If “frequently votes for Democrats” is the qualification, Wisconsin Assembly District 19 candidate Jarrod Anderson isn’t much of a Democrat at all.

Landlord Dems now run our city. Having inherited power over a de-industrialized wasteland, they imagine they can build a professionalized economy of real estate, finance, and insurance - downtown, of course, and in areas being gentrified.

As Milwaukee Beagle has said since our beginning, the RNC was not the overwhelmingly positive experience that Mayor Johnson and Visit Milwaukee sold it to us as. Economic underpromises aside, we must also discuss the violence of cops and Republicans. Despite the efforts to chill free speech, folks were able to rally in resistance. The RNC is behind us and now the real fight to keep the fascists out of office begins.

Palestinian solidarity activists in Milwaukee have been threatened, spat on, and subject to trespassing and vandalism in their homes. Five of them were beaten, restrained and dragged into custody by police. Some Zionists even went to Marquette under the cover of darkness and armed with a pistol to desecrate a Palestinian memorial.

Everyone with a brain and a heart knew that inviting the Republican National Convention to Milwaukee was a bad idea. We were promised an economic boon and safety (for the fascist attendees, at least.) We’ve gotten shuttered stores and put up checkpoints out of a shitty World War II film. And now a loved and well-known member of our community is dead – at the hand of out-of-state police who shouldn’t be “working” outside of the state-mandated “safety zone.”

Now that the Fascist Convention is here, it could be useful to remind ourselves that whatever happens, Mayor Cavalier Johnson bears the full responsibility and we need to hold him accountable for inviting these fascists to our city. We have the receipts Cavalier Johnson. Whatever happens during this convention you are to blame. We are not going to let you hide from your broken promises and responsibility.

Silence in the face of racist murder is a form of violence. The convention media spectacle eclipsing the national spotlight Mr Crump and D’Vontaye’s family are drawing unto his death is an example of this silencing violence already occurring here thanks to the RNC.

We already pay taxes to elected officials, if they don’t give us what we need then why do we think spending more taxes to create another group of people who will spend our money for us is a solution?

Today, shared revenue is essentially wealthy Republican lawmakers waging a culture war, demonizing a city, and stealing its resources to redistribute amongst their own constituents and ensure they are re-elected. Shared revenue is not a just redistribution of resources.