Speaker at Wisconsin county board meeting brazenly defames Wausau, Wisconsin mayor

Wausau mayor Katie Rosenberg, who proclaimed her city a place of inclusion, falsely accused of supporting genocide by a speaker at Marathon County, Wisconsin board meeting

Earlier this week, Katie Rosenberg, the mayor of the largest city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, Wausau, proclaimed Wausau a “City of Inclusion” after the Marathon County Board of Supervisors failed to pass an anti-racism resolution:

Just days after a resolution embracing diversity was voted down at the Marathon County Board, the mayor of the county’s largest city on Tuesday declared Wausau a “Community for All.”

The declaration in a press conference outside Wausau’s City Hall follows a monthslong effort by County Board members to pass a similar resolution. Last week that effort failed in a vote at the board’s Executive Committee. Wausau’s proclamation also comes on the same day the New York Times reported on the county’s effort, including quoting racist statements made by a Marathon County Board member.

That story, and the national spotlight it put on Wausau and Marathon County, was the reason for the declaration, said Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg.

“It was devastating to read that about my community,” Rosenberg said. “I felt it was necessary for us to make a strong, unified statement that we are a community for all, despite what we read in those comments in that article.”

Earlier tonight, the Marathon County Board met, and a guest speaker at the meeting shamelessly defamed Rosenberg by falsely accusing her of supporting genocide against Black Americans:

Please note that I am not an attorney. As of the writing of this blog post, Rosenberg has, to my knowledge, not taken legal action against the guest speaker, and any legal action that Rosenberg may or may not take would be up to her and her attorney(s), not me.

I don’t live anywhere near Wausau, and I am extremely outraged while writing this blog post.

What happened to Katie Rosenberg tonight was absolutely unacceptable and disgusting. Katie is one of the coolest mayors in America, and she is an unwavering champion of diversity, tolerance, and equality. Supporting equality is not racist or bigoted.

Sadly, FOX News and other far-right media outlets and programs have cultivated a fascist political culture in this country among a disturbingly large minority of Americans. The far-right in this country does not believe in democracy, human rights, the rule of law, truth, honesty, decency, or equality, and they are so afraid of equality, they are more than willing to lie and defame others by falsely accusing progressive-minded people in this country of being bigots.

Katie Rosenberg would never, under any circumstances, consider committing genocide against any racial or ethnic group. Period.