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Kenosha residents, advocates react to removal of books from schools
Kenosha Unified School District removed four books from school libraries this year, joining a nationwide debate about removing books from schools. The books, which focused on LGBTQ topics and characters, were purged for having “pornographic material,” one school board member explained on social media. While their removal satisfied some residents, others worry about the effects […]
Report: How Wisconsin’s criminal legal system robs Milwaukeeans of democracy
A new report, “Still Not Free When They Come Home,” produced by the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC), examines how Wisconsin’s criminal legal system harms access to democracy in the state’s largest Black communities. Compiled over the first half of 2023, it condemns Wisconsin’s legal system as “a […]
Wisconsin’s racial disparities among incarcerated people remain high
Wisconsin continues to incarcerate its residents — especially African Americans — at rates far outpacing other states and even other countries. According to a new Prison Policy Initiative analysis, the Badger State locks up its Black residents, who make up just 6% of the state’s population, in state prisons at a rate of 11.8 times […]
Racial gap persists in Milwaukee PD’s use of stop and frisk practices, annual report states
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin is accusing the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) of not complying with key provisions of a five-year-old legal settlement that mandated an end to racial profiling stop and frisk practices in Milwaukee. Citing the latest annual report from the Crime and Justice Institute, which evaluates MPD’s compliance with […]
Is under-staffing really what’s wrong with Milwaukee’s County Jail?
As questions have grown over conditions in the Milwaukee County Jail – where six people have died over the past 14 months – citizens have demanded an explanation for the continued deaths even as city and county leaders, including the county executive, mayor and sheriff have changed. The Milwaukee County Sheriff has blamed staffing shortages […]
Could Milwaukee County become a sanctuary for LGBTQ people?
A resolution declaring Milwaukee County’s support for transgender people passed the County Board’s Committee on Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and General Services on Monday. With pressure bearing down upon LGBTQ communities across the nation, the resolution aims to establish that Milwaukee County is a safe, welcoming community for LGBTQ people, including transgender residents. The meeting attracted […]
Unrest in Milwaukee jail underscores chronic problems
“When you get to a point where you can’t take no more, you go to the extreme to do what you got to do to literally draw attention,” says Sylvester Jackson, a Milwaukee-area activist who focuses on mass incarceration. Jackson was reflecting on recent charges against 27 people held within the Milwaukee County jail. Officials […]
Climate-fueled heat wave isn’t done with Wisconsin
Clark Evans, a meteorological professor at UW-Milwaukee, is impressed by the severity of the recent heat waves that have crept northward, part of a global trend of blistering temperatures. “Some of our hottest days here in Wisconsin tend to have relatively low humidity, relatively low dew points,” Evans told Wisconsin Examiner. “So it’s hot, but […]
Rural Wisconsin towns get $1 million to combat overdose crisis
Over $1 million in federal funds will help rural Wisconsin communities respond to an epidemic of drug overdoses. Each year over 100,000 people in the U.S. die of an overdose. In Wisconsin, over 9,500 Wisconsinites have lost their lives to an overdose from 2014-2021. The funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ […]
Protesters march during Republican debate
Protesters took to the streets Wednesday evening in Milwaukee, speaking out against the first Republican presidential debate as it was being held at the downtown Fiserv Forum. Groups organized throughout the day, culminating in a gathering at Red Arrow Park, a block from Milwaukee city hall. The coalition of groups, including anti-war and pro-union organizers, […]
Activists in Milwaukee brace for Republican debate, RNC
On Wednesday evening, the city of Milwaukee will be the site of the first Republican presidential primary debate, one year before the city plays host to the Republican National Convention (RNC). Hotel rooms downtown are filling, charging higher rates to accommodate the politicians, pundits and security teams that have been arriving ahead of the debate. […]
Investigation highlights conditions at Waupun prison
Conditions at the Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI), one of the Badger State’s several over-crowded prisons, have become intolerable for the nearly 1,000 people incarcerated there, according to a Wisconsin Watch investigation in partnership with the New York Times. Since prison officials began a lockdown four months ago, people held at Waupun – the state’s oldest […]