Serious About Safety
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT
This month’s newsletter ensures you understand that “tough on crime” arguments are bait, what they try to accomplish, and how to frame the real issues at hand. We also share guidance from some of our partner organizations on the “vote no on the amendment” campaign.
WHY WE NEED A REFRAME
If we allow the parameters of this race to be defined by tough-on crime, here is what happens:
If we tell voters that we agree that they should vote based on who is “tougher” on crime, they will pick the candidate they already perceive as tougher.
Most voters don’t actually want more “tough” measures. They want to feel safer. The two are not the same and if we equate them, no community actually wins.
It reinforces the dangerous myth that more police and prisons and longer sentences lead to better safety—when, in reality, we know they don’t.
It legitimizes racial division and fear, perpetuating harmful, racist stereotypes that Black and brown people are more likely to commit crimes, ultimately making our communities less safe for everyone, especially for people of color.
Voters end up feeling more anxious from fear-based rhetoric on both sides. What they want (and what we need to provide) is to feel hope, community, and a sense that we’re all working together to make life better for each other.
These things are true whether or not they are intentional and whether or not race is explicitly evoked. In fact, by not being explicit about race, narratives may actually reinforce the implicit biases against people of color that are already deeply ingrained.
Angela Lang, Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, wrote a fantastic piece on this issue that we strongly recommend reading.
And here are the frameworks that we recommend using instead:
FRAMEWORK #1: PROTECTING FREEDOMS VS SELLING OUR RIGHTS
This election is about protecting freedoms under the Constitution and preventing corporate billionaire backers from impeding our rights.
Toplines:
This April, voters will make the choice to stand with the people and protect the Constitution or surrender our rights to the billionaires currently treating our country like a game of Monopoly where the rules are rigged, crushing any hope of fairness for the rest of us.
We’re voting to protect every individual's rights and freedoms and stand strong against anyone who seeks to strip away our liberties. This is an election to keep our rights intact—freedom of speech, the right to vote, and the promise of education for all our kids.
Our rights aren’t for sale. We need elected leaders who will protect freedoms that keep our communities strong—the freedom to say what we believe without political persecution, live with dignity, and come together and stand up for what’s right. This is about keeping our homes and neighborhoods safe, our children’s future secure, and the values of fairness and justice alive for future generations.
FRAMEWORK #2: SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY
(To counter bogus “soft on crime” attacks)
This election is a clear choice between safety for all of us and fear-mongering tactics to keep us divided.
Toplines:
We need a Supreme Court justice who understands what it actually takes to keep communities safe, not one who is banking on fear-driven politics that thrive on division and mistrust.
The opposition wants to scare us into letting them take away our rights. Sound familiar? It’s time for a shift. We must be serious about our safety— and what it takes to protect our communities.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Our friends at the League of Women Voters have a great resource explaining the amendment, why it’s an attempt at a power grab, and how to talk about it. It even has graphics you can share on your social media, so please use it!
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign also has an open letter that you can share:
Finally, help us amplify our choir. Send this guide to a friend and invite them to sign up for our monthly “Don’t Take the Bait” newsletter here.
EVERGREEN GUIDANCE
LEAD with shared values — such as community, safety, prosperity, equity, justice, or fairness — in a way that names race and class while bringing people together.
FOCUS on the creation of good — delivering jobs and healthcare, funding schools and communities, creating a process where every Wisconsinite can safely and freely cast our ballot, etc. — tangible positive outcomes, rather than the amelioration of harm (e.g., “provide for every child so they can achieve their dreams” instead of “fix our broken system”)
CAST ‘we the people,’ everyday Wisconsinites, as protagonists: Only by acting together can we move Wisconsin forward — in contrast to how our opposition is trying to hold us back. We turned out in record numbers to elect leaders to care for us and act in our interests. We pulled together throughout this pandemic to deliver meals, support neighborhood businesses, support our kids and care for loved ones. That’s why it’s so important that we bring our neighbors and communities into the story as its main actors and as active agents who can and will change the outcome.
CHARACTERIZE the opposition: Who is violating our values? How are they doing it? What is their motivation? What role does race play? These are all questions we need to answer clearly (without jargon!) in our messaging.
DEFINE + DELIVER: define this moment as a pivotal crossroads and deliver a positive, inspirational vision for the future we will create together for a Wisconsin where we all can thrive. We believe that we will win.
AVOID the opposition frame (e.g., crime, riots, government waste, freeloaders) and PIVOT to our frames of freedom, safety, community, etc. They want us to use their language- even if it’s a lie- so the narrative fights stay in their frame of fear.
DO NOT REPEAT accusations, even to refute them. (e.g., do not say “crime is....”)
AVOID the 'recipe': as always, say the brownie, not the recipe. The freedom to vote, rather than the abstraction of democracy. The ability to see a doctor when we need it, rather than simply saying expand healthcare.
DO NOT start with or get stuck in despair: people know something is wrong already. The job of a good narrative is to remember that we are not in a facts fight– we know the truth is on our side already (and if facts were all we needed, we would already have the world we want). Our job is to pull people out of despair and into a shared feeling of hope and potential.