Milwaukee Latino And Black Voters Including State Legislators Of Color Unite To Oppose Multiple Proposed State Redistricting Maps That Dilute Minority Majority Districts In Wisconsin

Both members of the Latino and Black communities held a press conference at the César E. Chávez Placita in the Southside of Milwaukee to oppose multiple State proposed redistricting maps including Wisconsin Governor Evers's PMC maps and the GOP maps AB624 that was approved by the Republican controlled State Assembly on Thursday.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

November 12, 2021

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, members of the Latino and Black communities including the Brown Berets, the Black Panthers and Wisconsin State Representatives Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milw) and Lakesha Myers (D-Milw), State Senator Lena C. Taylor (D-Milw) and and Peter Peckarsky (D), a candidate for the U.S. Senate held a press conference at the César E. Chávez Placita on S. César E. Chávez Drive to oppose multiple proposed State redistricting maps that includes Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers's People's Maps Commission (PMC) redistricting maps and the recently approved GOP gerrymandering redistricting maps AB624/SB621.

All the redistricting maps dilute both the Latino and Black majority minority districts in Milwaukee creating opportunity minority districts, which are not protected by the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. The maps also violated the VRA mandates and used the wrong population data process instead of using the Citizenship voting age population data.

The proposed redistricting maps violate the VRA and dilutes Hispanic and Black VAP in State Senate Districts (SD) 3, 4 and 6, which includes Assembly Districts 7, 8 and 9 in SD 3, 10, 11 and 12 in SD4 and 16, 17 and 18 in SD6.

On Thursday, Governor Evers went to the Democratic Caucus gathering before the State Assembly Session convened in an attempt to get all the Democrats to support the PMC maps that he continues to promote that creates 44 White Democrat Districts at the expense of diluting and phasing out both the Latino and Black majority minority districts, which were instrumental in electing him. 

In Wisconsin politics history, it is unprecedented to have a Democrat governor supporting redistricting maps that dilutes majority minority districts that were instrumental in electing the governor. Governor Evers has yet to publicly redraw the PMC maps, apologize to both the Hispanic and Black communities for the mishap or even condemn the maps for diluting his Latino and Black voting block base that actually got him elected in the first place.

Also making history on Thursday, 17 Democrats including State Representatives Ortiz-Velez, Cabrera and Myers voted with all the Republicans to reject Governor Evers PMC's maps. Only 21 Democrats voted in favor of the PMC maps.

Governor Evers is expected to veto the GOP redistricting maps and most likely the legal battle to determine, which redistricting map will actually be adopted, would have to be decided in a State court or a federal court.

Sen. Taylor says that they will acquire attorneys to represent the Latino and Black communities in a court battle.