MILWAUKEE — Just a block away from where President Biden was speaking on his investment in business, another decision of his administration was being challenged — the United States’ involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Dozens of protestors packed the streets surrounding the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, hoping to drown out the President's messages of success in business with what they say is a more important call to action.
“We, as voters, recognize that the support he's giving to Israel is unprecedented and it needs to stay at home. The money that we're spending needs to be invested here at home, in particular Milwaukee too,” said Heba Mohammad.
In a recent poll by the Associated Press, nearly 48 percent of both Democrats and Republicans overall say they want the U.S. to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
Protestor Heba Mohammad says the problem is even bigger than that.
“We recognize that the issue of Palestine is also connected to domestic issues,” said Mohammad. “If this is a true democracy, they should be listening.”
This comes as that same AP poll found specifically with Democrats, nearly 40% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.
Alan Chavoya says that frustration could cost Biden critical ground here with voters.
“He knows he needs to win the state of Wisconsin, and if he doesn't win Milwaukee, he can't win Wisconsin. And if he doesn't win Wisconsin, the odds of him winning in 2024 are low,” said Chavoya.
New polls show that 6 in 10 Americans are unhappy with the way President Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas conflict and some of the protestors say that is directly impacting how they may vote next year.
“If they think that people are just going to forget and move on to another issue, they're either really ignorant or boastful. Either way, they're making a huge mistake here and they're going to lose the election,” said Chavoya.
“Voters are recognizing that we can't keep having our system work this way because it's broken. So, we're going to hold folks accountable when it comes to the election. We're going to hold them accountable every day between now and then,” said Mohammad.
Several dozen Milwaukee Police officers arrived around 11:40 am to confront the protesters. They were armed with batons. They also lined the streets with trucks and what appeared to be armored vehicles.
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