STATEMENT ON MILWAUKEE 2021 CITY BUDGET
DELIVERED ON AUG. 26, 2020 AT MAYOR'S BUDGET HEARING
BY PAUL MORIARITY, CHAPTER PRESIDENT
The members of the Milwaukee Chapter of Veterans for Peace would like to voice support for Liberate MKE and other groups in Milwaukee that seek a 75 million dollar reduction of the MKE police budget by redirecting those funds to services that build and support a healthy community. Crime and violence do not stop through policing, nor does relying on police to handle society’s systemic injustices that are the result of monopoly and war-based capitalism.
As veterans, we have borne witness to the fact that peace and healthy communities cannot be created by force. Our police, trained in the use of violence because it is a requirement of their job, are hamstrung through the lens of this training. They are ill equipped to handle the many socio-economic conditions that require deep investments in mental and physical health, in education and training, in jobs that pay livable wages, in affordable housing, in small business entrepreneurship, and in urban environments that illustrate health and wellness (parks, festivals, markets, etc.). "
"The time of austerity in social support for the people of Milwaukee must come to an end. It can start by this modest redirection of police funds into the community, beginning a new chapter for our city; a time where we invest and create opportunity for each other. We can demonstrate that peaceful communities emerge where people feel a prosperous future is possible."