TAA Executive Board Statement on the Attempted Murder of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI – TAA

August 24th, 2020

We, the TAA at UW-Madison, are saddened and angry at yet another report of an unarmed Black man being shot by police. Last night in Kenosha, WI, Jacob Blake, a 29-year old father of three, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer. His three sons sat in the car as they watched a state-sanctioned attempted murder of their dad. This event hits close to home literally, as it happened just two hours south of Madison, and is another reminder of the devastating racial injustices that are continually perpetuated in Wisconsin and across the United States. We condemn racist police violence and stand in solidarity with protestors of Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Madison as we struggle for racial justice and challenge the white supremacist systems that build America.

This fight is far from over. We have and will continue to provide supplies for protestors, demand UW-Madison abolish and defund UWPD, and make donations in solidarity to abolitionist organizations. We uplift all other efforts to dismantle white supremacy within our University, including department specific demands, such as those made by the Abolition Geographies collective. We will continue to fight for defunding and abolishing police in Madison and beyond. We encourage all community members to attend the rallies at 12pm each day this week and at 10:30pm tonight.

In solidarity,

The TAA Executive Board & Racial Justice Committee