August 25, 2020
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, 608-513-7121, wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com
 
STATEMENT ON THE SHOOTING OF JACOB BLAKE
 
With shock and horror, we have seen another officer-involved shooting of an unarmed African American man, this time in our State of Wisconsin.  The video of Jacob Blake being shot multiple times by a Kenosha police officer as his children watched appears to be yet another instance of an unnecessary use of lethal force by our police.
 
As people of faith, we offer the family of Jacob Blake our prayers and support. Although we cannot begin to imagine the pain, anger, frustration, and outrage that African Americans continue to feel as their loved ones are gunned down, we join them in protesting these outrageous acts of inhumanity.
 
The nation has witnessed a long overdue rising of awareness about the reality of systemic racism since George Floyd’s cruel death in Minneapolis just three months ago. Nevertheless, awareness does not suffice in itself. Action must follow.
 
Leviticus 19:16-18 commands us “do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”  We cannot be silent while racism and violence ravage African American communities. To be silent is to be complicit.  Rather, we must speak out, and act, to combat this evil.
 
Fighting racism is a life-long task.  We stand with people of color and other oppressed minorities and pledge to work together to end the poison of systemic racism!
 
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
Executive Director, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
 
Reverend Larry Sexe
President of the Board
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
 
 
     

​The Trump Administration's assault on the United States Postal Service threatens everyone's right to a fair electoral process.  More than that, it threatens people's health and lives.  Deliveries of prescription drugs to the elderly and disabled are delayed, endangering the lives of people who depend on those medicines being delivered on time. Bills delivered late can result in late payment of rent and utilities, threatening shut-offs and evictions.

Please take action to save the postal service, preserve safe mail-in voting, and protect people's lives!

Here are five things you can do today:
  
1. Support funding for the post office and for safe, secure elections
 
As you’ve probably read, the postal service is running short on funding right before the election. The US House of Representatives has proposed $25 billion in additional funding to keep the post office running at full strength, to support mail-in voting and all the other vital services that the post office provides. The new Postmaster General has taken a different tack by removing top management, cutting overtime, removing mail sorting machines, and telling 46 states to expect delays that will affect their deadlines for absentee ballots. Check here for comprehensive coverage of the issue.
 
You can help by calling or writing our US Senators to express your views. As long as you’re writing, you can also express support for the House proposal of $3.6 billion in funding which includes funds to help state and local election officials conduct fair, secure, and safe elections despite the complications caused by the coronavirus.
 
Senator Ron Johnson
(202) 224-5323
email using the form at this address
 
Senator Tammy Baldwin
(202) 224-5653
email using the form at this address
 
2. Support continuing post office oversight to prevent drastic changes
 
The Postmaster general will be testifying before the House Oversight and Reform Committee next week about the changes he has made at USPS that may affect mail-in ballots. The chair of this committee, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, has  introduced the Delivering for America Act to stop the Postmaster General from making changes to the operations of the post office before January.  You can read more about it here.
You can help by calling or writing your US Congressperson to express your views.
 
Representative Mark Pocan
202-225-2906 
email using the form at this address
 
3. Promote local alternatives for delivering your ballot
 
Mail voting is usually a great alternative in Wisconsin, where we can vote by mail simply by requesting a ballot – no reason needed. But this year we face the risk of too many ballots overwhelming the clerks and the post offices if everyone waits until the last minute. So familiarize yourself with this important information and let your friends  and neighbors know too.
 
To make sure your ballot arrives on time to be counted:

• check your registration today at myvote.wi.gov. Oct. 14 is the deadline to register by mail or on-line
• Don't wait -  request your ballot now and mail it two weeks ahead of Election Day. If you have not sent in your ballot by Oct. 27, you should deliver it directly to your clerk's office or to a dropbox if they are available in your area.   In most locations, you can also bring your absentee ballot to your polling place by 8:00pm on Election Day, with some exceptions. See below
• The Wisconsin Election Commission recommends not waiting until the Oct. 29 deadline to request your absentee ballot, as they cannot guarantee it will get to you and then back to the clerk's office on time. 
• For more information on absentee voting, registering, deadlines, and to contact your local clerk's office to find more information specific to your district, visit MyVote Wisconsin
• Thirty-five municipalities including Milwaukee and Green Bay count their absentee ballots at central locations.  If you are in those localities and are dropping off your absentee ballot on Election Day, you must bring it to that central location, not to your polling place.  To find the list of central counting localities, check here.

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4. Sign up to be a paid poll worker
 
If you are comfortable doing so, sign up to work at the polls on election day. Most cities are facing a shortage of poll workers and would be happy to have the help. You can work for pay or as a volunteer. Sign up yourself or pass this message on to someone who could use the extra money. Read more about working as an election official 

5. Fight back against voter suppression
 
Join us for this upcoming program where you can learn more about the history of voter suppression, how it manifests today, and how you can help combat it.
 
Combating Voter Suppression In Wisconsin: Protecting Everyone's Right to Vote
Webinar Sunday, September 13, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Join us for a presentation by Matthew Rothschild, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, about the history and current issues in voter suppression across the country - specifically in Wisconsin - and ways to get involved. We encourage you to watch the short 38-minute documentary, “Suppressed: The Fight to Vote,” prior to the event.
 
RSVP here to sign up and get the Zoom link, or tune in at the time of the event on Facebook Live. This event is co-sponsored by Jewish Congregations for Social Justice - Madison, Tikkun Ha-Ir, The Interfaith Center at Miami University, and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign.

On August 6, a coalition of social justice organizations, including Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, sent a letter to the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation outlining priorities that must be included in the next COVID-19 relief package, currently being debated in the Senate. 
 
Key priorities identified in the letter include:

• Ensuring universal access to free testing, treatment, and preventive vaccines for COVID-19 regardless of immigration status, income, or any other eligibility criteria,
• Funding for states, local governments, and school districts to cover lost revenue and continue essential services,
• Additional and recurrent economic stimulus payments for individuals, regardless of immigration or family status, until the economy recovers,
• Extend the supplemental $600 per week in unemployment insurance through at least the end of the year for all workers,
• Increasing and extending the supplemental federal paid leave included in the CARES Act, as many parents face the prospect of limited in-person schooling, and workers face additional challenges with caring for a loved one, or battling an illness themselves,
• Additional funds for the homeless and those experiencing housing insecurity,
• Funding for workers who provide home health care for the elderly and disabled and dedicated funding for programs to alleviate widespread social isolation and loneliness among older adults.
• Ensure Wisconsinites have access to healthy food by increasing the SNAP maximum benefit by 15%
• Include the Pandemic TANF Assistance Act (S. 3672). This critically important funding would provide flexible emergency assistance to help low-income families cover groceries, the rent, and utility costs. It would enable states to provide emergency cash assistance to families and individuals that have been left out of other relief measures like unemployment insurance (UI), including individuals returning from jail or prison, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, and young people from low-income neighborhoods who are just entering the labor market.

Please write to Senators Baldwin and Johnson and amplify the message in this letter. Urge the Senators to pass a comprehensive package immediately that includes these vital needs.  Millions of Americans have already been waiting too long!