In light of recent events and expressions of violence, the community of African American stakeholders- youth, young adults, older adults, community organizations, activists and organizers, public officials, business owners, faith leaders and others- in Milwaukee are coordinating in a unified response. We are fed-up with the conditions that perpetuate and condone both violence and disenfranchisement within our community and we are working to collectively address the issues and ills that plague our people socially, structurally, individually and communally. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We are taking back OUR community!
First and most urgently, our deepest and sincere condolence to the family and loved ones of fallen Ms. Sharron Staples fatally robbed and shot on Sunday August 7th, 2011 on Milwaukee’s north side near 37th and Lisbon. As a community we surround you with love and offer our support and steadfast assistance to bring the perpetrators to justice. We will not stand for or protect anyone, outside or from within our community who selfishly and unnecessarily commits crime or assault against another, or who violently takes the life of anyone, of any color or creed, especially in front of their young children. The act was cruel and spineless and we will not rest as a community until all involved are caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We are organizing to gather the resources you need to aid in coping with your loss.
In response to the recent event and uproar at and around Wisconsin State Fair and to similar expressions of violence and aggression in recent months, much goes to prove the impact of a system and society historically shaped on circumventing the needs of low income families and communities of color, and social policies inept to deal with the harsh realities that perpetuate generational hardship and disenfranchisement and which are disingenuous in providing the needed resources and funding to adequately address the socioeconomic standing and conditioning of communities of color across the nation.
As recently released publicly by West Allis Police Department, the community of African American stakeholders believe, after investigation and gathering of information and accounts from fairgoers and witnesses of all colors and background, the State Fair incident, and the events and violence following WERE NOT pre-meditated actions of a “flash mob” of African American youth organized to bring about fear or violent assault on White fair goes as so one-sidedly characterized by the media, community leaders and public officials, Black and White, from informant sound bites. Insufficient evidence debunks the mischaracterization of the incident being racially charged, racially motivated hate crimes, and no such charges have been brought upon those arrested.
We, a community of law abiding citizens do not condone the actions of the few who caused such mayhem- careless, reckless and selfish in action, nor the probable aggressive force toward attending African American youth fairgoers by State Fair grounds patrol and West Allis Police by their witnessed inaction and inability to appropriately respond to unruliness inside and outside of fair grounds escalating to unmanageable expressions of retaliatory violence, anger and frustration on the part of those targeted into the surrounding communities. The community of African American stakeholders supports the legal process and supports justice for rightly accused perpetrators. We intend to work with the prosecution to gain full insight of all happenings and support and engage the establishment of a community- based restorative justice model to offer alternative sentencing for infractions made.
In response to these and the many other issues that take effect and cause to confound Milwaukee’s African American community, we are uniting our skills and resources, and our collective resolve to combat these forces with unwavering urgency and strategic alignment. We are organizing to address the structural barriers that perpetuate unemployment, access to resources, the flaws in public education, and the social conditioning that spawn generational poverty, hopelessness, fatherlessness, adolescent pregnancy and disproportionate health disparities, and to address the conditions and environment that allow for crime, gangs and violence in black and brown Milwaukee and in communities of color everywhere.
Lastly and in framing these issues and incidences- what we are witnessing is the backlash and result of years upon years and generations of cultural and structural conditioning that’s affected a large and growing section of the community that happens to be young, Black and of disenfranchised low income families who are making a cry for change. The incidents at State Fair, RiverWest and on corners all throughout communities across the city and state, across the country and internationally where descendants of enslaved and oppressed peoples continue to live, are socio-economically linked, not race motivated one color group against another. When any one portion of the community is conditionally and structurally subject to unequal access and unequal opportunity, that group will react in the way it knows best through violence and aggression- what culture, media and society condones. All are to blame. We must work to identify and ensure the appropriate resources, policies and services are sufficient and adequate and apply them where needed to impact aggressive, long standing change. This is our call to action; this is our time to act. We will respond to the call and act accordingly.
Jeffery K. Roman
Commissioner, Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission
Principal Planning Officer, Milwaukee Development Group
Chair, Milwaukee Boys to Men Coalition
