Author

Isiah Holmes

Isiah Holmes

Isiah Holmes is a journalist and videographer, and a lifelong resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His writing has been featured in Urban Milwaukee, Isthmus, Milwaukee Stories, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Services, Pontiac Tribune, the Progressive Magazine, Al Jazeera, and other outlets.

DNR PFAS Graphic

Deer liver found to have high levels of PFAS

By: - 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 […]

Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Tosa PD charges high fees for lawyer’s records requests

By: - 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 […]

Kenosha law enforcement form up with riot shields, long rifles, and armored vehicles. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Activists describe detention for protesting in Kenosha

By: - 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 […]

Wauwatosa Police Department squad cars responding during a standoff with protesters on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Isiah Holmes)

Tosa PD don’t plan to investigate ‘Whites for Wauwatosa’ letter

By: - 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 […]

A display made in Civic Park, Kenosha, after the protests, unrest, and shootings that occurred in late 2020. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Kenosha activists remain focused on Blake shooting following Trump visit

By: - 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 […]

Protesters marching and gathering in Milwaukee during the first day of demonstrations. (Photo by Isiah Holmes)

Are Milwaukee-area police shooting investigations truly independent?

By: - 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 […]

Signs hung near the front line of the stand off between police and protesters in Kenosha on August 24, 2020. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Kenosha activist taken by police in unmarked vehicle

By: - 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 […]

People look on at the clash between police and protesters in Kenosha on August 24, 2020. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Disparate treatment of militia, protesters in Kenosha

By: - 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 […]

Police watch as protesters gather on August 24th, 2020 in Kenosha. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Two killed, one injured in Kenosha in protest of police shooting

By: - 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 […]

Protesters, activists, and residents gather to march on the DNC in Milwaukee Wisconsin, August 20th. (Photo by Isiah Holmes)

Milwaukee’s DNC attracted wide array of activists and demonstrations

By: - 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. […]

Protesters gather for the march on the Trump Rally in Oskhosk, August 2020 (Photo courtesy of Voces de la Frontera Action)

Trump campaign gives activists a taste of what’s at stake in the election

By: - 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 […]

Wauwatosa officers confront protesters in the days after the incident at Mensah's house. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

The scene as a protester is arrested in Wauwatosa

By: - 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. […]