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Deer liver found to have high levels of PFAS
By: Isiah Holmes - September 17, 2020
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released a report on its examination of the liver of a deer, which was found to have high levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluroalkyl substances). As a result, the DNR and Department of Health Services (DHS) have issued a Do Not Eat advisory for the liver of deer […]
Tosa PD charges high fees for lawyer’s records requests
By: Isiah Holmes - September 15, 2020
“I definitely think that they are doing things that are very intentional to impede our investigation,” Kimberly Motley, a lawyer representing the families of three people killed by a single Wauwatosa police officer, told Wisconsin Examiner. It’s been months since Motley, and her colleague Deja Vishny first filed a slew of open records requests to […]
Activists describe detention for protesting in Kenosha
By: Isiah Holmes - September 14, 2020
As the National Guard leaves Kenosha and the area’s curfew comes to an end, things appear to be finally calming down in the city. The past weeks of riots, standoffs with police and large-scale protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer have left many lingering questions. Particularly concerning to activists […]
Tosa PD don’t plan to investigate ‘Whites for Wauwatosa’ letter
By: Isiah Holmes - September 3, 2020
Letters from a group calling itself “Whites for Wauwatosa” showed up in the mailboxes of residents who posted yard signs outside their homes in the Milwaukee suburb. The signs say “For Sale, Unless Politicians Keep Tosa Safe (Paid for by Tosa Taxpayers fed up with Mayor and City Council).” Residents who placed the signs outside […]
Kenosha activists remain focused on Blake shooting following Trump visit
By: Isiah Holmes - September 3, 2020
National Guard soldiers and scores of police officers waited behind the large black security gates surrounding the Kenosha city hall, looking on as a crowd of protesters gathered in Civic Park. President Donald Trump had just completed his controversial visit to the city, which has experienced massive protests and unrest since the shooting of Jacob […]
Are Milwaukee-area police shooting investigations truly independent?
By: Isiah Holmes - September 2, 2020
After the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that there would be an independent investigation. “The statute in Wisconsin demands, quite appropriately, that an independent investigative agency does all the investigative work in this case,” said on August 26. Blake’s shooting will be investigated by the Wisconsin […]
Kenosha activist taken by police in unmarked vehicle
By: Isiah Holmes - August 27, 2020
Activists in Kenosha were panicked when they first learned that Adelana Akindes, a 25-year-old local organizer, was taken by law enforcement personnel during the evening hours of Aug. 26. There had been a surge by the National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) into the city. Although Gov. Tony Evers rejected Department of […]
Disparate treatment of militia, protesters in Kenosha
By: Isiah Holmes - August 27, 2020
As more Wisconsin National Guard troops pour into Kenosha alongside hundreds of state and federal law enforcement officers, residents are bracing for more turbulent nights. Some are objecting to a 7 p.m. curfew and the lack of explicit protections for press and legal observers. “The curfew in Kenosha is without precedent,” Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan […]
Two killed, one injured in Kenosha in protest of police shooting
By: Isiah Holmes - August 26, 2020
Late on Tuesday night, two people were killed and another injured after shots were fired at a gas station near 63rd St. and Sheridan Rd., according to a Kenosha police report. The spot had become a tense gathering spot for protesters and a group of armed men who told The New York Times they were […]
Milwaukee’s DNC attracted wide array of activists and demonstrations
By: Isiah Holmes - August 24, 2020
Although the Democratic National Convention (DNC) became a scaled down event with mostly virtual presentations, groups of protesters nevertheless made their presence and causes known. During both the day and nighttime hours, activists and organizers from a wide range of groups held marches, rallies, and demonstrations, hoping to grab the attention of the Democratic Party. […]
Trump campaign gives activists a taste of what’s at stake in the election
By: Isiah Holmes - August 20, 2020
“We should be moving towards progress, and now it just seems that we kind of went backwards,” Idalia Cervantes, a regional organizer with Voces de la Frontera Action, a branch of the immigrant and Latinx advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, told Wisconsin Examiner. November is approaching, and the group has continued to shape and […]
The scene as a protester is arrested in Wauwatosa
By: Isiah Holmes - August 18, 2020
On Aug. 14, the Wauwatosa police made one of their first arrests of a Black Lives Matter protester after weeks of sustained protests in the Milwaukee County suburb. Protesters had started in Milwaukee, and marched down Wells Street to cross into Wauwatosa. Police confronted the marchers as they reached the city limits. On Aetna St. […]