Green Bay, WI: Community gathers alongside family of Jonathon Tubby for day of solidarity

Green Bay, WI – On April 18, nearly 100 members of the Green Bay and surrounding communities gathered for a rally to show solidarity and support with each other in the face of racism and police crimes. Leading the event was Justice for Jonathon, who seeks justice for Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida man who was murdered in 2018 by Green Bay police officer Erik O’Bryan while Tubby was handcuffed on the ground in the station sally port, pepper sprayed, and restrained by a police dog.

Speaking at the event was Marla Mahkimetas, a Menominee woman who spoke for her daughter-in-law Katelyn Kelly, who disappeared in June of 2020 and whose remains were only discovered in March 2021. Katelyn’s family had to endure nine months of uncertainty while her disappearance had almost zero media attention or attention from law enforcement.

Mahkimetas spoke about the importance of continuing and teaching indigenous cultural traditions, and the importance of bringing attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) who have been ignored by media and law enforcement, which in turn allows this crisis to continue.

“We did not have the coverage or the expertise, of our police departments, or of our national programs, to find [Katelyn], to locate her,” Mahkimetas said. “We are asking and demanding more from our service providers…those people who take an oath to protect the people. We are seeing world-wide that brown people are not protected.”

Also speaking was Noah Reif of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, about the importance of solidarity between different communities and the struggles specific to Black and Indigenous LGBTQ individuals.

A representative from the United Hmong Asian American Community Center spoke on police crimes and the hypocrisy of the police officers who take an oath to protect communities, then abuse their power.

Finally, the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (WAARPR) made some remarks on the importance of the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) initiative and how it can serve to fight back against the criminal activity of police.

To spread the message of solidarity to the Green Bay community, the crowd then marched while chanting “Black Lives Matter”, “Native Lives Matter”, “Stop Asian Hate”, and “No More Stolen Sisters”, drawing cheers of encouragement and solidarity from passing cars and pedestrians.

This rally marks the beginning of a new phase in the Green Bay area’s fight for justice, whether it be the fight against police crimes, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, racist and political state repression, or bigotry from the forces of reaction. Many of the attendant groups and organizations will be present for the upcoming May Day celebration in Appleton at 4pm on May 1.