The eyes of America go to Wisconsin, reminding us how much better we need to be

You may have heard that it has not been a great last 48 hours in Wisconsin. Starting with a different Jake of a Different Color getting shot in the back in Kenosha and paralzyed, after cops responded to a domestic dispute that Mr. Blake was allegedly trying to break up.

The shooting was caught on camera, and it reignited protests that had largely calmed down over the last two months. All 3 head coaches of Wisconsin's pro sports teams made statements reiterating that Black Lives Matter and that things in our state needed to change for the better, as did Green Bay's future Hall of Fame quarterback, who called the shooting part of a "systemic problem."

And it wasn't just Wisconsin-based athletes speaking about the shooting.

And y’all wonder why we say what we say about the Police!! Someone please tell me WTF is this???!!! Exactly another black man being targeted. This shit is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE https://t.co/cJxOj1EZ3H

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 24, 2020

F THE GAMES AND PLAYOFFS!!! THIS IS SICK AND IS A REAL PROBLEM WE DEMAND JUSTICE! ITS CRAZY I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS BUT WTF MAN! THIS IS WHY WE DONT FEEL SAFE!!!! https://t.co/3E4Dd2wS3e

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 24, 2020

Unfortunately, violence accompanied some of the protests in Wisconsin. Many local Kenosha businesses are total losses after last night.

Several businesses burning in #Kenosha’s Uptown district. Just a horrible scene. pic.twitter.com/n0Dph0Xg7R

— Julie Bosman (@juliebosman) August 25, 2020

A similar scene happened in Madison, where tear gas returned to the Capitol Square, dumpsters were set on fire, and numerous windows were broken out around downtown.

Argus, The Rigby, Tipsy Cow, and several other bars on East Main were smashed by protesters Monday night. pic.twitter.com/Zyytm1pjg8

— Isthmus (@isthmus) August 25, 2020

Take a guess what WisGOP chose to talk about today. .

Attack on the Wisconsin State Capitol https://t.co/oYS9i2p4PL via @YouTube

— Sen. Howard Marklein (@SenMarklein) August 25, 2020

For the 2nd time this summer, my Capitol office was vandalized by a violent mob of rioters. Gov. Evers has the resources & the responsibility to put a stop to this violence & destruction, yet he foments division and destruction. Read my full press release: https://t.co/edGog0CkpY pic.twitter.com/tMybHbS6Dz

— Sen. Chris Kapenga (@SenatorKapenga) August 25, 2020

Two nights of violence in Kenosha and we’ve seen many tweets/statements from the Governor & Lt Gov condemning the police, but I haven’t noticed one yet that condemns the violence and property damage. #KenoshaRiots

— Jim Steineke (@jimsteineke) August 25, 2020

After all, if you talk about violent reactions and whine about Governor Evers, you can avoid talking about why those people are angry in the first place, and actually having to do anything about it. You also don't need to do anything about Wisconsin having some of the largest Black-white disparities in America, or why a lot of people feel their position in society allows them to do whatever they want without consequence.

Which is why the feeling I have today (beyond seething anger at the racial violence) is weary resignation. Republicans in this state will not do anything about the real racial problems that exist here, and the reason why is because they think those disparities and the resentments that result helps them win elections.

WI has become one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, and the legislature feels no pressure to respond to real problems. In fact, they have made problems of race and policing worse (thread). https://t.co/n516ltmPdB

— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) August 25, 2020

The only answer is to blast them out of power (via the voting booth, people!), and to keep them out of power for years. It's the only way real steps can be made in correcting this horrid situation in Wisconsin, and allow things to get better. Or else we'll continue with this state's economic apartheid, and the inevitable bad incidents that follow, which leads to more uprisings and more destructive resentments.

There was only one thing from last night's activity in Madison that made me smile.

“You have stolen more than we could ever loot,” spray painted on the building. pic.twitter.com/RFYOnudnnm

— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7) August 25, 2020

You shouldn't be trashing any place, and it's not helping the cause of racial justice. But if you feel you have to, at least focus on the people that worked to create the messed-up conditions that we are in today. State Street shopkeepers are not your enemy, but the oligarchs down the hill might be.