Posted on 03/12/2015 12:37:30 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
MADISON (WKOW) - Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) met with African-American community leaders from Madison Wednesday and spoke with the mother of Tony Robinson, the unarmed 19 year-old man who was shot and killed by a Madison police officer last Friday night.
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson reached out to Gov. Walker on Monday asking for a meeting. He wanted to not only discuss what happened to Tony Robinson, but about helping Wisconsin's African-American population going forward.
Meeting for breakfast at the governor's mansion Wednesday morning, both Johnson and one of his top officers said they felt an immediate connection with Walker.
"The Governor has a 19 year-old, just like I have a 19 year-old and it was really just about trying to bring home the humanity plea about - this is really a tragedy," said Nichelle Nichols, chief academic officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.
Johnson said he made a point to ask Gov. Walker if he would call Andrea Irwin, the mother of Tony Robinson.
"The Governor immediately asked if he could get her number and call her right away," said Johnson.
Laurel Patrick, a spokesperson for the Governor told 27 News Walker spoke with Irwin Wednesday afternoon to express his condolences.
"Governor Walker feels great empathy for the Robinson family at losing their son and shared his and Mrs. Walker's condolences for them and for all involved," reads a statement put out by Patrick.
But Johnson and Nichols also talked with the Governor about ways the state can help the African-American community.
"I would like to see some African-American leaders work with him to create a statewide job initiative for African-American men," said Johnson.
They also pitched a statewide summer internship program for disadvantaged youths and a program to help mothers raising African-American sons.
"I felt like he was sincere," said Johnson. "He wanted to follow-up. I think he listened."
What would you do if the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club asked for a private meeting with you to avert possible deaths in your state?
Would you do like Gov Walker did and invite him for a breakfast meeting to listen and discuss it?
If not, what would you have said to Michael Johnson?
I guess that’s 3 questions.
I was on a roll but expect you can manage 3.
“Mr. Johnson, I read the police report and it is cut and dried. The Robinson man (yes - Man) was committing a crime, did not listen to lawful orders and went after a police officer. I don’t see how a meeting with you will change these facts. I wish you the best in your efforts to help boys and girls in your community but a meeting about the Robinson crime is not going to help anyone. Thank You.”
No one was meeting to change any facts.
But thank you for your reply.
Who gets to decide what courses and departments are useless?
But why talk about it then?
I’ll tell you why, to accept typical white guilt. See, lies are gold today, and truth is chicken crap. If one does not see this today then one will be forever naïve. Not saying you are CW.
We live in stone cold, in your face evil times today where still far too many on the “right” delude themselves that its just a “rough spell”.
“I would like to see some African-American leaders work with him to create a statewide job initiative for African-American men,” said Johnson.
...
Is that like jobs for jihadists?
I understand how people, bent on destroying this county by dividing it up into factions are orchestrating this but not everyone is like the Al Sharpton race-baiters.
So when reasonable people meet to avert those agitators it should happen.
Not everything is black and white.
From what I can tell the three major takeaways from the meeting were:
1: A jobs assistance program for Black men
2: A Summer internship program for Black youth
3: A program to assist mothers with the complexity of raising Black boys in todays culture.
All of those, to me, seem to be input messures designed to prevent the creation of thugs like Robinson, not to excuse his behavior or champion him as a martyr for having died at the hands of police (as a result of a situation of his own making).
I don’t see much of a problem with that. It actually seemed like Walker successfully coopted and redirected the energy towards measures that place an emphasis on instilling a good work ethic and sense of personal responsibility.
A win-win for everyone.
Iirc there’s an old saying that “Idle hands are the Devil’s playground.”
It’s also a pretty well established fact that the foot soldiers of just about every radical revolutionary movement are disaffected and directionless young men.
“Jobs for Jihaddis” was a joke because it was a grossly oversimplified solution to a grossly oversimplified and downright naive understanding of a complex problem. I don’t think it’s a very good analogy for the situation Walker seems to understand and is trying to address.
Yeah, it's called "marriage."
what you wrote has been “discussed” and implemented forever.
It’s a community feel-good that has proven to be a 100% FAILURE. IT WILL NEVER WORK!
But hey, lets keep sucking away tax payer money and try it one more time.
Their community embraces racism, hate and crime. No business will ever succeed in them, no jobs will stay.
You are past being shown anything.
That’s why they call it blind devotion.
Though I seem to remember you demonstrating a similar fealty to a different candidate not so long ago...Rick Perry, wasn’t it? Or maybe Santorum? Or was it Huntsman?
Who will be next to be offered your hand lol?
You might be interested:
Scott Walker to propose drug tests for Medicaid, food stamps "Some recipients of public benefits, including Medicaid, unemployment and food stamps, would be required to undergo drug testing, under a budget proposal announced Thursday by Gov. Scott Walker.
The governor rolled out his “workforce readiness plan” Thursday ahead of the scheduled unveiling of his 2015-17 state budget proposal on Feb. 3.
The proposals announced Thursday are aimed at providing more workers for “high-need” fields such as manufacturing, Walker said. Drug testing could affect tens of thousands of Wisconsinites receiving benefits; those failing drug tests would be offered free drug treatment and job training, the governor said.
The governor did not say what would happen to those who refuse help, although Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, referred to sending a message to recipients to “get yourself productive and stop asking the taxpayers to help subsidize your lifestyle.”
Drug testing the unemployed would apply only for people “for whom suitable work is only available in certain occupations,” Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said. Information on which jobs or job seekers would be subject to drug testing was not immediately available. About 40,000 people currently receive unemployment benefits.
The budget also will include language seeking permission from the federal government to test all “able-bodied” adults without dependents on FoodShare, as well as all childless adults on Medicaid. Some broad-based programs in other states that tested all recipients have been halted after courts found them unconstitutional."....
Who will you be supporting in the 2016 presidential election?
In a sane world, the marketplace. If it requires govt subsidies to exist, let it die.
Beg pardon?
I barely know you, madam.
And I certainly don’t know who the choices are going to be.
Listen, seriously, before you get all arch and brittle with me, let me just say that I have been very supportive and even proud, in the old fashioned Ronald Reagan way, of Scott Walker’s hard work and hard-fought victories as governor.
I just see the typical signs now-—we have all seen them before-—that consultants are working on him, polls are being watched, principles compromised.
Long-held positions are being changed.
As far as I’m concerned you are free to view these changes and evolutions as only the early necessary steps toward victory.
I’m just too worn out on making excuses for candidates whom we hope will someday change back to what they were when we first signed on.
Sorry for my “all arch and brittle.”
Never been accused of that before.
: )
Thank you for sharing your opinions with the thread.
The accusation was probably a little arch on my part!
Thanks for giving me a listen.
(at my age I know a little more than I wish about getting brittle too lol!)
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