Long before “abolish the police” became a regular refrain across the country, and discussion about redirecting public funding from policing to social services was common, Markasa Tucker and others had been digging into the city budget and making their case. Working with the African American Round Table, of which she is the director, and Liberate MKE, Markasa is “fighting for liberation” and wants to defund police. When Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed in 2014, Markasa felt compelled to empower people to engage in the political process. “That is what struck a nerve for me,” she told “The Shepherd Express” of her reaction to Dontre’s death. Dozens of organizations have signed on and seek to redirect $75 million from policing to public health and housing cooperatives. AART also advocates for protesters and wants the Milwaukee Police Department to cease using rubber bullets and tear gas. Markasa has been a coalition builder for a while, despite what she describes as a sheltered upbringing. That led to conscious choices about building connections, she says, as a day care manager and through The Alternative Inc., a Christian-focused organization. Later, she co-founded Uplifting Black Liberation and Community (UBLAC) and took the helm of the African American Roundtable, an arm of Wisconsin Voices, which brings community leaders together to promote racial equity. Markasa recently told the “Journal Sentinel:” “We’re going through the consequence of white supremacy not being addressed, racism not being addressed, divestment from communities not being addressed. So much more has not been addressed that people shouldn’t expect any other response.”