Civil Rights & Immigration
Wauwatosa police sport thin blue line flag during children’s book reading event
The Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) caught online criticism after a picture of an officer participating in a book reading event at the local middle school surfaced with a “thin blue line” flag in the background. Particularly after the protests of 2020, which focused on acts of police violence and misconduct, the flags are sometimes regarded […]
New voter restrictions fit a long pattern
In this current debate about whether to expand or restrict voting, each side is probably spot on about the basic motivations of the politicians on the other side of the argument. GOP legislators say expansion, such as expressed in a sweeping measure in Congress, H.R.1, intended to achieve nearly universal voting, is a power grab […]
U.S. Marshals came directly from Portland to Kenosha during unrest
Newly obtained documents show that teams of U.S. Marshals in Portland, Ore. were demobilized and sent to Kenosha in late August, as protests and unrest in the city grabbed the world’s attention. The records were obtained by the Wisconsin Examiner through Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). The documents […]
Gov. Evers grants 17 pardons, bringing total to 174
Gov. Tony Evers announced on Friday that another 17 pardons have been granted by his administration. The pardons were granted after the Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board heard from applicants virtually. So far, the Evers Administration has granted 174 pardons. Individuals convicted of a Wisconsin felony may apply for a pardon if they’ve completed their sentence […]
New unit launched at Interior to investigate cases of missing and murdered indigenous people
The U.S. Department of the Interior is creating a new unit to lead and help coordinate investigations into the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing American Indian and Alaska Native people. Interior Secretary Debra Haaland, the first indigenous person to lead the agency, announced Thursday the formation of the Missing & Murdered Unit within the […]
Cup Foods clerk regrets 911 call on George Floyd; Chauvin body cam footage played in third day of trial
During the third day of testimony in Derek Chauvin’s trial for murder and manslaughter, the jury saw more videos from virtually every angle of the day George Floyd died in south Minneapolis. They heard from the 19-year-old clerk who sold Floyd cigarettes, and an elderly Black man who pleaded with Floyd while he was pinned […]
Transgender Day of Visibility amid the ‘Dark Ages’ of public policy
Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) authored a resolution proclaiming March 31 as Wisconsin’s Transgender Day of Visibility to “acknowledge, celebrate, and elevate transgender and nonbinary people across the world and in Wisconsin.” In the Wisconsin Legislature, there are currently two pending bills that were introduced by Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) and Sen. Kathy Bernier (R- Chippewa […]
A look at Milwaukee PD’s fusion center
“The fusion center, they’re sort of the ‘jack-of-all-trades,’ if you will,” explained inspector Paul Formolo, speaking of the heart of the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) hub for intelligence gathering. “They have a multitude of functions.” Fusion may not be the most publicized aspect of MPD, but its operations are on the cutting edge of the […]
Chauvin trial begins with opening statements focused on cause of death, police training
Attorneys in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin laid out their case on Monday before 14 jurors who will decide if Chauvin is guilty of murder or manslaughter in the death of George Floyd on May 25. The opening statements from the prosecution and defense indicate the trial will hinge on […]
300 days of Black Lives Matter protest
Beneath a gray, overcast sky, on a damp and windy day, protesters gathered in Madison Park near Wauwatosa. Among them were the parents of 25-year-old Jay Anderson Jr., who was killed by former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah in 2016. The group had gathered not only to pay their respects to the Anderson family, but […]
Judge denies Tosa chief’s attempt not to testify in Jay Anderson hearing
The second hearing in the John Doe case involving the shooting of 25-year-old Jay Anderson Jr. raised more questions about the 2016 incident. Early in the hours-long hearing, Judge Glenn Yamahiro denied a motion to quash a subpoena calling Chief Barry Weber to offer witness testimony. Weber’s motion to quash relied heavily on the argument […]
There is no ‘border crisis’
Just when it seemed we were emerging from the anti-immigrant hysteria of the Trump era, our country is suddenly descending into a new moral panic. The news of the past two weeks has been full of dire warnings about a “border crisis.” A “surge” of migrants heading for the United States is taking advantage of […]