Karen Nelson, Appleton’s Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, writes a regular column called “Better Together” for Appleton Monthly magazine. During the 12/07/2020 Police Community Advisory Board meeting, she drew attention to her October 2020 column entitled “Racism Is A Crisis!” and the fact that, in that column, she discussed Appleton’s partnership with the Government Alliance on Racial Equity.
I read the article and was taken aback by the opening paragraph.
“The shooting of yet another Black man, Jacob Blake in Kenosha, was horrific and outrageous. During a peaceful protest, a vigilante killed two allies, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. A third ally, Gaige Grosskreutz, survived. These senseless acts of violence are an agonizing reminder of the life and death at stake if we do not get this right. NOW. “
Karen Nelson, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for the City of Appleton – “Racism Is A Crisis!” October 12 Issue of Appleton Monthly
The findings of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake by officer Rusten Sheskey are still being reviewed by the Kenosha County District Attorney. Likewise, Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial has not yet happened and a verdict has not been rendered. In spite of that, Ms. Nelson seems comfortable labeling Blake’s shooting “outrageous” and the shooting deaths of Rosenbaum and Huber as vigilante killings.
Additionally, her characterization of the protest as “peaceful” is simply untrue. Downtown Kenosha Inc. actually raised, to quote from their announcement, over “$250,000 to help businesses in the aftermath of protests and rioting following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police officer on Aug. 23. Many businesses in the city — especially in the Uptown and Downtown areas — were affected, some completely destroyed by fires, others with more minor issues including broken windows or lost business.”
The New York Times in their article tracking Kyle Rittenhouse’s movements on that night also states that “peaceful protests gave way to chaos, with demonstrators, armed civilians and others facing off against one another and the police in the darkened streets.” Their article paints a chaotic picture, one in which it is not clear whether Kyle Rittenhouse shot those three men as an act of vigilantism or in self-defense.
While it is normal for people to have knee jerk reactions to upsetting situations, this is not a private citizen spouting off on social media before all the facts are in. Karen Nelson is a government employee who is participating in our own city’s Police Community Advisory Board meetings, and yet she sat down and deliberately wrote an article for publication in which she indicates she already has determined not only the guilt but also the motivations of the various participants in this situation. If the Kenosha District Attorney decides to not charge Officer Sheshkey or if Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted, how will she interpret that?
More importantly, how does her worldview influence the policies, procedures, and changes that she advocates for in her job as a city of Appleton employee, and how will her advocacy affect the Appleton residents and police officers involved in controversial situations? The next time there is an officer involved shooting in Appleton will our diversity coordinator, one month after the incident and before all the facts are known, be writing an Appleton Monthly article labelling the officer’s actions “outrageous”? If there is a deadly altercation between some of our residents, and one of our citizens is facing charges, will she label him guilty before a trial has taken place and a verdict rendered?
Also of concern is the way she specifically labels the three shooting victims as “allies”. It should be pointed out that both Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber were convicted felons. While this, in and of itself, does not justify their deaths, it is concerning that Ms. Nelson would find the antiracist allyship of two felons worthy of special note. Anthony Huber was convicted of Strangulation and Suffocation and False Imprisonment during a domestic abuse situation.
Even more egregious, Joseph Rosenbaum was a sex offender who molested 5 boys ranging in age from 9 to 11 and anally raped at least one of them. You can read the statement of offense and the indictments here:
These are established facts and have been known since September. The fact that a month after these things came to light, our city’s Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator was willing to publicly highlight the allyship of a domestic abuser and a child rapist is concerning.
As the city of Appleton’s Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Karen Nelson, has an outsized ability to amplify the voices of organizations and individuals in our city that she believes further the mission of her department; that is her job and her prerogative. But can we as residents of Appleton trust her judgement in who she chooses to work with and promote given the public support she has shown for a domestic abuser and a child rapist?
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