Criminal Justice
AG Kaul ups pressure on Assembly to prevent another sexual-assault kit backlog
Among the top issues during the campaign for attorney general of Wisconsin last year was the backlog of untested sexual-assault kits — physical evidence taken from victims after an assault to secure potential DNA criminal evidence. That issue is back in the news this week, as a serial sexual offender, Leroy R. Whittenberger became the […]
Waukesha South High School student shot after bringing gun to school
A seemingly normal morning at Waukesha South High School erupted in chaos Monday Dec 2, when a student was shot by a police officer after brandishing a gun in class. The traumatizing incident ended the school day before noon, with no injuries reported besides the student who triggered the incident. “My heart is with the […]
New charges against activist Vaun Mayes renew controversy
Over a year ago, a federal judge allowed a community activist in Milwaukee, Vaun Mayes, 31, to go home to await trial on charges of conspiring to firebomb a Milwaukee police station in 2016. Since then, his court date has been delayed several times and then last month, federal prosecutors added new charges which accuse […]
Small time cannabis, a “victimless crime”
Legislation co-authored by Reps. David Crowley (D-Milwaukee) and Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) and would decriminalize possession of one ounce, or 28 grams of cannabis. “While black men, women and children are just 6% of the population, we make up nearly 40% of the prison population. This disparity is a direct result of the unequal enforcement of […]
Rev. Barber brings his campaign for justice to Milwaukee
“Wisconsin is one of those states that’s critical for talking about poverty,” Rev. William Barber told Wisconsin Examiner, shortly before taking the stage at the 2019 Summit On Poverty and SWIM (Scaling Wellness In Milwaukee) Conference last Tuesday. “Normally we racialize poverty,” Barber explained. In Wisconsin, where there are more poor whites than poor African […]
Community outpouring over Milwaukee budget
Dozens of Milwaukee residents gathered at City Hall on October 7, criticizing Mayor Tom Barrett’s proposed 2020 budget plans for nearly four hours. Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton remarked during the meeting, “This has probably been the most people that we have had show up to a community hearing on the budget,” and said he […]
Fox Valley law enforcement favor red-flag law
Attorney General Josh Kaul has taken the issue of Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws out of the State Capitol and to communities around the state. Tuesday, he was at the Appleton Police Department with area mayors and law enforcement who support passing legislation that would allow law enforcement officers and family to take firearms […]
Immigration activists push Milwaukee to clarify policy
Momentum continued to build in Milwaukee as immigration activists flooded City Hall on Thursday for a third time in two consecutive weeks. Dozens of community members marched and chanted through the halls before entering a Fire and Police Commission meeting, calling on officials to protect immigrant families. The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission’s scheduled vote […]
Why are private prisons controversial?
Editor’s note: Private prisons have long stirred controversy, most recently over their role in housing undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Several states have banned them, several banks have vowed to stop financing them and more than one presidential candidate has pledged to end them at the federal level. John M. Eason, associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has done […]
Family left “haunted” after father was taken by ICE
Milwaukee’s City Hall was charged with raw emotion last week as community members packed in, shoulder-to-shoulder, to support a family whose loved one had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Holding signs reading, “following orders is not an excuse,” “never again is now” and “close the camps, shut down ICE,” they demanded action […]
Will Wisconsin tourists flock to Illinois to buy pot?
Wisconsin residents soon won’t have to go far to legally consume marijuana. A store that will sell cannabis less than one mile across the Wisconsin state line into Illinois got approved last Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported. The company plans to begin construction soon. The article, ‘Can Illinois draw marijuana tourists from out of state? […]
Arrest video fuels outrage over Milwaukee Police helping ICE
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) has become embroiled in controversy after its officers were filmed assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the arrest of a local man. While getting ready to go to school outside their home, Jose Alejandro (Alex) de la Cruz-Espinosa was removed from his car and arrested as his wife […]