Civil Rights & Immigration
Wisconsin Supreme Court rules teen should be tried as an adult in Mayfair Mall shooting
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a 17-year-old boy should be tried as an adult for his involvement in a mass shooting at Mayfair Mall in late 2020. The teen, known only as “X.S.” in the court decision, was headed for juvenile court after Milwaukee County Children’s Court Judge Brittany Grayson denied prosecutors’ request […]
Voces de la Frontera demands Biden act to protect immigrants
Voces de la Frontera Action, the Milwaukee-based immigrant rights group, is denouncing a decision by a federal judge in Texas suspending a Biden administration policy that prioritized the arrest of undocumented immigrants who present public safety threats. The ruling opens the door for all 11 million undocumented immigrants nationwide to become vulnerable to deportation, regardless […]
Kaul files lawsuit challenging 1849 abortion ban
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit on Tuesday arguing that the state’s abortion ban, which was enacted into law in 1849, is unenforceable. The 1849 law maintains that it is illegal for a physician to perform an abortion unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother. After the U.S. Supreme […]
Supreme Court rules in Milwaukee case involving ShotSpotter
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has rejected motions to suppress evidence in the 2019 arrest of a Milwaukee man. Avan Rondell Nimmer was arrested after Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert. ShotSpotter is a network of acoustic sensors deployed across four MPD districts that triangulates the location of loud impulsive sounds identified […]
Open letter calls for action to protect Asian students after attack near UW-Madison
An open letter signed by hundreds of current and former students, faculty and staff at UW-Madison calls for more action from university leaders after an attack on an international doctoral student last week. The student was attacked last Tuesday, June 14, while walking near campus. According to an incident report from the Madison Police Department, […]
Poor People’s Campaign’s Moral March on D.C. is just the beginning
Thousands assembled in Washington D.C. for the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) Moral March on Washington Saturday. The march, the fruit of many months of organizing, gathered poor and low income people from over 40 states. They lined Pennsylvania Avenue, filling the streets with emotional testimonies of enduring the interlocking injustices underscored by the campaign. Alongside […]
Police surveillance company seeks to acquire notorious Israeli NSO Group
L3 Harris, an American defense contractor that sold its Stingray surveillance technology to police departments is making yet another business venture. As reported by IntelligenceOnline, L3 Harris is moving towards a deal to acquire the Israeli-based NSO Group, whose products have been abused by organizations around the world. Privacy and telecommunications experts fear that the […]
Complaints mount over conduct of Whitewater PD
For some time now, the Whitewater Police Department (WPD) has been under a cloud. Since December, the department’s police chief Aaron Raap, has been on administrative leave pending an ongoing internal investigation. Raap, who was hired as chief in 2018, was taken into custody following an alleged Thanksgiving fight with a family member. Though the […]
Wisconsin’s LGBTQ community confronts efforts to suppress visibility
LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which goes on through June, is a celebration of visibility and acceptance. This year it is happening against a backdrop of coordinated suppressive efforts by some state legislators. Nevertheless, allies of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ community say they are undeterred and unafraid. As Gov. Tony Evers kicked off Pride Month with a flag-raising ceremony […]
Minneapolis story: Memorialize the Movement
In 2020, Semhar Solomon, an 18-year-old activist from St. Anthony, Minnesota, painted a mural on four 4 x 8-foot plywood sheets to honor Philando Castile, who was killed by former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez. After she carried it to local rallies, residents offered to take turns displaying the painting in front of their […]
Keep the Republican convention out of Milwaukee
Having the RNC in Milwaukee is a disaster waiting to happen. Milwaukee and other cities in southeast Wisconsin have been rocked by tragedies and violence as of late. Our communities are hurting and grieving. Some of the most marginalized are finding ways to heal. We are anxious. We are on edge. Not even two weeks […]
State Supreme Court weighs Madison schools’ gender policies
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in a lawsuit over the Madison Metropolitan School District’s policy for students who wish to go by different pronouns than the ones they were assigned at birth. At issue is an MMSD policy instituted in 2018 that requires teachers and staff to call students by their […]