By Mrinal Gokhale
Judge Wales interviewed by TMJ4 at the Wisconsin Club (Photo by Mrinal Gokhale)
Judge Scott Wales of Fox Point Municipal Court overcame a lot to get where he is today. Born with Moebious Syndrome, he has half facial paralysis with limited use of his tongue. On the evening of Mar 6 at the Wisconsin Club, he hosted an event with Generation Against Bullying on how bullying impacted him and why he supports Generations Against Bullying.
“During the course of my campaign, we received a Facebook post when I was standing next to a community advocate, Martha Love. And someone submitted a post asking why I don’t smile,” Judge Wales said between tears.
Wales had great difficulty speaking almost until age 13, with the help of a speech pathologist. Judge Wales was appointed to the board of Generations Against Bullying, a Milwaukee based nonprofit organization with the mission to prevent bullying in the community through educational programs and resources. James Dean, VP of Media Relations at Generations Against Bullying, addressed the crowd after Wales. He explained that the two met in the Fox Point area growing up together there.
“Scott is integrity up and down the line, and an example of what happens in our community. His face sage and he has trouble speaking. He had young friends who stood up for him,” said Dean. “Research shows that when a bystander becomes an upstander and stands up for a victim, the bullying can stop in 10 seconds.”
Judge Scott Wales and his wife, Michelle.(Photo by Mrinal Gokhale)
He added that research shows bullying has gotten worse over the years, leading to more “bullycide” deaths, also known as suicides committed due to bullying.
“25,000 kids died of bullycide when we started, but now we’re to 48,000 kids, and the youngest was a nine-year-old,” he said.
Many local attorneys, community leaders and others in the area attended this night. Having been a Fox Point municipal judge for eight years, he has many endorsements.
“I see many see many wonderful attorneys here and judges, and I feel almost humbled,” he said. Wales is challenged by Judge Kashoua “Kristy” Yang for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 47, with the election happening on April 4 of this year.