A Change.org petition to pass a bill called the Hands Up Act, which would stipulate a mandatory minimum 15 year prison sentence for police officers who shoot unarmed people, has gathered just over 2.7 million signatures. Despite strong public support, Travis Washington, who initially posted the petition, says elected officials have been reluctant to take up the proposed legislation.
Earlier today, WORT producer Jonah Chester spoke with Washington about the difficulties he’s facing in trying to turn online activism into real-world action.
(Photo: A protest in Madison to compel the Wisconsin Department of Justice to charge and arrest Rusten Sheskey, the Kenosha Police Officer who shot Jacob Blake.)