Eliot Strickon (54), a Democrat from Milwaukee, WI, lives in an Orthodox Jewish and African American urban community and serves on his synagogue’s board. He is the child of anthropologists who were students of Margaret Mead, and he describes himself as a Bundist (a secular Jewish socialist movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s). His grandmother joined the hatmakers union in the 1930s. Following in her footsteps, Strickon, his mother and his sister joined teachers’ unions.
We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect.
What are your reactions to the protests occurring across the country? They are overdue.
What are your reactions to the looting, curfews and the police response of pepper spray, rubber bullets and arrests? While the source, and motivation of some of the looting/destruction is unknown, it is clear it is attention-getting.
What do you think about the call to “defund” police departments? I am not sure “defund” is the right word. There is an urgent need to address funding priorities across the board. More equality in education, housing and banking would go a long way towards stabilizing the urban neighborhoods now contained by aggressive policing.
Have you participated in any demonstrations? I have participated in the protests.
How do you think the president has handled this crisis? My pet rabbits have handled the crisis better than Trump.
Have the events that have taken place over the last week changed your views on the upcoming Presidential election? Nope
Do you think recent events will push people to one candidate or the other? Hopefully. Trump’s reaction to the present situation has brought his authoritarian/fascistic tendencies to the fore.