Programs & Initiatives
WAUKESHA NAACP-REVOLVING BAIL FUND (PILOT)
Holding someone in jail because they are too poor to post bail is unethical and unjust. Every citizen has a right to be free until they are convicted.
The Waukesha NAACP is exploring the prospects of a pilot Revolving Bail Fund.
What are the impacts of holding someone in jail without being convicted of a crime?
The accused has a realistic possibility of losing their job. (most states like Wisconsin have laws supporting employer’s rights to terminate employment for any reason-or no reason at all)
The accused has a realistic possibility of losing their children to state control.
The accused has a realistic possibility of being subjected to violence in prison resulting in physical, mental, and emotional impact long after they are released.
The accused has an increased likelihood to ‘cut a deal’ and plead guilty even if they are not guilty to get out of jail quickly.
How would the revolving bail fund work?
Step 1: A Waukesha County resident is arrested, charged with a crime, and bail is set by a judge.
Step 2: Through close partnership with the Waukesha County Public Defender’s office, the Waukesha County NAACP is presented with a candidate that would be a good fit for us to support with the revolving jail fund (based on criteria our local chapter agrees to).
Step 3: A committee of Waukesha County NAACP members will convene an emergency committee meeting by phone or other electronic means such as Zoom and decide if we should use funds to post bail for the accused.
Step 4: If the committee agrees, bail is posted and the accused is released as soon as possible.
Step 5: The committee will partner closely with the accused resident who was released, alongside the public defender’s office. Our goal is to help ensure the accused returns to court at the appointed time so bail is returned.
Step 6: When the resident arrives at the appointed trial date, the bail posted is returned to the Waukesha County NAACP and the funds are ready to be used to help another resident.
COVID-19 & ITS IMPACT IN GREATER MILWAUKEE
The Waukesha NAACP calls for an immediate COVID-19 response that takes into account the pervasive racial injustices within the area. This COVID-19 response effort must include consideration of those individuals who are impacted by:
Shared living spaces,
Limited access to neighborhood commerce,
Over-priced convenience goods,
Neighborhood congestion,
Limited public transportation,
Cash-based economies,
Racial discrimination and bias,
Mental health, and
Economic trauma.
BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS IN WAUKESHA.
Hundreds gathered in Waukesha on Monday, June 1 -- protesting the officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. The group marched through the city, with a stop at the Waukesha County Courthouse, and continued through residential neighborhoods downtown -- and at one point, law enforcement knelt with the protesters. FOX6 News Milwaukee
HEALTHCARE EQUITY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
In the midst of this crisis, the NAACP Wisconsin State Conference has received complaints that African American and Latino suffers of COVID-19 who believe that they may not be receiving equal healthcare in the Greater Milwaukee area. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from the federal government or are administered by an Executive agency or any entity established under Title 1 of the ACA. Section 1557 makes it unlawful for any health care provider, such as a hospital or doctor, that receives funding from the federal government to refuse to treat an individual or to otherwise discriminate against the individual based on the individual’s race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
No Providers Shall Deny or Limit COVID-19 Care to People Because of Their Race
Providers Shall Not Engage in Unlawful Discrimination in the Assignment of Staff on the Basis of Race, Color, or National Origin, Even if Such a Request is Made by a Patient or Resident.
Providers Shall Not Rely on Race, Color, or National Origin When Deciding Whether to Deny or Limit COVID-19 Treatment
Providers Cannot Deny or Limit Treatment to A Person with Because They May Require Reasonable Accommodations
No Provider Shall Refuse or Limit Services on the Basis of Race, Color, or National Origin in Determining the Geographic Area Where They will Provide a Health Program or Activity for COVID-19 treatment.
Provider Must Provide Meaningful Access to Individuals with Limited English Proficiency in its Health Programs and Activities related to COVID-19 treatment.
Additional information on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act can be found online at https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/section-1557/1557faqs/index.html.
ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE: THE EVOLUTION OF POLICING IN THE LIGHT OF PROTEST.
The Waukesha NAACP advocates for the fortification of our local communities and re-establishment of trust among all citizens of the great state of Wisconsin in this time of protest. To accomplish this goal, the following five (5) recommendations are in order: (1) Demilitarize all municipal police departments in Wisconsin; (2) Establish independent internal affairs investigators and civilian oversight boards with unrestricted access to all files, documents, videos, images, etc., in order to effectively oversee all municipal police departments in Wisconsin’s counties; (3) Require all municipal police officers to take 80 hours of de-escalation training every year; (4) End the use of all “no-knock” warrants in Wisconsin’s counties; and (5) Implement a statewide “no tolerance policy” for the use of excessive police force.