Efforts to recall Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers are happening amid unrest that’s plagued the state after the August police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.
A woman filed the paperwork on Aug. 28, with organizers in several communities collecting signatures to recall the Democratic governor and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, according to TMJ4 of Milwaukee.
Jackie Weisser, a critic of Evers who joined others on Monday to sign the recall petition, said she believes the time is now to remove the governor.
“I just think Gov. Evers has done a poor job, and it’s just time to remove him,” Weisser said.
For Jefferson Davis, the civil unrest that’s escalated in recent weeks pushed him to support the petition.
“Now, all of a sudden that they’ve been called out, now they want to make it good,” Davis said. “Well, the toothpaste is out of the tube. It’s too late, and now we want to restore justice. We want to restore civility.”
Wisconsin was thrust into the national spotlight after video footage captured a police officer shooting 29-year-old Blake seven times in the back in front of his children. The officer, Rusten Sheskey, has been placed on administrative leave along with the other officers who were on the scene. No charges have been filed against Sheskey. Blake remains hospitalized.
The incident occurred only a few months after the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked unrest and violent protests across the country for several weeks.
Evers called upon 500 National Guard members to help corral the unrest in Kenosha but has been criticized by some Republicans for not calling for calm in the immediate aftermath of Blake’s shooting on Aug. 23.
The governor had also urged President Trump to reconsider his visit to Kenosha, where the president spent part of Tuesday to thank law enforcement.
Efforts to recall Evers mirror former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s survival of a recall election in 2012. Walker challenged Milwaukee’s Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett, who said he opposes a recall on Evers, during the election.
“Gov. Evers has a 57% approval rating,” Barrett said. “He’s been to Kenosha. He’s working with local officials, working with the national guard to make sure order is maintained. I would be very surprised if it moved forward at all.”
Election officials said 668,327 signatures are needed to trigger a recall election. Supporters have 60 days from the filing date to complete the petition.
