The Coalition for More Responsible Transportation held a press conference in Milwaukee on March 20 to respond to the federal approval of the I-94 expansion project. We reiterated our concerns that this project will disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities in Milwaukee.
Speakers:
- Rev. Joseph Jackson, Jr. of Friendship Baptist Church, Vice-President of Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH)
- Ann Bowe, Volunteer and Master Naturalist, Friends of Valley Park and Gardens
- Kyle Johnson, Black Leaders Organized for Communities (BLOC)
- Julie Enslow, Facilitator, 350.org Milwaukee and Co-founder, Peace Action Wisconsin
- Rene Settle-Robinson, MD, and Member, Healthy Climate Wisconsin
Coverage of the press conference:
‘Fix at Six’ Group Wants I-94 Expansion Delayed For Civil Rights Report » Urban Milwaukee.
1000 Friends of Wisconsin has fought the I-94 expansion project for over a decade. We are encouraged to see coalitions across the nation calling for an end to freeway expansion. 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and many of our partners within the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation signed on to America Walk’s Communities Over Highways Call for Action. We call on Wisconsin elected officials and transportation agency staff to adopt the following priorities
- Fix It First: maintain existing roads and bridges before building new, larger ones.
- Safety Over Speed: retrofit dangerous roads and streets to make them safer for people walking, biking, and driving.
- Make Transit Work: provide capital and operations funding for reliable, affordable public transportation that connects people to jobs, services, amenities, health care, and each other.
- Reconnect Communities: dismantle targeted highways and invest in the communities around them to increase opportunity and redress the harms these projects have inflicted.
