Caffeinated Politics

At the close of the Wisconsin gubernatorial debate, Republican candidate Tom Tiffany painted an uplifting picture of Wisconsin. He said he saw the best of Wisconsin when his plane crashed, and help arrived. He said he wants others to see that side of the state, too. I liked his summation, as it had a different tone than what we have heard and seen in this election cycle. But another side of Wisconsin also demands the Republican nominees’ attention. I sincerely ask him to address this matter.

An 18-year-old with a 4.0 GPA graduated early, works a job with a major communications company to pay for college, and this fall cops were called on him in Oconomowoc for walking door to door as a Black young man while asking if they liked their current service providers. His white teenage co-worker continued ringing doorbells with no police interaction.

Late Friday afternoon, that young man was walking up the sidewalk alongside our home on the Madison isthmus. I was sure he was a canvasser for a midterm-election candidate. I instantly started a conversation. He smiled and said he worked for ATT. He was engaging and conversational, and after we moved past service providers, I asked if he was registered to vote. He had registered two months earlier in Milwaukee, where he lived. In fact, he was going to vote in a general election for the first time now that he was 18. I thanked him for his civic duty. As we continued chatting, he opened up about Oconomowoc, the number of Tiffany signs that populated the community, and a recent workday there, which ended with police being called on him.

He showed identification to local police. He showed proof of employment. His white co-worker didn’t face the same scrutiny. After the interaction, the young Black man received a written warning and was told that if he returned to Oconomowoc, he could face arrest and jail time.

Think about what message that sends.

I hate to write the following paragraph, as this young man shouldn’t need to be explained or rationalized for being a Black person in a white community. But due to the racism that is so open and unrestrained and at the heart of this story, I will add the following lines. This slender young man was so well put together, groomed to a T, neat, dressed nicely, with flawless vocabulary and speech. 4.0 grade point average, with certainty. By every measure, he represents the kind of young person politicians routinely celebrate in campaign speeches. I would like Tiffany to consider this young man and this moment in our state.

I talked with the teenager about the police being called because he was Black and asked him to convey his feelings to me. That is when he told me about his basketball team, which he really enjoyed. They played other teams from Oshkosh down to parts of Southeast Wisconsin. He travels with his teammates to competitions. His face pinched with worry when he asked, hypothetically, what would happen if he were a passenger in a car with a malfunctioning taillight in Oconomowoc and police pulled the car over and found him among the other teammates.

Think about the absurdity of what happens when a young man works hard in school. He graduates early. He gets a job to help pay for college. He follows the rules. Imagine being that young man’s parents. Imagine telling your son that education matters, that character matters, that hard work matters, and then having to explain why he was singled out while doing his job. Imagine being that young man riding with teammates to a basketball game. Imagine knowing that a routine traffic stop, even as a passenger, could suddenly become a source of anxiety because of an earlier encounter with authorities that started with racsim at the core.

Something is deeply wrong when young Black men can do everything society asks of them and still be made to feel like they don’t belong.

Tiffany’s vision of Wisconsin is about successful businesses, thriving neighborhoods, busy taverns, and community festivals. But he also has a responsibility to see the young Black man who stood in my driveway, a guy wondering whether his skin color made him suspicious before he ever spoke a word. Tiffany needs to speak loudly in the closing days of this campaign to white voters with Tiffany lawn signs who call police because a Black man is ringing their doorbell.

The real measure of a state is not how warmly it treats those who fit comfortably into the majority, but how we make damn sure everyone feels the same. If Tiffany wants to talk about our state’s virtues, he should also make time to listen to the young Black men whose experiences tell a different story.

I looked the teenager in my driveway in the eyes, moved closer, put my hand on his shoulder, and said I was deeply sorry to hear about his experience. I asked him not to lose faith in his fellow man.

The words just felt so inadequate.