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No-knock search warrants began in Wisconsin, Rep. Myers wants to end them here
Rep. LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) has introduced a new bill to prevent the use of no-knock search warrants by Wisconsin law enforcement. The bill was named “Breonna’s Law” after Louisville, Kentucky EMT Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old who was killed during such a raid in March 2020. “It is most appropriate for us to begin Black History […]
Legislative Black Caucus kicks off Black History Month
Wisconsin’s Legislative Black Caucus kicked off Black History Month with song, speeches, prayers and hopes for a better future in 2021. It opened a meeting Monday with caucus chair Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison), who became the first African American to represent Dane County in Wisconsin’s Legislature. “I broke 170 years of history,” Stubbs said during […]
Why did Wauwatosa PD want the phone of Alvin Cole’s sister?
On Oct. 8, 2020, family members of Alvin Cole joined the dozens who marched for justice in the streets of Wauwatosa. Protests flooded the suburb for months, as the 17-year-old had been the third person killed by former Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah. Cole’s mother Tracy, and older sister Taleavia, became central figures in the local […]
Federal eviction moratorium may not be enough for Wisconsin renters
One the first actions of the Biden administration was the move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to extend the federal moratorium on evictions, which was extended from last September to March 31, 2021. The moratorium is designed to protect tenants from being evicted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it may not […]
Activists disillusioned after approval of previously rejected COPS grant
Some residents in the City of Milwaukee were left disillusioned after the Common Council reversed its December decision to reject the $9.7 million federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant. The three-year grant, now approved by the council, will add 30 new police officers to the ranks of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), allowing more […]
ACLU of Wisconsin condemns Waukesha Sheriff’s Department for hiring Joseph Mensah
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin has released a statement condemning the Waukesha County Sheriff Department for hiring former Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah. ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Chris Ott called the move “irresponsible, and disrespectful to the community.” Mensah was sworn in as a Waukesha County deputy Monday, according to Sheriff Eric […]
After three fatal shootings in Wauwatosa, Joseph Mensah hired as a Waukesha County sheriff’s deputy
Joseph Mensah, the officer who became the focus of protests in Wauwatosa after three fatal shootings and later resigned, has been hired by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department and sworn in as a deputy. As a Wauwatosa police officer, Mensah shot and killed three people while on duty over a five-year period. Now, Mensah will […]
Lt. Gov. Barnes takes the national stage on climate policy
As the Biden administration takes power in Washington, D.C., Wisconsin’s Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes sees hope for communities in Wisconsin and elsewhere that have suffered from climate-related flooding and natural disasters. Speaking at a Jan. 21 virtual meeting alongside climate resilience officials from Rhode Island and New Jersey, Barnes said he believes that a new […]
Milwaukee activists call on Biden to reverse Trump immigration policies
Just one hour after Joe Biden was sworn in at his inauguration, a coalition of community groups gathered in Milwaukee to call for the new administration to reverse the outgoing Trump Administration’s hardline immigration policies. The action occurred as the new administration was releasing plans to create a path for citizenship for more than 11 […]
Wauwatosa PD created “protester list” during crackdown on peaceful demonstrations
The Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) began tracking activists and created a list of at least 40 protesters as early as July 14, 2020. The list was referenced in a set of emails obtained by the Wisconsin Examiner via open records requests. The internal messages also mention a “protest folder” created sometime during early days of […]
The Trump insurrection, through a Black historical lens
Celebrations of one of the nation’s most revered civil rights leaders may be overshadowed by an aura of dread, as the nation continues to process the violent uprising that occurred in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6. The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is accompanied by further calls by pro-Trump groups for mass gatherings at state […]
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride named as ‘target’ by police
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride was identified as a “higher value target” by his own police department, according to an internal PowerPoint presentation created by Wauwatosa police. The PowerPoint, sent in an email on Sep. 1, 2020, was forwarded by a member of the department’s Special Operations Group (SOG) to a supervisor in the department’s Investigative […]