Milwaukee County reaffirms opposition to discrimination

“The people of Milwaukee County have said again this day that we are united against discrimination, hate, and bigotry.” – Marina Dimitrijevic

In a response to President Trump‘s first 100 days agenda, including the impending executive order to ban US visas for people from Muslim-majority countries and action to place an indefinite hold on the US refugee program, Milwaukee County government took a step towards reaffirming its opposition to all forms of discrimination.

The Health and Human Needs Committee heard hours of testimony from community members on January 25in favor of a resolution, authored by Supervisor Dimitrijevic, which opposes all forms of discrimination and affirmed “Milwaukee County’s commitment to value all people regardless of race, sex, class, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, age, ancestry or nationality, ethnicity, political or religious affiliation, or creed.

“A majority of voters rejected Donald Trump in the presidential election, and the people of Milwaukee County have said again that we are united against discrimination, hate, and bigotry,” said Supervisor Dimitrijevic.

“As elected officials, we could do nothing in the face of Trump’s discriminatory agenda, or we can act. This resolution recognizes that we are a diverse community and reaffirms our commitment to value and respect all people equally.”

A broad coalition of community groups, including the Milwaukee NAACP, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faith communities, along with immigrant rights advocates, including Voces de la Frontera, held a rally in support of the resolution in the courthouse rotunda prior to the committee meeting.

An amendment to the resolution counters President Trump’s intention to restore the Secure Communities Program (SCP) and revitalize 287(g) partnerships by resolving to “prioritize keeping families together” and states that Milwaukee County “will remain a safe place for immigrants.”

After hearing from a large and diverse group of community members who testified and registered overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution, the committee moved to forward the original resolution to the full County Board at its February 2 meeting. Supervisor Dimitrijevic intends to offer her substitute resolution to the Board on February 2.