COVID-19 and the Childcare: “I Don’t Feel Like I’m Worth Anything”

September 23rd, 2020

Milwaukee Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic joined parents and childcare providers from around the  Badger State to discuss the impact of President Trump’s failed leadership on their families and finances

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GREEN BAY, Wis. — As President Trump claims COVID-19 “affects virtually nobody,” Opportunity Wisconsin, joined by Milwaukee Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, convened a group of parents and childcare providers to discuss how the Trump administration’s failure to lead has created an unnecessary crisis for so many across the Badger State. 

“Everyday we’re just trying to get through each day on top of the fear of the pandemic itself, the fear of finances,” said Alderwoman Dimitrijevic. “We were promised time and time again to get funding or relief from the federal administration, and quite frankly we just feel completely forgotten about, even to this date. Nothing has gotten better - it’s actually gotten worse. It just feels like there’s no end in sight.”

“The economic impacts of COVID-19 have disrupted the lives of Americans across the country, but the crisis didn’t have to be this bad,” said moderator Kyra Swenson, a Fitchburg early childhood educator and Opportunity Wisconsin steering committee member. “The Trump administration has mishandled both the health and economic response to the pandemic, and deaths continue to rise daily. Schools reopening this fall have brought renewed spikes of the virus, while federal aid to workers and families has beens slow and minimal, especially compared with the bailouts to huge corporations.”

President Trump and his allies have already pushed our country into a completely unnecessary crisis and have refused to allow critically-needed support for workers and families to pass. The House passed legislation more than four months ago to protect the incomes of unemployed workers and extend key lifelines for workers and families. 

“I did luck out and got a PPP, but 6% of family childcare centers [across the country] got a PPP, and only around 20% of group centers. We definitely did not get enough,” said Corrine Hendrickson, a New Glarus childcare provider. “There was a $50 billion Child Care is Essential Act that was going to strengthen and subsidize and get our industry going. It passed the House, but it’s not even seeing the light of day in the Senate. The latest bill from the Senate had $0 for child care in it. I’m really feeling quite hopeless that we’re not going to get anything.”

President Trump and Majority Leader McConnell have done nothing but delay and obstruct. If they continue ignoring these crises and spend the coming weeks focused solely on a Supreme Court seat that should be left for the next administration to fill, these crises will only get worse.

“Our income has been cut in half since this started,” said Charli Sevrin, a Green Bay parent. “I am still waiting on my unemployment, which I filed for in March. It’s really unfortunate because we pay taxes and we do our duties as Americans, and I just don’t feel like I’m worth anything during this scary, scary time.”  
Even before the pandemic, access to quality child care was largely dependent on economic status. When COVID-19 hit, newly unemployed Wisconsinites were forced to reassess their childcare needs. Many families faced impossible and incredibly difficult decisions around the health, safety, and education of their children. With schools and childcare centers beginning to reopen, these difficult decisions are not going away. 

“The dehumanization of the situation - of knowing that you are electing people who are literally ok with letting you die just so they can get money - is infuriating,” said Christin DePouw, a Green Bay parent. “It’s incredible and it’s disgusting. And so many people don’t have the choice to stay home like I do.”

To speak with an Opportunity Wisconsin representative, please email press@opportunitywisconsin.org

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Opportunity Wisconsin Calls on Senator Johnson to Honor Justice Ginsburg’s Last Wish and His Own Rule: No SCOTUS Appointment Before the Election

September 18th, 2020

MADISON, Wis. — Tonight, Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement on the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

"For nearly three decades, Justice Ginsburg served on our nation's highest court as a champion for those seeking a fair shot, whether it was on issues of equality, education, or economic mobility. Badger State residents will benefit from her judicial legacy that will live generations beyond today,” said Program Director Meghan Roh. “We call on Senate lawmakers and the president to honor Justice Ginsburg's stated wishes before her passing, and the 2016 precedent set by Majority Leader McConnell and supported by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, and refrain from considering a replacement until Wisconsinites' voices are heard November 3rd."  

In February 2016, after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Senator Johnson said he strongly agreed "that the American people should decide the future direction of the Supreme Court by their votes for president."

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COVID-19 and the Class of 2020: “We’ve All Been Dealt a Losing Hand One Way or Another”

Thursday, September 10, 2020                                                        

Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski joined recent and soon-to-be college grads to discuss the impact of President Trump’s failed leadership on their futures 

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MADISON, Wis. — As Americans hear directly from President Trump about his effort to conceal the realities of COVID-19, college students and recent graduates across Wisconsin are grappling with an uncertain future thanks to the president’s mismanagement of the pandemic. Last night, Opportunity Wisconsin hosted a roundtable discussion with some of those students and Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski to discuss their struggles and concerns about graduating into the global pandemic. 

Moderator Kate Beaton, an Eau Claire alderperson and Opportunity Wisconsin steering committee member, set the scene for the conversation, “Not only does the class of 2020 carry skyrocketing amounts of student debt - a staggering $32,731 for the average student - but this year’s graduating class also heads into the worst recession since the Great Depression due to the administration’s disastrous response to the pandemic.”

It didn’t have to be this way. The Trump Administration has offered nothing to this next generation of our workforce, many of whom are now drowning in student debt, frantically searching for a footing for their next steps.

“I had an on-campus job, and it was the one form of employment that was bringing in any kind of income to deal with expenses for my housing, my tuition, and my books. Unfortunately, I was part of the furloughs, as were many other working students on campus,” said Trenton Ebel, a senior at UW-Green Bay. “I’m kind of scared to go back to work because I don’t know what the virus would do to me if, God forbid, I were to catch it. We’ve all been dealt a losing hand one way or the other.” 

1.3 million students graduated nationwide from 2 and 4 year institutions in 2020; and they face competition against the 51.8 million people who have filed for unemployment as of July that have experience in their fields.
“You would think that in the nursing profession you would be able to find a job, but a lot of nurses were being furloughed from their jobs as well. I had so much health care experience but it was so challenging finding a job,” said Allyson Arens, a 2020 graduate of Madison Area Technical College. “The administration should have focused on the coronavirus right away and taken it seriously. The sooner we get the virus under control, the sooner people will feel more comfortable with doing things like traveling, eating out, going to sporting events.” 

“My experience was pretty traumatic - it really just came out of nowhere,” said Noah Robinson, a 2020 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. “I still have yet to receive my degree, my cap and gown, and not to mention a job after college.” 

President Trump’s economic policies have actively hurt Wisconsin by putting billionaires and big corporations first, and leaving working and middle-class people behind. Between rising housing costs, wages not keeping up with the cost of living, and nearly non-existent benefits, many in the Badger State are just barely getting by. The president’s botched policy response to the coronavirus pandemic has only made matters worse for Wisconsin workers.

“It’s not just about the mismanagement of COVID-19, the reality is that the Trump Administration was actually never building an inclusive economy from the beginning,” said Godlewski. “And further, they were never investing in you or me, the next generation.”

To speak with an Opportunity Wisconsin representative, please email press@opportunitywisconsin.org

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This Labor Day, President Trump Continues to Turn His Back on Working People

Monday, September 7, 2020

MADISON, Wis. — This Labor Day, hundreds of thousands of working people across Wisconsin face an interwoven economic and public health crisis like never seen before. For Wisconsin, the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic includes more than 100,000 permanently shuttered small businesses, hundreds of closed farms with even more farmers having to dump milk, and nearly 200,000 people struggling to pay rent and put food on the table because President Trump let federal unemployment insurance expire. 

It didn’t have to be this way. But, like his tax and trade policies before the pandemic, President Trump’s crisis response put billionaires and big corporations ahead of working people. Not only did he give corporations a $500 billion bailout, but the President endangered Wisconsin’s essential workers by forcing factories to re-open without proper PPE, leading over 700 Wisconsin food plant workers to contract coronavirus.

Unfortunately, neither the President nor Vice President Pence when he speaks in Wisconsin today will acknowledge how their prioritization of Wall Street during this crisis has actively hurt Badger State workers.  
“Forty-eight million workers are or have been thrust into the ranks of the unemployed, including nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites. President Trump has done very little to help the situation — instead, he has bolstered Wall Street and the large banks at the expense of working families,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Steering Committee Member and Fox Valley Area AFL-CIO President Mark Westphal. “The president has been ignoring the needs of American workers long before the pandemic began. President Trump’s 2017 tax law gave big banks billions of dollars in tax cuts, while raising taxes on Wisconsin’s poorest residents.

Wisconsinites have never stopped working hard, but wages have been stagnant in our state for 40 years, while the cost of living continues to rise. Instead of uplifting these workers, Trump blocked a federal minimum wage increase, a move that denied more than 800,000 Wisconsinites a pay increase and resulted in $3 billion in lost wages.” 

Today, while we honor the contributions that workers have made to our state and nation, we must also continue the call for President Trump to put working people first, not just his billionaire friends and corporations. 

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About Opportunity Wisconsin

Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies championed by President Trump and his allies these past three years, and showing how they have made Wisconsin’s economy worse off. Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.

As the RNC Concludes, Wisconsinites Tell President Trump to Stop Putting the Interests of the Wealthy and Well-Connected over Working Wisconsinites

Friday, August 28,  2020

MADISON, Wis. — This week, President Trump used his stage time during the Republican National Convention to tell the American people just how strong the economy is. But for whom is his pandemic economy strong? Certainly not the hundreds of thousands of unemployed Wisconsinites who’ve lost more than $335 million in unemployment income since the President let benefits expire July 31. Nor Wisconsin’s essential workers who put their lives on the line everyday to keep our state running, but haven’t seen a raise even though massive corporations got big tax breaks before the pandemic and a $500 billion bailout during it. And certainly not Wisconsin’s dairy farmers who’ve been forced to dump excess milk this year and continue leading the nation in farm bankruptcies. 

Over the past week, Opportunity Wisconsin has uplifted the stories of the Wisconsinites who are hurting because of the President’s economic policies, and it’s clear that the economy right now isn’t strong and it isn’t working for us.

On Monday, we heard from Tim of Appleton, as he discussed who really benefits from the Trump tax scam. “The people who really benefit from Trump’s tax cuts are the people at the top, and what it does is it leaves people like me, like most of my friends and family, out in the cold,” said Tim, a former employee at AT&T’s now-closed Appleton center. “AT&T decided to close our center within a year. The Trump administration cares more about lining the pockets of Wall Street than they do about helping Wisconsinites.”

We also heard from Becca Cooke from Eau Claire as she discussed the struggles she’s facing to keep her small business afloat. “I came back to Wisconsin to open my own small business. I didn’t come from an affluent family, so it was really kind of a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps start,” said Becca Cooke, owner of Red’s Mercantile. “I think the 1 percent and corporations are the people that are benefiting from the Trump tax law. You don’t see that trickle down to small businesses.”

On Tuesday, we held a roundtable discussion with Rep. Gwen Moore and Milwaukee County tenants struggling under the eviction crisis brought on, in no small part, by President Trump’s do-nothing executive actions. You can watch the full discussion here.

On Wednesday, we heard from Jarrett, a former JBS beef plant worker, who experienced first hand how President Trump has endangered frontline workers. Even as coronavirus cases spiked among meat packing plant employees, President Trump put corporate profits over worker safety and pushed the factories to reopen. Jarrett asked, “if President Trump cares about frontline workers, why are we forced to put our lives at risk while big corporations get richer?” 

We also heard from Angelina, another essential worker serving as a nurse in Milwaukee. She shared her frustration with communities re-opening while cases increase, saying it “puts stress on health care workers and all front line workers.” Despite this, President Trump continued to push states to reopen, even as the virus strikes communities of color the hardest. Angelina explains: “We’re going to continue to see Black and Brown communities affected at a higher rate — unless we tackle that, we’re not going to see any changes.” 

And yesterday, we heard from Anna Landmark, owner of Landmark Creamery. In the video, Anna told us: “Over the past few years, I’ve watched dairy farms across Wisconsin struggle — and I’ve seen some fold completely. It’s heartbreaking. Trump promised to take care of farmers, but he hasn’t. He helped big corporations and the billionaires get ahead, while farmers lost everything. And now, with the coronavirus crisis, Trump is still putting big corporations first. And small businesses like mine, and small farmers that I rely on, are getting very little.”

Then, we heard from Paul Adams, a long-time family farmer in Eleva. “This farm has been in the family for 148 years. Three years ago, profits were good. Now, I’m selling my cows. It’s impossible to get by,” said Adams. “Trump’s trade and dairy policies put my farm out of business.”

Last but not least, we heard from Sarah Lloyd, a dairy farmer in Wisconsin Dells. Sarah told us: “I am watching very carefully and with a very heavy heart what is happening with the workers in the meatpacking plants. Because dairy farmers are also in the beef business. When a cow is not producing milk anymore, then she goes to the beef supply chain. Our food system is so broken, we’re allowing this massive meatpacking plant to just kill their workers. And as a farmer, I must be in solidarity with the workers! We’re dependent on each other.”

President Trump’s economic policies have actively hurt Wisconsin by putting billionaires and big corporations first, and leaving working and middle-class people behind. Between rising housing costs, wages not keeping up with the cost of living, and nearly non-existent benefits, many in the Badger State are just barely getting by. The president’s botched policy response to the coronavirus pandemic has only made matters worse for Wisconsin workers. President Trump’s remarks during the convention this week rang hollow for millions of struggling families, and that’s why folks all across our state told President Trump this week: Stop putting the interests of the wealthy and well-connected over working Wisconsinites.

To speak with an Opportunity Wisconsin spokesperson, please email press@opportunitywisconsin.org

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About Opportunity Wisconsin

Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies championed by President Trump and his allies these past three years, and showing how they have made Wisconsin’s economy worse off. Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.

President Trump’s Economic Agenda Has Spoiled Wisconsin’s Dairyland

Thursday, August 27,  2020                                                             

MADISON, Wis. — Today, President Trump will take the convention stage to proclaim he has made America the ‘Land of Greatness,’ and declare the economy his crowning achievement. 

But, as Wisconsin’s struggling dairy farmers have been saying for a long time, President Trump’s economic agenda and his coronavirus response have exacerbated the challenges Wisconsin’s great dairy industry faces. In 2020 alone, more than 300 Wisconsin dairy farms have been forced to shutter. Since the very beginning of his administration, President Trump’s economic policies have only exacerbated the problem by pitting family farmers against corporate special interests, and leaving farmers in a worse position to face a crisis of this magnitude. 

Check out this video of Anna Landmark, owner of Landmark Creamery. In the video, Anna tells us: “Over the past few years, I’ve watched dairy farms across Wisconsin struggle — and I’ve seen some fold completely. It’s heartbreaking. Trump promised to take care of farmers, but he hasn’t. He helped big corporations and the billionaires get ahead, while farmers lost everything. And now, with the coronavirus crisis, Trump is still putting big corporations first. And small businesses like mine, and small farmers that I rely on, are getting very little.”

In 2019, Wisconsin led the nation in dairy farm bankruptcies. In the same year, the state lost more than 10 percent of its dairy operations as farmers sold their cows amidst a fifth year of poor milk prices. What’s more, exports of U.S. dairy products to China have declined over 50% in 2019 due to Trump’s trade war.

Check out this video of Paul Adams, a long-time family farmer in Eleva. “This farm has been in the family for 148 years. Three years ago, profits were good. Now, I’m selling my cows. It’s impossible to get by,” said Adams. “Trump’s trade and dairy policies put my farm out of business.”

To make matters worse, dairy farmers have been forced to dump excess milk, since their product is extremely perishable. And instead of helping Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, President Trump has threatened to veto the HEROES Act, a bipartisan bill passed in the House months ago that provides $500 million to pay for milk to be processed into dairy products and donated to nonprofit entities instead of being dumped.

Check out this video of Sarah Lloyd, a dairy farmer in Wisconsin Dells. Sarah tells us: “I am watching very carefully and with a very heavy heart what is happening with the workers in the meatpacking plants. Because dairy farmers are also in the beef business. When a cow is not producing milk anymore, then she goes to the beef supply chain. Our food system is so broken, we’re allowing this massive meatpacking plant to just kill their workers. And as a farmer, I must be in solidarity with the workers! We’re dependent on each other.”
Wisconsinites know America is indeed a land of greatness — but dairy farmers know America is a land of greatness in spite of President Trump’s spoiling of their livelihoods, not because of it.

To speak with an Opportunity Wisconsin spokesperson, please email press@opportunitywisconsin.org

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About Opportunity Wisconsin

Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies championed by President Trump and his allies these past three years, and showing how they have made Wisconsin’s economy worse off. Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.

President Trump’s Heroes Are Billionaires, Not Essential Workers

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

MADISON, Wis. — Today, President Trump is expected to proclaim America as the “Land of Heroes.” We agree — but we have very different definitions of American heroes. The real heroes during this pandemic are the frontline workers who put their lives on the line to keep our communities running, which is why we have advocated for hazard pay and the protections promised in the HEROES Act. Unfortunately, Instead of working to advance this legislation, President Trump has shown that the only people he wants to fight for are the wealthy and well-connected.

Before the pandemic, President Trump’s tax law gave Wisconsin’s 1 percent a nearly $40,000 tax cut, while those earning less than $23,900 got a measly $30 tax cut. Now, coronavirus has devastated our state — more than 1,000 Wisconsin residents have died, thousands have lost their homes, and over 210,000 people are out of work. President Trump’s policies have not saved our state from this crisis, and while essential workers struggle to survive, Wisconsin’s eight billionaires added over $14 billion to their wealth since the pandemic began. 

Check out this video of Jarrett, a former JBS beef plant worker, who experienced first hand how President Trump has endangered frontline workers. Even as coronavirus cases spiked among meat packing plant employees, President Trump put corporate profits over worker safety and pushed the factories to reopen. Jarrett asked, “if President Trump cares about frontline workers, why are we forced to put our lives at risk while big corporations get richer?” 

President Trump has repeatedly prioritized the wants of the wealthy over the needs of working people. He handed a $2,400 per month pandemic pay cut to almost 200,000 unemployed Wisconsinites, resulting in food scarcity for almost 350,000 households. Instead of expanding unemployment insurance, he approved a $135 billion tax break for millionaires and gave out loans to billionaires like Jeff Bezos, country clubs, and his own Cabinet members. 

Listen to Angelina, another essential worker serving as a nurse in Milwaukee, in this video. She shares her frustration with communities re-opening while cases increase, saying it “puts stress on health care workers and all front line workers.” Despite this, President Trump continued to push states to reopen, even as the virus strikes communities of color the hardest. Angelina explains: “We’re going to continue to see Black and Brown communities affected at a higher rate — unless we tackle that, we’re not going to see any changes.” 

President Trump may praise frontline workers on camera, but he has done very little to protect them. By blocking hazard pay and prioritizing aid to corporations, it’s clear that his real heroes are billionaires — not essential workers.

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About Opportunity Wisconsin

Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies championed by President Trump and his allies these past three years, and showing how they have made Wisconsin’s economy worse off. Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.

Rep. Gwen Moore Joins Opportunity Wisconsin in Roundtable on Rising Eviction Rates in Milwaukee County as President Trump Fails Wisconsin with Botched COVID Response

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Last night, Rep. Gwen Moore joined Opportunity Wisconsin and a group of Milwaukee residents to discuss the evictions crisis in Milwaukee County. Last month, President Trump allowed the federal evictions moratorium to expire, responding only with a toothless executive order that promised to “study” the issue. Fueled by this inaction, Milwaukee eviction rates are the highest in the nation, with evictions jumping 40% in June after the state moratorium expired. 

Listen to the full roundtable discussion here.

Moderated by local Milwaukee activist Solana Patterson-Ramos, the roundtable discussion made clear that the eviction crisis does not fall evenly across the state. More than two-thirds of eviction filings struck Black neighborhoods, and Milwaukee has been rated the city with the lowest quality of life for African-Americans in the entire nation. 

Some excerpts from the conversation:

“I have been homeless. I’ve known how it feels to have more month than money, and I am very enraged about the lack of action from Congress on this issue. I fear that amid the covid and the trauma of justice, the next thing is we’re going to see just loads of people’s personal things and their furniture on the street,” said Rep. Gwen Moore. “Meanwhile, President Trump, in order to put a fig leaf over their inaction, signed a worthless executive order directing regulators like the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the CDC to study whether the eviction moratorium was necessary, and to investigate instead of to provide the money.” 
“With the moratorium on evictions coming to an end in late May, evictions rose about 40% in June, leaving many families with nowhere to go. Evictions are a very emotional and taxing process,” said Solana Patterson-Ramos. “You have to deal with the reality that you just received an eviction notice, then deal with the court proceedings, and if you are not able to come up with a payment arrangement or find a new place to live by the court ordered deadline, you then have to deal with your personal items being forcefully removed by law enforcement.”

“Right here locally, what we’re asking for is a moratorium to extend until there is some type of solution towards covid-19. People should not be forced out of their homes because of the covid-19 situation,” said Jacqueleen Clark of the Autonomous Tenants Union. “Right now, this is no fault of anyone [renter]. Losing a job is no fault of anyone. A moratorium should be in place, and that’s what the Autonomous Tenants Union is asking right here in the city of Milwaukee.” 

“My husband went to the hospital May 9, he ended up passing away because of corona restrictions on June 14. From that point on, I was working, but my job ended on June 30. So I buried him on June 29, I’ve been looking for a job since July — even with him passing, I know that I have to provide for myself. I’ve been looking for a job for myself since July 9th and have been unsuccessful. As of this month, I owe my landlord $1,100 and he’s saying that as of September 11, he’s going to file a 5 day quit or pay against me which is going to result in an eviction notice,”  shared LaToya White. “It’s really disgusting that you see a lot of billionaires getting bailed out, and a lot of people that have income getting bailed out, but for those of us that are struggling, that have lost their jobs because of this pandemic, it’s ‘you better figure it out.’”

“My husband is legally blind and I have 4 children. We were illegally evicted right at the end of the covid moratorium, with no writ. We were supposed to be out on the 31st. In less than 24 hours I had to move an entire house by myself because my husband is blind. The next day, I had help, so we came back to our property to get our belongings and our doors were locked,” said Nicole Liebe. “We have not been able to contact these landlords for 6 months. We saw movers outside, and I saw them moving our stuff, and I asked what was going on and he said they were moving our things. They did not put them on the curb for us to go through. They took our stuff to West Allis dump. I had personal property, couches, my kids’ beds, their bikes, Chromebooks for school. They didn’t give us the opportunity to go through anything.”

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About Opportunity Wisconsin

Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies championed by President Trump and his allies these past three years, and showing how they have made Wisconsin’s economy worse off. Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.