Dec. 19, 2020 2:45p
(WGTD)---A Black member of the Kenosha City Council is feeling the pressure--and the urgency--of dealing with race and equality issues in the city.
Anthony Kennedy, one of two African-Americans on the council, was Troy McDonald's guest on WGTD's Saturday morning program, "Generation Now."
The shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer occurred on the edge of Kennedy's north side district. The council's only other Black Alder, Shayna Griffin, represents the district that's literally across the street from the shooting site. She was appointed to the position earlier this year after the incumbent, Pat Juliana, resigned and moved out of town.
Speaking on the program Saturday, Kennedy made clear he enthusiastically welcomes the new activists that have emerged since the shooting. But he says some of them don't fully understand the roles that are played by the different layers of government--and that can prove to be a hindrance to getting things done.
It can also be dangerous, he said. "You put the new activism together with a concern but not a way to navigate those concerns...that I think can be very dangerous, especially when your expectations are so high," Kennedy said.
Asked what he's going to feel the day after the announcement is made on whether Officer Rusten Sheskey will face charges, Kennedy became emotional: "Everyday we get another day to build capacity. We get another day to build empathy. We get another day to build a bridge," he said. "And the day after that announcement is made, my greatest fear is that I've been inadequate in my ability to do those things," he said.
Mayor Antaramian is in the process of forming committees to deal with a half-dozen areas of concern that were brought up during a series of listening sessions that were held following the Blake shooting.
Kennedy said there's a divide in town between people who feel Kenosha has done them well, and others who are less than enamored with the city. Greater empathy is needed, he said.
Kennedy said he's still plowing through hundreds of emails he received in the wake of the Blake shooting. Many of them called for the resignation of Kenosha's police chief.
Kennedy said he always viewed the police department as a partner in his efforts to improve the quality of life in his district. "It's why watching that video (of Blake being shot) was so shocking and agonizing because it wasn't reflective of the police department I've used to help run my district," he said.
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