Because this battlefield state is struggling with social unrest, some Democrats fear that the looting and riots and clashes will feed Trump’s argument that this is how life would be under the so-called radical left. The concern is that especially among suburban swing voters, the more uproar and violence they witness, the more their sympathy for peaceful Black Lives Matters Protestants will wane.
“There’s no doubt it’s playing into Trump’s hands,” Paul Soglin, who has served as Madison’s mayor for more than two decades, said on and off. “There are a significant number of undecided voters who are not ideological, and they can very easily go from Republican to the Democratic column and back again. They are actually the people who decide elections. And they are very upset about both the horrific massacre that is being carried out by police officers in the murder of African Americans, and … for the safety of their communities. “
Trump, of course, positions himself as the antidote to urban unrest. “So let me be clear: Violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha,” Vice President Mike Pence said in his Republican convention speech Wednesday night, with Trump watching. “We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and faith and color.”
Republicans had urged Joe Biden and other Democrats not to call for violence in the aftermath of Blake’s shooting. Biden addressed the shooting immediately, but did not condemn the ensuing violence until Wednesday in a video posted on social media.
Anger in Wisconsin over the Blake shooting erupted outside the streets of Kenosha in the world of sports when players for Milwaukee Bucks NBA team took the extraordinary step of boycotting a playoff game. The move set in motion a wave of other cancellations of sports games, and ensured that Blake’s shooting and its consequences would affect many more Americans.
On the ground in Kenosha, meanwhile, frustrations were palpable.
“The National Guard should be right around the corner right now,” fumbled resident Ron Dooley, who said he was on his way to check to see if his favorite dinner was on fire. “Look at this.” he said pointing to blocks of collapsed storefronts. “It looks like I’m in the slums of LA”
Ingram said Trump was already trying to take advantage of the city’s concerns.
“The opportunism of [Trump] in this swing state – he has already arrived at that, ‘he said of the president’s response. “He’s already shot his big stream of gasoline on the flames here.”
Ingram noted that Trump did not speak about the racism that Protestants believe was at play when a police officer shot Blake, a Black man, multiple times in the back for his young children. Insurgents then set fire to it, and on Tuesday three people were shot dead – two dead. Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois, was charged with murder.
Billy Stevens, an African-American man who helped paint the murals, agreed that the violence and destruction seen in the city of Trump provide more to point to in his election campaign.
“He’s trying to paint a picture of Democratic leaders who are weak. Personally, I think it divides in times like this,” Stevens said. At the same time, Stevens said Kenosha is desperate for order. a great show of strength. I think it is needed right now. ”
However, the sentiments and political dimensions at play here are far more complex than left-to-right as pro-Biden versus pro-Trump. Some residents said they were disillusioned with politicians and people with authority, despite their political ideology.
“I always knew this was going to happen, man,” said Ronald Grover, who lives across the street from a high school that is stepped up and protected by police teams. When sent into the downtown area run by looters, he added, “They just have to let this go.”
Grover’s wife, Liz Parsilas, stood looking at her porch, with a Glock 43 tucked into her hipband. She said she had to protect her family because she did not trust the law enforcement to do so. The night before, the couple saw a parade of people running through with semi-automatic weapons, when they warned their 11-year-old son to “stay low” when he heard explosions or fireworks.
While Grover, who is black, acknowledged that Biden addressed racism in his response to the Blake shooting, he added that the Democratic nominee “wants to take our guns.”
Randy Bryce, a one-time forward candidate for Congress living in Caledonia, mocked the idea that Trump is a president of law and order, noting the cast of associates around him who have been indicted . Bryce said although he never wanted to see violence, he understood the frustrations that gave rise to it.
“It’s very touching and I wish it did not happen, but at the same time what other outlet is there for the community to convey the message?” Said Bryce. “It comes at a time when the level of frustration is just staring at the top of the thermometer … It does not end. What will it take to stop the police from shooting people?”
However, Soglin said he is concerned that some Democrats are not paying enough attention to the business owners and residents in communities who want attacks and want protection. The situation probably has the biggest effect on swing voters, he said.
“The observation they have is that innocent people are the victims of the looters and the arsonists,” Soglin said. “They see small business people in their communities, they see their shops in the trash. See jobs lost. And people who are already under stress from the pandemic do not have much patience for this policy of punishment – punishment of innocent people. ”
John “Sly” Sylvester, a longtime Democrat and radio personality who has been active in the labor movement, said he feared Democrats would have a “blind spot” for rioters and looters.
“I think there are links people who do not understand the concept of how important public safety is to people,” Sylvester said. “We have all seen the shooting and are deeply concerned about it, but that does not ignore the need for public safety.”
