Milwaukee Cop Kills Another Black Guy, Some Blacks Object

For a period of time in the spring and summer in 2008,
following Obama's victory in the February 2008 Wisconsin
Democratic Primary, hope defined black and brown Milwaukee.
This writer has never encountered such a phenomenon, not
like '08 and it was palpable, before or since.

The slow-motion pogrom of segregation in Milwaukee

Stupid white people in Milwaukee will call for the restoration of "order" soon, amid calls to police their way out of "violence". Lots of atonal whitesplaining to come.

Updated - See Callen Harty, On the Milwaukee Riot.
See Miles Brown, Madison365 for rational commentary devoid of whitesplaining.
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Woke up this morning to reports police killing a man in Milwaukee was met with violent objection, CNN.

First things first, the Milwaukee police officer who killed a man will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Report Aaron Mak, Jacob Carpenter and Ashley Luthern in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A standoff between police and an angry crowd turned violent Saturday night in the hours after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed suspect during a foot chase on the city's north side.

After an hours-long confrontation with officers, police reported at 10:15 p.m. that a gas station at N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St. was set on fire. Police said firefighters could not for a time get close to the blaze because of gunshots.

Later, fires were started at businesses — including a BMO Harris Bank branch, a beauty supply company and O'Reilly Auto Parts stores — near N. 35th and W. Burleigh streets, a grim and emphatic Mayor Tom Barrett said. He spoke at a midnight news conference at the District 3 police station at N. 49th St. and W. Lisbon Ave. [Google Map link added]

The slow-motion pogrom of Milwaukee.
Victims are black and brown.
Image: George Grosz, God of War, 1940
- Fear of the Other

Milwaukee Aldermen Khalif Rainey calls Milwaukee a "powder keg" this morning in the Journal Sentinel. Said Rainey:

This entire community has sat back and witnessed how Milwaukee, Wis., has become the worst place to live for African-Americans in the entire country. Now this is a warning cry. Where do we go from here? Where do we go as a community from here?

Do we continue – continue with the inequities, the injustice, the unemployment, the under-education, that creates these byproducts that we see this evening? … The black people of Milwaukee are tired. They’re tired of living under this oppression. This is their existence. This is their life. This is the life of their children.

Now what has happened tonight may have not been right; I’m not justifying that. But no one can deny the fact that there’s problems, racial problems, here in Milwaukee, Wis., that have to be closely, not examined, but rectified. Rectify this immediately. Because if you don’t, this vision of downtown, all of that, you’re one day away. You’re one day away.

Here is what you will not read: Greater Milwaukee is the most segregated urban area in the country, a segregated dynasty. Philly? St. Louis. Those two cities are fountains of integration and equality compared to Milwaukee.

Republicans armed with their toxic, racial politics want violence and the current titular governor of Wisconsin has made his political career on appeals to racism. No Republican is going to give up what works, and demonizing and preventing the lives of black folks is good politics.

"Love and rage. Righteous rebellion," reads a tweet from the Coalition 4 Justice, Lamont Lilly, early Sunday morning.

"Love and rage. Righteous rebellion," reads a tweet
from the Coalition 4 Justice, Lamont Lilly
early Sunday morning.

I would not bet on righteous protests nurturing any of the rotten fruits of racism. It's rancid and beyond repair.

Too many white people are vested in social arrangements just the way they are.

Racial problems that have to be closely examined, and rectified? Not going to happen in Milwaukee. Not in Wisconsin. And Alder Rainey, you know this is the truth.

Maybe after decades and decades, the horror of racism and worsening police oppression will bend under the weight of a supportive white Milwaukee community, cheering civil liberties and putting their bodies on the line against hate and social injustice.

And maybe the Milwaukee Brewers will take the World Series this year. Maybe Scott Walker will hold a no-rules, anybody-can-come townhall-style listening session in the black areas of north Milwaukee, say wards 1-280, (pp. 74-84; Wisconsin Elections Commission). Have a look,  (pp. 74-84; Wisconsin Elections Commission), and contemplate the question, why do Republicans want to suppress Milwaukee voters where most of Wisconsin blacks live.

Take it easy in the sun, folks, because Milwaukee is utterly, irretrievably, fucking hopeless.

Thought about the housing-segregation UW-Madison scholar Karl Taeuber the year Scott Walker assumed office, the enlightened nature of today's youth, and other such matters after talking with some folks on Madison Wisconsin's black Leland Drive.

Good talks. But forget what I said about hope, if you are black and brown you are crazy indeed if you move to Wisconsin.

Better think about rural Georgia or some other urban center. Like my Aunt Jerre said, "Mikey, it's more matriarchal than racist, here, sweetheart," referring a cultural referent emphasizing the values of motherhood and a generic feminism in the rural south.

The slow-motion pogroms of northern United States cities such as Milwaukee are more invidious today than the most vile rural, southern community.

Stop killing us, said some black folks in Milwaukee in 2014. The Milwaukee
Police and the Milwaukee community had a simple reply: No.

Milwaukee in one image. Never has one major political party,
white Republicans, so inflicted one community in modern history.
Source: MacGillis and Schulberg, The New Republic

New GOP Assualt on Voting in Wisconsin Began Mere Days After 2012 Elections, Records Reveal

The right to vote belongs to all Wisconsin citizens who are
qualified electors, under the Wisconsin Constitution.

Sweeping Effort to Suppress Wisconsin Voters Began Two Days After the 2012 Election. Never before has Wisconsin seen
this sustained attacked on voting.

One Wisconsin Now Uncovers Heavy Influence by Top Assembly Leader; Milwaukee Singled Out for Early Voting Restrictions. Milwaukee blacks have long been a target for obstruction, intimidation as the GOP views African-Americans as not full members of society.

You won't see any Wisconsin Republicans renounce this voter obstruction effort and say, 'My God, what are we doing?'

It would be appropriate for every Wisconsin newspaper to advocate the political disqualification of every Republican candidate to the legislature and governor's office who works to prevent the right to vote belonging to all Wisconsin citizens who are qualified electors.

This Republican efforts to erect barriers to vote are an assault against the foundation of the state of Wisconsin's democracy, and every citizen.

From One Wisconsin Now
Madison -- A review of legislative drafting records by One Wisconsin Now has uncovered that Republicans began work to attack state election laws mere days after the November 2012 election and that an omnibus bill on the legislative fast track, introduced by Rep. Jeff Stone, was developed under the close supervision of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “The Republicans were so obsessed that they failed to win Wisconsin’s Electoral College votes for the seventh election in a row that they started drafting this voter suppression scheme before all the votes in the November 2012 election were counted.”

The legislation, Assembly Bill 225 (AB 225), was announced late in the afternoon on the Friday before Memorial Day and is being rushed through the legislative process while much of the public and media attention is focused on the biennial budget. Among the provisions of the bill are:

• Re-imposition of a voter ID requirement found to be Unconstitutional by lower courts and still subject of state and federal lawsuits
• Measures making it easier for ballots cast by legal voters to be discounted due to minor clerical errors;
• Restrictions on early voting hours and essentially eliminate weekend voting in large urban areas;
• Repeal of the state policy that allows voters to use electronic copies of qualifying documents to verify their residency;
• Increased partisanship of election regulators at the state Government Accountability Board and in local polling places; and
• Repeal of campaign transparency requirements and repeal of the 100 year-old-plus ban on corporate contributions.

 “This bill is a massive, across the board assault on voting in Wisconsin. Government ought to be protecting and expanding our right to vote,” said Ross. “But Gov. Walker and top Republican leaders are going in the opposite direction, making it harder and less convenient to vote and easier to toss out votes cast by legal voters.”

Drafting records indicate that work began on one of the more egregious measures included in the package -- limits on early voting hours that effectively ban weekend voting in larger municipalities and eliminate nonpartisan “souls to the polls” drives by churches --- on November 8th 2012, just two days after the November 2012 general election.

A handwritten note associated with the draft of the provisions noted that Milwaukee allowed early voting on weekend and the intent of the bill was to eliminate it.

The work on the omnibus assault on voting was carefully overseen by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ office. Despite the drafting request being made by Assembly Campaigns and Elections chair Rep. Bernier and being introduced by Rep. Jeff Stone, Vos was given explicit permission to review preliminary drafts and correspondence between requesters and drafters. In addition, there is extensive correspondence between Vos staff and legislative attorneys drafting the language of the bill, giving directions and making modifications to the legislation.

Ross concluded, “The real fraud in Wisconsin elections today is politicians like Gov. Walker, Speaker Vos and their partisan underlings manipulating the rules to try to give themselves an unfair political advantage. And Assembly Bill 225 is exhibit A in the case against them.”

Milwaukee City Atty Langley Blasted in Costly Case

A personal gripe I have of coverage of legal and judicial topics is the lack of research.

Few appear to read the briefs, focusing on judicial doctrine, without getting an editorial rebuke for writing “legalese,” thought to alienate a chunk of readership.

Gadfly Michael Horne has a well-researched piece out topical to Milwaukee’s race for City Attorney.

Horne digged out a case that blew up in City Atty Grant Langley's face, awarding a bank $400,000, paid by Milwaukee taxpayers.

Besides the $400,000 judgement, the judge, Ralph Adam Fine, denounced the City Atty's office under Langley's administration, for calling the bank’s legal position: "Hogwash," "Ludicrous," "Crazy," and "Obstructionistanarchist".

Writes Judge Fine:

The brief submitted to us by the City of Milwaukee is overly tendentious and lacks the civility that lawyers owe to both their adversaries and to the courts.

The following has no place in a brief before any court in this state: accusing an opposing party of seeking “political anarchy” (capitalization omitted), “anarchy,” “anarchy with a vengeance,” and “taxpayer anarchy”.

Horne’s analysis may prove influential in the Milwaukee City Atty’s race, an interesting election in this year of political “change”.

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