we ’ ll get the latest from Wisconsin and speak with Mandela Barnes , Wisconsin ’ s first African American lieutenant @ @

The violence came on the third night of unrest in Kenosha following the police shooting on Sunday of Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man. An officer shot Blake seven times in the back as he was getting into a car. His three young children witnessed the shooting. Blake was reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women before the shooting, but the police have not explained why they went after him. He remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition Monday. His lawyers said Tuesday he is paralyzed from the waist down.
Patrick Salvi II: “He had a bullet go through some or all of his spinal cord, at least one bullet. He has holes in his stomach. He had to have nearly his entire colon and small intestines removed. He suffered damage to his kidney and liver, and was also shot in the arm.”
Members of Jacob Blake’s family spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since the weekend police shooting, calling for the firing and arrest of the officers responsible. And they called for more peaceful protests. This is Jacob Blake’s sister Letetra Widman.
Letetra Widman: “This is nothing new. I’m not sad. I’m not sorry. I’m angry, and I’m tired. I haven’t cried one time. I stopped crying years ago. I am numb. I have been watching police murder people that look like me for years.”
After headlines, we’ll get the latest from Wisconsin and speak with Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin’s first African American lieutenant governor.


democracynow--2020-08-25--"A Human Tragedy": Wildfires Reveal California's Reliance on Incarcerated Firefighters

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, breaking with convention .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we turn to California , where climate-fueled wildfires are engulfing the state .
Crews are battling more than 600 fires , that have killed at least seven people .
Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday 300 lightning strikes overnight had sparked 10 new fires .
The biggest group of fires , in Northern California around Napa , is now 25 % contained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires have destroyed 1.4 million acres , compared to 56,000 acres burned at the same time last year .
Tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes , which are raging as California also battles a record heat wave and the deadly pandemic .
This comes as the state ’ s prison firefighter program , which annually deploys thousands of incarcerated firefighters to the frontlines for just $ 1 an hour , faces diminished numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Last month , Governor Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , including some from the prison fire camps , as COVID-19 swept through the state ’ s prisons and camps .
Several fire camps faced COVID outbreaks in July .
Now , as advocates demand mass release for incarcerated people at risk due to the pandemic , more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters are currently fighting the blazes ravaging California .
One of the state ’ s 44 prison camps , the fire prison camps , Delta Conservation Camp in Northern California , is battling the fires with a crew of 55 incarcerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s 132-person capacity .
Over the weekend , Democracy Now !
reached former incarcerated firefighter Marty Vinson by phone .
He was stationed at Delta Camp in 2018 , where Democracy Now !
first met him .
In an interview , Vinson called the prison firefighting program California ’ s “ piggy bank ” and spoke out about the conditions firefighters at Delta Conservation Camp are currently facing .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Marty Vinson , formerly incarcerated firefighter .
To see our whole interview with him at Delta Conservation Camp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firefighter shortage has laid bare California ’ s reliance on prison labor to keep its ever-growing wildfire season at bay — an exploitative system many have called slave labor .
California saves up to $ 100 million a year by using prison labor to fight its biggest environmental problem .
And once released , it ’ s nearly impossible for formerly incarcerated firefighters to get jobs with county or city fire departments in California .
For more , we go to Oakland , where we ’ re joined by activist and formerly incarcerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a firefighter at San Quentin State Prison — he was — was released in January .
He is an organizer with the group Planting Justice in Oakland .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
, Rasheed .
It ’ s great to have you with this .
Can you talk about what ’ s happening right now ?
California is talking about a firefighter shortage because prisoner firefighters , a number of them , have been released due to COVID or are sick with COVID .
Explain what ’ s going on and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour , if they ’ re healthy enough to fight the fires .
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Yeah , so , these conditions , they ’ re just — I mean , they ’ re implorable .
I mean , you have , I believe it ’ s 600 less firefighters this year , and we ’ re facing some of the largest wildfires that we ’ ve ever had in the state .
These guys are out 24 , 48 hours at a time .
That young man came from Delta Camp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ just talked to somebody there , and they ’ re leaving at 5:00 in the morning , not getting back 'til 8:00 at night .
And this is every day .
So they 're being overworked , and for , you know , a dollar an hour .
I mean , you know , they ’ re working alongside firefighters that aren ’ t incarcerated people , that are making — we don ’ t know how much , and putting their lives on the lines .
And it ’ s just — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a human tragedy .
They ’ re fighting — they ’ re battling COVID-19 , and they ’ re battling wildfires at the same time .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Rasheed , I wanted to ask you about Kamala Harris , the nominee of the Democratic Party for vice president .
When she was attorney general of California , she advocated against early release programs for incarcerated people , because it would reduce the number of incarcerated firefighters .
Could you talk about her role and this whole issue of the politics of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting of fires in California ?
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Yeah , well , the fact is , it impacts our state economy , right ?
They ’ re saving $ 100 million a year on having formerly incarcerated individuals fighting these fires .
And it ’ s a little bit of a slap in the face to those of us who are incarcerated , who are trying to , you know , be the best that we can be and put our lives on the lines to go out here and fight these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her doing that and being a part of mass incarceration as the district attorney , she essentially is signing people up for slavery , right ?
You want these guys to go out and fight these fires and do it for only a dollar an hour , and then you ’ re turning around and saying , “ Oh , we don ’ t want to release anybody , because it ’ s going to cost the state this much ” ?
It ’ s deplorable .
AMY GOODMAN : [ inaudible ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she became senator , she said that it was her prosecutors who argued this in court .
She said she thought it was reprehensible — not at the time .
She says she didn ’ t know about it , but said the buck stops with her , and so she took responsibility .
It ’ s unclear if she knew about it .
But this whole issue of firefighters like you , you come out of prison , you ’ re extremely experienced .
Cal Fire sings your praises , because you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet you find it so difficult then to become a firefighter .
Like , right now for the many people who are released , even perhaps early because of the COVID pandemic , why don ’ t they just immediately hire you , since you have the experience , you ’ ve fought these fires , at Cal Fire salaries , not to mention giving more money to the prisoner firefighters ?
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Yeah , that ’ s the question , right ?
I mean , you take , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineer on a Type 1 fire engine and a lead on an ambulance crew .
I don ’ t know what more qualification you would need , right ?
That should automatically entitle me to go right into a department upon my release .
But that ’ s just not the case .
You know , for , like , me being more of a municipal firefighter , they want us to have an EMT certifications , and state law right now currently blocks me from getting that .
If there is — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison ?
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Because I was formerly in prison , yes .
And right now , like , we ’ re hearing Cal Fire get on these interviews and say that we just lack resources .
Well , what they ’ re not saying is we lack the incarcerated firefighters .
That ’ s the issue , right ?
Because we make up the backbone of the firefighting department .
And if we ’ re saving the state $ 100 million , how much more can we save the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these fire camps , coming out of these firehouses , and putting them right into employment ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I ’ m wondering : When you were out there fighting these fires , to what degree did you encounter National Guard troops ?
Because I ’ ve been surprised , time and again , at how few National Guard are mobilized when these fires spread in California .
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Well , I myself am not qualified to answer that , because I was at any actual functioning firehouse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So I didn ’ t get to go out to a wildland firefighters .
I instead was resided to the city of San Quentin , the quote-unquote “ city of San Quentin , ” and where they had a full residency around there .
And so I was doing basically municipal firefighting .
AMY GOODMAN : And can you talk about what you did when you were in prison , or what you ’ ve heard people are doing , for example , at San Quentin , with the COVID outbreak ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the worst outbreaks in this country is in the prison system of this country .
RASHEED LOCKHEART : Yeah .
So , what people are doing right now , and what I ’ m hearing , is they ’ re essentially just sheltering in fear .
Right ?
The conditions are not — San Quentin is not designed to have an outbreak like COVID-19 .
It ’ s impossible to practice social distancing .
It ’ s overcrowded .
And then people are being herded off into tents and into — back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know if you remember , about five , 10 years ago , there was an outcry about the way they were housing people in these gymnasiums .
And so , San Quentin is just not set up for this type of outbreak .
And so , my — incarcerated people that are still there are sheltering in place .
My fire crew that ’ s there at San Quentin , they ’ re getting more calls than they can handle .
I talked to one of my incarcerated firefighters who had said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 11 a.m. in the morning — that they had been on five calls .
But they had only been on five calls that morning because they couldn ’ t get to the other 11 that were happening .
So , it ’ s a human tragedy , what ’ s happening in San Quentin .
And the incarcerated people that are there are living in fear .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , Rasheed Lockheart , we want to thank you so much for being with us .
Rasheed worked as an incarcerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was released in January , now an organizer with Planting Justice in Oakland .
And this update in the police shooting in Kenosha , Wisconsin , of Jacob Blake , an unarmed 29-year-old Black man : Blake ’ s father says his son is now paralyzed from the waist down .
Protests continue there and across the country .
Blake ’ s father will also speak at the virtual march on Washington , D.C. , this weekend , along with other family members .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vesta Goodarz !

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, breaking with convention. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn to California, where climate-fueled wildfires are engulfing the state. Crews are battling more than 600 fires, that have killed at least seven people. Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday 300 lightning strikes overnight had sparked 10 new fires. The biggest group of fires, in Northern California around Napa, is now 25% contained. So far this year, 7,000 fires have destroyed 1.4 million acres, compared to 56,000 acres burned at the same time last year. Tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes, which are raging as California also battles a record heat wave and the deadly pandemic.
This comes as the state’s prison firefighter program, which annually deploys thousands of incarcerated firefighters to the frontlines for just $1 an hour, faces diminished numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, Governor Newsom ordered the release of some 8,000 incarcerated people, including some from the prison fire camps, as COVID-19 swept through the state’s prisons and camps. Several fire camps faced COVID outbreaks in July. Now, as advocates demand mass release for incarcerated people at risk due to the pandemic, more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters are currently fighting the blazes ravaging California. One of the state’s 44 prison camps, the fire prison camps, Delta Conservation Camp in Northern California, is battling the fires with a crew of 55 incarcerated firefighters, compared to the camp’s 132-person capacity.
Over the weekend, Democracy Now! reached former incarcerated firefighter Marty Vinson by phone. He was stationed at Delta Camp in 2018, where Democracy Now! first met him. In an interview, Vinson called the prison firefighting program California’s “piggy bank” and spoke out about the conditions firefighters at Delta Conservation Camp are currently facing.
MARTY VINSON: I imagine the worst. I honestly do. I feel like I can imagine them working much longer hours. So, we normally do 24 on, 24 off. I can imagine doing anywhere — because it’s possible, you can do a 48 to 72 hours. There’s just so many things that go on out there, regardless if it’s natural things that can kill you or let alone a human being that’s making a decision that can possibly kill you. But I believe this is probably the worst conditions, and the firefighters are probably going through their worst experience ever.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Marty Vinson, formerly incarcerated firefighter. To see our whole interview with him at Delta Conservation Camp, go to democracynow.org.
The prisoner firefighter shortage has laid bare California’s reliance on prison labor to keep its ever-growing wildfire season at bay — an exploitative system many have called slave labor. California saves up to $100 million a year by using prison labor to fight its biggest environmental problem. And once released, it’s nearly impossible for formerly incarcerated firefighters to get jobs with county or city fire departments in California.
For more, we go to Oakland, where we’re joined by activist and formerly incarcerated firefighter Rasheed Lockheart. He’s a firefighter at San Quentin State Prison — he was — was released in January. He is an organizer with the group Planting Justice in Oakland.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Rasheed. It’s great to have you with this. Can you talk about what’s happening right now? California is talking about a firefighter shortage because prisoner firefighters, a number of them, have been released due to COVID or are sick with COVID. Explain what’s going on and the fact that they make a dollar an hour, if they’re healthy enough to fight the fires.
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Yeah, so, these conditions, they’re just — I mean, they’re implorable. I mean, you have, I believe it’s 600 less firefighters this year, and we’re facing some of the largest wildfires that we’ve ever had in the state. These guys are out 24, 48 hours at a time. That young man came from Delta Camp. That camp, they are — I just talked to somebody there, and they’re leaving at 5:00 in the morning, not getting back 'til 8:00 at night. And this is every day. So they're being overworked, and for, you know, a dollar an hour. I mean, you know, they’re working alongside firefighters that aren’t incarcerated people, that are making — we don’t know how much, and putting their lives on the lines. And it’s just — it’s a little bit of a human tragedy. They’re fighting — they’re battling COVID-19, and they’re battling wildfires at the same time.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Rasheed, I wanted to ask you about Kamala Harris, the nominee of the Democratic Party for vice president. When she was attorney general of California, she advocated against early release programs for incarcerated people, because it would reduce the number of incarcerated firefighters. Could you talk about her role and this whole issue of the politics of how to deal with the incarcerated and the fighting of fires in California?
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Yeah, well, the fact is, it impacts our state economy, right? They’re saving $100 million a year on having formerly incarcerated individuals fighting these fires. And it’s a little bit of a slap in the face to those of us who are incarcerated, who are trying to, you know, be the best that we can be and put our lives on the lines to go out here and fight these fires. But, you know, her doing that and being a part of mass incarceration as the district attorney, she essentially is signing people up for slavery, right? You want these guys to go out and fight these fires and do it for only a dollar an hour, and then you’re turning around and saying, “Oh, we don’t want to release anybody, because it’s going to cost the state this much”? It’s deplorable.
AMY GOODMAN: [inaudible] came out. And later, when she became senator, she said that it was her prosecutors who argued this in court. She said she thought it was reprehensible — not at the time. She says she didn’t know about it, but said the buck stops with her, and so she took responsibility. It’s unclear if she knew about it. But this whole issue of firefighters like you, you come out of prison, you’re extremely experienced. Cal Fire sings your praises, because you’re doing the most difficult work. Yet you find it so difficult then to become a firefighter. Like, right now for the many people who are released, even perhaps early because of the COVID pandemic, why don’t they just immediately hire you, since you have the experience, you’ve fought these fires, at Cal Fire salaries, not to mention giving more money to the prisoner firefighters?
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Yeah, that’s the question, right? I mean, you take, like, myself. I was a lead engineer on a Type 1 fire engine and a lead on an ambulance crew. I don’t know what more qualification you would need, right? That should automatically entitle me to go right into a department upon my release. But that’s just not the case. You know, for, like, me being more of a municipal firefighter, they want us to have an EMT certifications, and state law right now currently blocks me from getting that. If there is —
AMY GOODMAN: Because you were formerly in prison?
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Because I was formerly in prison, yes. And right now, like, we’re hearing Cal Fire get on these interviews and say that we just lack resources. Well, what they’re not saying is we lack the incarcerated firefighters. That’s the issue, right? Because we make up the backbone of the firefighting department. And if we’re saving the state $100 million, how much more can we save the state by taking formerly incarcerated people coming out of these fire camps, coming out of these firehouses, and putting them right into employment?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I’m wondering: When you were out there fighting these fires, to what degree did you encounter National Guard troops? Because I’ve been surprised, time and again, at how few National Guard are mobilized when these fires spread in California.
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Well, I myself am not qualified to answer that, because I was at any actual functioning firehouse. I wasn’t at a camp. So I didn’t get to go out to a wildland firefighters. I instead was resided to the city of San Quentin, the quote-unquote “city of San Quentin,” and where they had a full residency around there. And so I was doing basically municipal firefighting.
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about what you did when you were in prison, or what you’ve heard people are doing, for example, at San Quentin, with the COVID outbreak? I mean, you have, one of the worst outbreaks in this country is in the prison system of this country.
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: San Quentin at its heart.
RASHEED LOCKHEART: Yeah. So, what people are doing right now, and what I’m hearing, is they’re essentially just sheltering in fear. Right? The conditions are not — San Quentin is not designed to have an outbreak like COVID-19. It’s impossible to practice social distancing. It’s overcrowded. And then people are being herded off into tents and into — back into gymnasiums that — I don’t know if you remember, about five, 10 years ago, there was an outcry about the way they were housing people in these gymnasiums. And so, San Quentin is just not set up for this type of outbreak. And so, my — incarcerated people that are still there are sheltering in place.
My fire crew that’s there at San Quentin, they’re getting more calls than they can handle. I talked to one of my incarcerated firefighters who had said that, that morning — it was only 11 a.m. in the morning — that they had been on five calls. But they had only been on five calls that morning because they couldn’t get to the other 11 that were happening. So, it’s a human tragedy, what’s happening in San Quentin. And the incarcerated people that are there are living in fear.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Rasheed Lockheart, we want to thank you so much for being with us. Rasheed worked as an incarcerated firefighter at San Quentin State Prison, was released in January, now an organizer with Planting Justice in Oakland.
And this update in the police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man: Blake’s father says his son is now paralyzed from the waist down. Protests continue there and across the country. Blake’s father will also speak at the virtual march on Washington, D.C., this weekend, along with other family members.
I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Happy Birthday to Julie Crosby and Vesta Goodarz!