- Wisconsin governor dodged Black Lives Matter protesters this week at the Iowa State Fair
- Said Friday that it’s ‘ridiculous’ to propose a meeting with the movement’s organizers since it’s leaderless – like the tea party
- Wouldn’t comment on claims from Milwaukee’s African-American sheriff David Clarke, who calls the movement ‘Black LIES Matter’
- ‘I’m here to talk to voters in New Hampshire about things that matter,’ an unsettled Walker said
The Daily Mail posed the question, “If organizers for the Black Lives Matter movement came to you and said, ‘We want to sit down [with you],’ would you do it?” In response, Walker said Friday, “I meet with voters. Who knows who that is?”
When asked to clarify his response, Walker said that he would “talk to American voters, adding, “It’s the same way as saying we meet with the Tea Party. Who is the Tea Party? He also stated, “I’m here to talk to voters in New Hampshire about things that matter.”
Walker later stated, “In Wisconsin, we’re the first and I believe the only state that has a law that requires an independent review anytime there’s an officer-related shooting that leads to a death. And that’s something that I think would certainly help in terms of both protecting those that have concerns about episodes like that as well as law enforcement.”
On Friday DailyMail.com asked a focused question: ‘If organizers for the Black Lives Matter movement came to you and said, “We want to sit down [with you],” would you do it?’
‘That’s a ridiculous question,’ Walker told DailyMail.com. ‘I’m going to talk to voters. It’s a ridiculous question.’
The Black Lives Matter movement’s principal organizers – like the tea party’s – are often cited by name in news stories.
Ciara Fox of Milwaukee, Wisconsin tried to engage him this week at the Iowa State Fair, specifically noting her affiliation with Black Lives Matter. Walker ignored questions and insults from Fox, and from 50 other activists she brought with her on a bus to Des Moines.
Fox also asked him why he hadn’t met with the mother of Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old mentally ill man shot 14 times by a Milwaukee police officer in April 2014.
Walker left the state fair without meeting with Fox or the other protesters, who said they drove five hours to see him speak in hopes of starting a dialogue.
Fox said Walker ‘didn’t take one question from one black person, or one question from anybody he knew was from Wisconsin.’
But as he spoke at a ‘soap box’ event on the fairgrounds, Walker fed off the confrontation – saying he would refuse to be ‘intimidated.
Still, Republican Party is having a difficult time addressing the issues of the Black Live Matter or issues of Black People in general. Earlier this month, Donald Trump threatened to fight Black Lives Matter protesters if they attempted to speak at one of his events. Ben Carson told ThinkProgress‘s Kira Lerner, “We need to talk about what the real issues are and not get caught up in silliness like this matters or that matters.” And Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) said that racial disparities are a “serious problem” that should be confronted, “but it may not necessarily have a federal bill that we can pass that can fix all this.”
Black Westchester
Black Westchester - News With The Black Point Of View is an online news magazine for people of color for Westchester and the Tri- State area of New York at every economic level. Our mission is to promote the concept of “community” through media.
