Reggie Jackson, Author at Milwaukee Independent

911 is a Joke: How our emergency response system became a nosy-neighbor hotline for white people

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Jun 14, 2020 |

“A call to 911 from a Philadelphia Starbucks’ employee about two black men not making a purchase resulted in their arrest. A call from a Yale University graduate student on a black classmate who fell asleep in a common room led to unnecessary police contact. A call from a tenant in New York City on a former Obama aide moving into his own apartment resulted in a police dispatch.” In the midst of worldwide protests, we now have another example of careless people at a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta calling the police because someone fell asleep in the drive-thru....

Trump intentionally spits in the face of Black America just by selecting Juneteenth Day for Tulsa rally

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Jun 13, 2020

“I believe in states’ rights.” – Ronald Reagan, at Neshoba County Fairgrounds on August 3, 1980 “These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a … history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom.” – Donald Trump, tweeting about his refusal to rename military bases named after Confederate leaders on June 10, 2020 At a time when people across the world have joined in a rallying cry for black lives in the United States, Donald Trump announces he will restart his campaign rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the scene of a race massacre in 1921....

The Inevitability of a White Backlash to the George Floyd Protests

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Jun 12, 2020 |

“Revolutions which are not controlled and held within reasonable limits produce counter-revolution.” – Union General Nathaniel P. Banks 1864 We are in unprecedented times. Conversations and comments about racism are taking place on a scale never seen before in American history. That’s the good news. History tells us that there will be a price to pay. Many whites that are not protesting and not having positive conversations are stewing in their anger that “Black Lives Matter” is okay to utter out loud. They don’t believe racism exist. Even if they acknowledge it does, they don’t believe it’s systemic in...

Proof is in the Pudding: The public should lower expectations about major changes in policing

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Jun 8, 2020 |

“Yet when something happens in another state, it’s very, very easy to jump on the bandwagon and say Milwaukee can do better. Shame on them. That’s an easy narrative… Two thousand years ago, an angry mob came before people to say ‘Crucify that man.’ That man being Jesus Christ. What are angry mobs doing today? We say we’re civilized, but are we really? Just think about that… And that includes you, media. You can play a big role in changing the perceptions that are out there.” – Alfonso Morales, Milwaukee Police Chief “Our position is these officers were simply...

How Quickly We Forget: The Lost and Disrespected Victims of COVID-19

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Jun 5, 2020 |

“Pettiness of mind, ignorance and presumption are the cause of stubbornness, because stubborn people only want to believe what they themselves can imagine, and they can imagine very few things.” – Madeleine de Souvre After months of staying at home other than trips to the grocery store or pharmacy my wife and I went for a “leisurely drive” by the lakefront on Memorial Day. It was the saddest experience for me in recent memory. We saw hundreds of people because we went late in the day. I am sure that had we gone much earlier we would have seen...

We Can’t Breathe! The Never-Ending Battle Against Police Brutality

Posted by Reggie Jackson | May 31, 2020 |

“But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and...