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OMMUNITYOMMUNITYVOL. XXXVIII Number 41 May 7, 2014 www.communityjournal.net 25 Cents BULK RATE

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSINPERMIT NO. 4668

Witness tells different story about MPD’s fatal shooting of man in parkEditor’s Note: This story was submitted to an

organization called Occupy Riverwest by Kelly R.Brandmeyer. Brandmeyer, while working at theStarbucks in Red Arrow Park, was an eyewitnessto the shooting death of Dontre Hamilton by a Mil-waukee Police officer on Wednesday, April 30.What you’re reading is a first-hand account of

the incident that occurred at Red Arrow Park lastweek. This account includes the observations,emotions and opinions of a person who witnessedportions of this tragic event. As a witness, she hasbeen interviewed by the Wisconsin Department ofJustice’s Division of Criminal Investigations,which is leading the investigation.

Occupy Riverwest is a local organization that

is in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street move-ment. The organization’s mission is to build com-munity and raise the consciousness of thecommunity to the 99 percent movement. It is a non-violent, non-partisan organization that works withother state Occupy groups and is currently build-ing community and connections on the East Sideof Milwaukee and beyond.

****Even though this only happened three days ago,

I've recounted this story more times than I cancount. But that's okay, because this is a story that

needs telling. This story has been told in multiple places, mul-

tiple times and almost always slightly differentthan how I actually remember it happening. Thisstory will not just be a retelling, but a discussion,and a realization of what is happening to not justthis city, but to our American society on the whole.This story is about Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-

old black man that lived in the Milwaukee area. Ididn't know him before this incident, but it's clearto me that his passing leaves many friends andfamily in its devastating wake. On Wednesday, April 30th, Dontre lost his life

in an event that was totally unnecessary and pre-

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. and Rev. John W. McVicker Sr., pastor of theChrist the King Baptist Church and also a Chaplain for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Of-fice. They attended, along with members of the sheriff’s command staff, an observanceof the 12th year anniversary of the disappearance of Alexis Patterson. This was held onSaturday, May 3, 2014, at the location where she was last reportedly seen near Hi-MountBoulevard Community School. (Photo by Mary J. Corlette)

Alderwoman Milele Coggs (third from left) spoke to the media last Saturday, May 3, during a rally in RedArrow Park, across the street from City Hall, in support of the 234 Nigerian school girls who were reportedlykidnapped by armed terrorist militants who stormed a Government-run Secondary School Girls located in thenortheastern province of Borno, Nigeria. Coggs and some of the women surrounding her were wearing Gele’s (headwraps) at the rally--which was

duplicated in communities across the U.S. that day. The women and girls who attended the rallies were en-couraged to wear the Gele as a show of unity and support for the Nigerian girls and their families. The abduc-tion has ignited outrage across the globe. Coggs called the act “an appalling violation of basic human rights.”The alderwoman noted that reports from Nigeria indicate the missing girls would be sold as brides to Islamicmilitants for the equivalent of $12 each. Coggs will introduce a resolution during the next regular meeting ofthe Common Council May 13 condemning the abduction. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)

Black community, small business and political leadership recently attended a community forum about North-western Mutual’s planned multi-million dollar Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons near the lake front.Northwestern held the forum to allow community leaders to learn more about the project, meet the generalcontractor, Gilbane Building Co. and C.G. Schmidt, Inc., and learn how to help give the community the oppor-tunity to participate in the project. Northwestern says it is making a commitment to create jobs for local work-ers and hire small business enterprises to help build the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons. Theproject will reportedly create 1,000 construction jobs and is committed to hiring small businesses for at least25 percent of construction costs. Attending the forum were (seated, left to right): Barbara Toles, Eve Hall,Linda Graves, and Wanda Montgomery. (Standing, left to right): Jim Milner, Shannon Jefferson, Willie Wade,Mac Weddle, Stephanie Findley, Lafeyette Crump, Russell Stamper, II and Martha Love. (Photo by YvonneKemp)

In Memoryof Alexis

Lessons FromMOTHER

Mothers hold their children's hands for ashort while, but their hearts forever.

~ Unknownhe idea of officially cele-brating Mother’s Day inthe United States waschampioned by twowomen. Julia Ward Howefirst suggested it in 1872.

An activist, writer and poet, Ward is the author of thefamous Civil War song, "Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She suggested that June 2 be celebrated each year as

Mother’s Day and that it be dedicated to peace. She wrotea passionate appeal to women urging them to rise againstwar in her famous Mother’s Day Proclamation, writtenin 1870. She also initiated a Mothers' Peace Day observance on

the second Sunday in June in Boston and held the meet-ing for a number of years. Julia tirelessly championed thecause of celebrating Mother’s Day. Her idea spread butwas later replaced by the Mother’s Day holiday now cel-ebrated in May. Anna Jarvis is widely recognized as the founder of

Mother’s Day in United States. Even though she nevermarried and never had kids, she is known as the ‘Mother

of Mother’s Day.’ Jarvis was inspired to celebrateMother’s Day because of her own mother, Mrs. AnnaMarie Reeves Jarvis. An activist and social worker, Mrs. Jarvis often ex-

pressed her desire that someday someone should honorall mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to their con-tributions. Anna never forgot her mother’s desire and

GOLDENGOLDENYEARSYEARS

By Kathy Gaillard

FIRST PERSONFIRST PERSONBy Kelly R. Brandmeyer

PASTOR WILBUR BAKER, JR.-NORTHSHORE CHRISTIAN CHURCH:“Breakfast for Mothers at our church,sponsored by and served by the menand children; then dinner for my wifewith gifts.”

SHAMEKA MCGEE: “I will spendmy Mother’s Day with my mother anddaughter. We will celebrate how wehave overcome all struggles to getwhere we are.”

DUKE MONTGOMERY: “ForMother’s Day, I plan on flying to Virginiaand surprising my mother. Recently, shehas gone through a very rough time med-ically, (but) she’s a tough woman. No oneknows (I’m coming). It will make her day.At least that’s my intent.”

VALENCIA BAKER-NORTHSHORECHRISTIAN CHURCH: “I will start myMother’s Day by calling my mom, grandmother,and God-Mother. I do this every year because Idon’t take still having them in my life forgranted. Next, I will attend Sunday service atNorthshore, and lastly, I will enjoy the rest of theday with my husband and family after a verynice dinner (maybe my husband will cook it!-lol)

PULSE OF THECOMMUNITYPhotos and question by Yvonne Kemp

T

(continued on page 5)

We asked four indi-viduals-three at therecently held Ameri-can Liver Foundationevent, “Flavor of Wis-consin,” and one atan event sponsoredby Voice of the Fa-therless Child--thisQUESTION OF THEWEEK given the ap-proach of Mother’sDay:“How are youplanning tocelebrate

Mother’s Daywith yourmother?”

(continued on page 3)

Ald. Coggs condemns mass abduction of Nigerian girls during rally

Community reps hear plans for multi-million dollar construction project

Randy Crump and his motherAnnie Mae Crump and inset photo

Juanita Adams withmother Betty Guy

Tyrone Dumas(inset) and hismother, DarleneDumas-Elerby-Ingram

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 2

PP OLITICSOLITICS && GG OVERNMENTOVERNMENTC i t y • C o u n t y • S t a t e • N a t i o n a l

Scott Walker Out of Touchwith the Real WisconsinArticle courtesy of Urban Media NewsPoliticians usually don’t run for

office touting a broken promise, butthat’s exactly what Scott Walkerdid in Milwaukee at last weekend’sRepublican convention. During a fifteen-minute speech

to party delegates, Scott Walkerpainted a rosy picture of Wisconsin,and didn’t once mention his prom-ise to create 250,000 jobs. Not onlywas Walker’s jobs goal a centralpart of his 2010 campaign, it was apromise he recommitted to twoyears later to delegates at the 2012convention. When Walker took office in 2011 the state was ranked 11th in the nation

for job growth, now we've fallen all the way down to 35th; and out of allten Midwestern states we're ranked second to last in job growth. Likemany states, Wisconsin benefited from the national recovery, but it is nosecret we currently lag behind the rest of the nation in job growth. The jobs promise is a notable omission from one of the governor's most

important speeches of the year. Instead of announcing he already reachedhis goal or that Wisconsin was on its way to achieving a quarter-millionnew jobs, the Governor touted the fact that he has not even reached thehalfway mark – a desperate attempt to gloss over his massive failure toturn Wisconsin’s economy around.Walker told convention goers that Wisconsin was “back on,” but that

certainly isn’t what you hear when you ask families who don’t feel likehis tax cuts and giveaways did anything to improve their personal situa-tion. This is a governor who gutted funding for public education, slashedfunding for worker training programs, expressed vehement opposition toa modest minimum wage increase, and continues to advocate for policiesthat are harmful to working-class households. Walker is completely outof touch with the reality that everyday people face.If Wisconsin is back on, why are unemployed and underemployed

workers across the state still struggling to find work or a family-sustainingwage? For them, the Walker economy has not made it any easier to feedtheir families or keep the lights on; their struggles today were the samestruggles they had four years ago in the heart of the recession.The plight and personal struggles of those families are real, and they

cannot afford another four years of Walker's failure. This past weekend, the party faithful applauded Walker and Republican

leaders, but the picture in our state is not as nice as they would like tothink. Thanks to Walker's record levels of borrowing and his penchant fortax giveaways to those at the top, Wisconsin faces a projected structuraldeficit of more than $600 million heading into the next biennium. Walkerhas given more attention to his own partisan agenda, and pleasing hiswealthy donors, than to the best interests of Wisconsin – not only costingus today, but well into the future.At some point, Walker and Republicans have to take off their rose-col-

ored glasses and realize that Wisconsin is not “back on” - we're fallingbehind. Wisconsin needs leadership that won't cherry pick numbers ormove the goal posts in order to win the next election. We need leadershipwith a real plan to improve the lives of all Wisconsinites, not just those atthe top.

Gov. Walker

Wisconsin State Senator Nikiya Harris (D-Milwaukee)joined staff of the Alliance for Children and Families andcommunity members in Milwaukee recently for a candidforum on advancing racial equity and her proposed leg-islation to mandate minority impact statements, whichwould analyze whether proposed criminal legislationwould disproportionately affect minority populations.The Alliance for Children and Families is a Milwau-

kee-based national organization dedicated to achieving avision of a healthy society and strong communities for allchildren, adults, and families. The Alliance works fortransformational change by representing and supportingits network of hundreds of nonprofit human serving or-ganizations across North America as they translateknowledge into best practices that improve their commu-nities.

Alliance for Children and Families staff (left to right) David McKinney and Laura Pinsoneault of theAlliance for Children and Families, Sen. Harris, and Undraye Howard of the Alliance for Childrenand Families.

State Senator Harris participates in forum on advancing racial equity

State Sen. Taylor welcomes Turkish legislative fellow(MADISON) Senator Lena C. Taylor (D-Milwaukee)

will host Mustafa Yikilmaz of Turkey this month whilehe is participating in the U.S. Department of State’s Pro-fessional Fellows Program, a two-way exchange embrac-ing the power of individuals to find solutions to commonchallenges. In total, 200 leaders form more than 45 countries and

territories will participate in the Professional Fellows Pro-gram this May and June, featuring a short-term assign-ment with U.S. organizations such as government offices,media outlets, non-profit organizations, or businesses. Mustafa currently works as an advisor to Hüseyin

Bürge, a member of Turkish Parliament. Throughout themonth of May, he will work closely with Senator Taylor’sOffice to learn first-hand how issues in state and localgovernment are addressed in the United States.

“I am honored to be hosting Mustafa. This is a greatopportunity for our offices to exchange ideas and promotea better understanding of the legislative and politicalprocess across countries. “I know I speak for myself and my staff when I say we

are looking forward to having yet another perspectivewithin the office. I expect that this will be a valuablelearning experience for all of us,” said Senator Taylor. As the concluding piece of the fellowship, Mustafa and

the other 200 participants will travel to Washington D.C.,where they will take part in the Professional Fellows Con-gress. This marks the culmination of the experience by pro-

viding an opportunity for the fellows to share their knowl-edge and gain key insights into effective leadershipmodels from a variety of organizations.

SouthAfricans Votein First ‘BornFree’ ElectionArticle courtesy of the Globe & Mail via NNPA/BlackPressUSA –South Africans voted in the first

“Born Free” election on Wednesday,although polls suggest the allure ofthe ruling African National Congressas the conqueror of apartheid willprevail even among those with nomemory of white-minority rule. Polling stations opened at 0500

GMT, with voters waiting in line,many wrapped up against the earlymorning chill of the southern hemi-sphere winter. They close at 1900 GMT and a

firm idea of the outcome should beavailable by midday on May 8. Opin-ion polls suggest there is no doubtabout the overall result, with ANCsupport estimated at around 65 per-cent, only a shade lower than the 65.9percent it won in the 2009 electionthat brought President Jacob Zuma topower. The resilience of ANC support has

surprised analysts who a year agowere saying it could struggle at thepolls as its glorious past recedes intohistory and voters focus instead onthe sluggish economic growth andslew of scandals that have typifiedZuma’s first term. Africa’s most sophisticated econ-

omy has struggled to recover from a2009 recession – its first since the1994 demise of apartheid – and theANC’s efforts to stimulate growthand tackle 25 percent unemploymenthave been hampered by powerfulunions.

World Poltics

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 3

THETHEMILWAUKEEMILWAUKEECOMMUNITYCOMMUNITYJOURNALJOURNALPublished twice weekly,Wednesday & Friday3612 North Martin LutherKing Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: Editorial@communi-tyjournal.net/Advertising@communityjournal.net

Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not nec-essarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Let-ters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for contentand length.

MCJ STAFF:Patricia O’Flynn -PattilloPublisher, CEORobert J. ThomasAssoc. PublisherTodd Thomas, Vice Pres.Mikel Holt, Assoc. PublisherThomas E. Mitchell, Jr., EditorKia Marie Green, Mang. EditorTeretha Martin, Technical Consultant/WebmasterJosephine Joki, Billing Dept./Publisher’s Admin. Assist.

Colleen Newsom,Classified AdvertisingJimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep.Joan Hollingsworth, Sales Rep.CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Taki S. Raton,Rev. Roxanne Cardenas,Troy A. Sparks,Sports EditorPHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp

don’tknowwhat weare going

to do without him.Students who takeone course withhim, they wantmore. “They become interested in Afri-

cology because of his outstandingpedagogy, the way in which he con-nects with students and makes thematerial real and shows them how itmatters in their lives.”Such remarks from UWM’s Asso-

ciate Professor and Africology De-partment Chair, Dr. Erin N. Winklerare reflective of what would as-suredly become a most memorablegathering in honor of Dr. WilliamRogers who as of this Spring 2014semester is retiring.On Friday, May 2, the department

sponsored this occasion in the Win-ston Van Horne Memorial Room tocelebrate his 23 years as Lecturer inthe Department of Africology since1990. An educator, historian, andhighly respected community servant,Dr. Rogers holds advance degrees intheology and history. He is additionally a frequent com-

munity lecturer and writer on theAfrican American experience with aresearch focus on the Black churchand its role in family and communityempowerment. As indicative of histeachings, his approach is designedto explore ideas from the past whichcan be used as contemporary tools to-wards the rebuilding of families andcommunities. “Dr. Rogers is one of our exem-

plary models here in Milwaukee,”says Jarett Fields, a first year gradu-ate student in the Africology depart-ment. “When he talks about theBlack community,” he adds, “he canspeak with authority because he hasbeen a part of it, not somebody whotalks about it because they have ei-ther studied or wrote a book about it.He is someone who has been with thepeople, who loves them and is com-mitted to the community.”As co-founder and CEO of Nir-

vana Ministries, he develops withinthe ministry’s affiliate, Nirvana Insti-tute, after-school mentoring initia-tives and curriculums for public andprivate schools. Nirvana Institutealso contracts with social service pro-gramming, churches, faith basedagencies and community non-profitsto assist with capacity building, grantwriting, and program evaluation.The ministry and agency are firmly

rooted in family and community em-powerment agendas. Rogers is a cer-tified Program Evaluator for NirvanaInstitute and has aided several com-munity organizations in their capac-ity building initiatives.“He is the foundation. It kind of

makes me sad because Dr. Rogers isthe last of the great ones,” says Afri-cology Assistant Professor, Dr. San-

dra E. Jones. “We are just very grate-ful for what he has done for the de-partment, for the community and forMilwaukee,” she adds. A father of four, grandfather of 10,

and great grandfather of 8, his role asa community activist and leader hasbeen extensive and varied. He hasserved in a leadership capacity formany educational, religious, andfamily development programs inMilwaukee. He currently serves onthe board of the Wisconsin BlackHistorical Society and Museum andis chairman of the Family House, Inc.of Milwaukee.“Dr. Rogers is the man!” says

Clayborn Benson, Wisconsin BlackHistorical Society and Museumfounder. “He is a man of love. He is

a motivator. Dr. Rogers is a learnedperson. He is the man who keeps theball rolling especially in the area ofhistory. He has been my mentor andmy friend for what is 25 to 30 yearsnow. I love Dr. Rogers and I thankhim for his contributions.” Bensonwas present at the retirement event tovideotape the occasion.

Associate Professor Dr. AnikaWilson who shares an office suitewith Rogers says that she has alwaysbeen impressed with how attentive heis with the students and how muchinformation they were receiving as aresult of their interaction with him.“I have had students working on re-search projects, especially on suchtopics as family or religion and ifthey had questions, I would always

refer them to Dr. Rogers who was al-ways available to lend assistance intheir inquiry in those areas of whichhe had expertise.”“The brother’s contributions are

phenomenal,” shares Africology Sen-ior Lecturer Emeritus, Dr. AhmedMbalia. He is loved by the facultyhere and is an excellent teacher. Heis African Centered and he knows ourhistory and is willing to share hisknowledge not only here at UWM,but out there in the community. Andit is actually in the community wherehe really makes an impact.” Associate Professor, Dr. Joyce F.

Kirk says that even as a Lecturer, “heis comparable to a full time professorwho has taught thousands of studentsover the course of his career. He isfurther responsible for the growth ofour Africology major and minor en-rollment. Students would come inand sign up for one course with Dr.Rogers, a second course the follow-ing semester with him, and then threecourses. They would then eventuallyhave enough courses for a minor andthen continue to build enough creditsfor an Africology major. He has hada significant impact on this depart-ment,” she says. Dr. Doreatha Mbalia says of

Rogers that, “his teaching evalua-tions were some of the best I’veseen.” The Africology professoradds that, “At the end of this past se-mester, his student evaluations werethe best of any other faculty memberin the department.”Continuing comments by Winkler

is quite descriptive of the consistentexemplary cultural union of Dr.Rogers’ teaching and community in-volvement when she observes that,“he inspires students and shares withthem that history is not just some-thing that happens to us, but that alsothrough its lessons we are empow-ered to affect change.”And finally on a personal note,

Professor Mbalia reveals that Dr.Rogers is the second non-biologi-cally related person that my daughtercalls “Uncle”. That’s the best com-pliment I can give!

UW-Milwaukee Africologydepartment celebrates careerof Dr. William G. Rogers

Witness tells different storyabout MPD’s fatal shootingof man in Red Arrow Parkventable.I work as a barista at Starbucks, RedArrow Park in downtownMilwaukee.

I was working that Wednesday from 12-7:30 pm, and there was nothing toindicate that this day would be out of the ordinary. Our current building isbeing renovated, so we were serving coffee out of a mobile café trailer de-signed by Starbucks.Around 1p.m., my coworker and I noticed a man sleeping fairly close to

where we have set up shop. He lay sleeping next to the big, stone red arrow,the landmark and namesake of the park. As per Starbucks policy, if we areuncertain or uncomfortable around a sleeping individual (or somebody thatmay be passed out), we are to call a non-emergency line to prevent any po-tential conflict - and that is precisely what was done.A short while later, I took my first break of the day. I sat outside of the

trailer, on a bench that was behind the trailer and the arrow. I had full view ofDontre merely sleeping underneath the arrow.To be clear, I never saw Dontre get up, walk around, panhandle, or even

speak to anyone. A few minutes later, two officers approached him on foot tocheck him out. I could see them speaking with Dontre, who sat up to addressand answer their questions. From the body language of both parties, nothing seemed out of place, no-

body was tense, things were seemingly frictionless. It was probably a five-minute conversation, then the officers walked away. They didn't escort himout or forcibly move him. To me, this indicated that there was no problem,no issue, and that there was no conflict here.Once my break was over (approximately ten minutes), I walked back inside

the trailer. I immediately was told by my coworker that they had called thenon-emergency line a second time because Dontre was still there.At this mo-ment, I was extremely frustrated with this. It was so obvious to me that Dontrewas doing nothing illegal by being there, so calling the cops was only a wasteof their time and resources. In that moment, I was heated enough to make acomment to my coworker about their persistence in this issue - I totally dis-agreed with heavy-handedly removing people that just want a place to exist.About five or so minutes later, the same two officers approached our trailer

café and asked if we were the ones calling them. My coworker informed themthat it was them who called, and that they were worried about the presenceof Dontre so close to our café, condiment bar, and the possible negative im-pact on the business. The officers informed them that Dontre was doing noth-ing illegal, there was nothing for them to enforce, and that we should stopcalling. My coworker, obviously unsatisfied with the result, reluctantly letthe issue drop. After that, there was some minor squabbling among ourselvesbecause I didn't like the way the issue was dealt with. I'm not a believer in re-moving things from my environment just because I'm uncomfortable with it,especially if we're talking about another human being - and doubly especiallyfor one that is doing absolutely nothing to anyone else.I was wholly caught off guard for what would occur next. I didn't see the

entire event unfold. I was only alerted to the presence of another officer, aftertrouble had already started.Around 3:30pm, I heard a man yelling something to the effect of "HEY!",

and then I moved to the window to see what was happening. At that moment,I saw a white police officer standing off against Dontre, who was holding theofficer's own baton in a defensive posture against said officer. I didn't see thebeginning of the fight or how it broke out, but I never once saw Dontre strikethe officer with the baton. Again, I never witnessed the baton in Dontre's handmake contact with the officer. I've seen it reported that Dontre struck the of-ficer's head repeatedly with the baton-and it may have happened near the be-ginning of the fight-but I never saw it and neither did my coworker. Duringthis fight, I hear my coworker exclaim "That's Chris," who is our beat copfor the area. He is better known among the employees that have been at thatlocation for longer.Chris, currently unarmed since he lost his baton, lunged at Dontre to re-

trieve his weapon but missed. I never witnessed Dontre attack Chris. Dontreonly reacted to Chris' lunge, in what appeared to be, a purely defensive way.After missing, Chris was frozen for a second, then reached down for his sidearm. When he pulled this weapon out, I had a sickly feeling about what wasgoing to happen next. Chris didn't say anything to Dontre. Nothing like "calmdown", or "back away", or anything of the sort, with his brandished firearm.He had his gun pointed at Dontre from about 10 feet away for a couple sec-onds. That's when I heard the shots.I counted the shots as they happened. I guess I expected Chris to just dis-

able him, so I didn't know how many shots to expect. I counted 3...then5...then 7...then 10 all in very quick succession. Surely a trained police officercould have disabled Dontre without putting 10 bullets into him. With therapid, rhythmic fire, there was no way Chris was stopping to check if Dontrewas still alive. Count to 10 in your head in a fast-paced, rhythmic manner andask yourself if you're shooting to kill. While my cynical side knew what wasgoing to happen to Dontre and compelled me to turn away, my coworker did-n't. They saw the whole thing play out. They will tell you the same thing abouthow once that gun was pulled out, it was Dontre's end.So here we are, a few days later, still wondering how something like that

could happen. Why is it that two officers previously were able to arrive on(continued on page 7)

(continued from page 1)

FIRST PERSON P e r s p e c t i v e s w i l l r e t u r n i n n e x t w e e k ’ s e d i t i o n

By Taki S. Raton“I

Former students and fellow professors helped UWM Africology Department lecturer andhistorian Dr. William Rogers (seated center) celebrate his retirement after 23 years in thedepartment. Rogers is a noted community elder, activist, and educator who also workedfor the Community Journal in charge of special projects. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)

QUOTEOF THEWEEK:“A RACE OFPEOPLE ISLIKE AN INDIVIDUALMAN. UNTIL ITUSES ITSOWN TALENT, TAKESPRIDE IN ITSOWN HISTORY, EXPRESSESITS OWN CULTURE, AFFIRMS ITSOWN SELFHOOD, IT CAN NEVERFULFILL ITSELF.”MALCOLM X

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 4

RELIGIONRELIGIONRELIGIOUS QUOTE: “To God belongs the east and the west,wheresoever you look is the face of God.”--(From the Quran)

St. Mark’s AME ContinuesCelebration of Its 145th Anniversary with interracialand interfaith serviceThroughout the year, St. Mark AME Church has been celebrating its 145th

Anniversary. Reverend Darryl Williams is pastor and multiple committeeshave designed signature activities that share the breadth of the church over thelast 145 years.Tributes to life time St. Mark members have been on-going with current

members sharing the histories of their families and their tenure at this historicalplace of worship. Generations of life long members continue to worship at St.Mark. Among the remaining activities scheduled is a community tour of St.Mark on Saturday, May 31, 2014 from 10:00 to 1:00 p.m. and an Interracial &Interfaith Worship Service with two Salvation Army Worship Centers and St.Mark on Sunday, June 1 at St. Mark AME, 1616 W. Atkinson Ave. Additionally,copies of the St. Mark AME 145th Anniversary video will be available for pur-chase June 1, 2014. To place your order call 414-562-8030. St. Mark's 145thAnniversary co-chairs are Mary Henry and Faithe Colas.

RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Retired Milwaukee Lutheranminister and civil rights activist to hold booksigningRetired Milwaukee Evangelical

Lutheran Church in America ministerand civil rights activist Joseph W.Ellwanger will sign copies of his newbook, “Strength For The Struggle: In-sights from the Civil Rights Move-ment and Urban Ministry.”The booksigning will be held at

Boswell Book Company, 2559 N.Downer Ave. There will also be a dis-cussion of the book. Ellwanger served nine years as

pastor of an African American con-gregation, St. Paul Lutheran, 1958-67, in Birmingham, Alabama. From 1967 through 2001, he was

pastor of Cross Lutheran in Milwaukee, in the African American community,leading the congregation from 95 percent white in 1967 to 75 percent blackby 2001. The author's deep hope is that this book will feed the faith and stokethe fire of courage for that holy struggle, which never ends while we are onthis earth. For more information, call 332-1181.

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

The question of so many people,both Christians and non-Christians issimple; “What must I do to besaved”? The question was first asked in the

Book of Acts 16:30 by the jailerholding Paul and Silas in detention,and answered by them in Acts, 16:31N.I.V. They replied, “Believe in theLord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household”.You would think that an answer as

simple as that would not be that hardto grasp; yet we as humans have beenre-arranging, dissecting, adding tothose words for centuries. You hear things like join the

church, just be holy, pray, be sinless,and more. Unfortunately, these thingsput your salvation in the hands ofman, besides many are impossiblefor us to accomplish on our own. Sal-vation is not of works, or religiousefforts by man.Salvation is safety, deliverance

from evil, eternal life, and comesonly by God’s grace and throughJesus Christ , as earlier stated, whena person accepts Christ as Lord andSavior; Acts 4:12 N.I.V., “Salvationis found in no one else, for there is noother name under Heaven given tomen by which we must be saved”. Itbegins on earth and finds completionat death or when Christ returns.At times in our life things happen

to disrupt our most sincere desires tolive our lives as Christians. Whenthese situations arise we must do ourbest to re-create our life with Godthrough repentance. Repentance may simply mean re-

gret or change of mind. God’s repen-tance is not from sin but a judgmentto undo what has been done. Repentance is the first step to be-

coming a Christian. It means to rec-ognize that life without God iswrong, and to change to His way ofliving.

The issue of sin is real. There is noone who can be truthful and say theyhave never sinned. 1 John 1:8 N.I.V.“If we claim to be without sin, we de-ceive ourselves, and the truth is notin us”.Regeneration is another term used

when a person becomes born again,

a new creation. Spiritually speaking,this term reflects what happens whena person becomes a Christian. The first birth is physical. Every-

one becomes spiritually dead in sinsand has to be made alive-regener-ated, born again by turning from sinand turning to Christ in trust. Evalu-

ate your own spiritual condition:Born, Dead, or Born again? TheBible teaches that the answer to thefirst two questions is yes for all of us.One of the things that can bring the

most pain or anguish to a new Chris-tian is family or friends rejection of

Dorothy Lee Jones, director of the Rust College A’cappella Choir, puts the group through itspaces during a recently performance at Tabernacle Community Baptist Church, 2500 W. Med-ford Ave. The choir is one of America’s most renowned choirs and feature a broad repertoireof classical, semi-classical, spirituals, opera contemporary and traditional gospel. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)

MYBROTHER’SKEEPERBy Rev. Joseph McLin

(continued on page 5)

SANTA ANA, Calif./ChristianNewswire/ -- Famous Christian au-thor and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer,who was executed by the Nazis in1945, wrote these powerful words:"Silence in the face of evil is itselfevil: God will not hold us guiltless.Not to speak is to speak. Not to act isto act.""It seems this is exactly what is oc-

curring in Nigeria today....not speak-ing out or acting," says Open DoorsUSA President/CEO Dr. DavidCurry. "A horrific, systematic targeting of

not only Christians, but Muslims bythe Boko Haram is taking place whilethe world sleeps or ignores the car-nage. “We in the West need to wake up

and stand up for these victims now.We can't allow Nigeria to become an-other Syria."In the past three weeks, approxi-

mately 230 Nigerian girls were kid-napped from a boarding school, with200 still missing. Also, two carbombs have been triggered in Abuja,resulting in heavy casualties. The lat-est bomb went off on Thursday night,killing 19 and injuring 70. Lastmonth a bombing resulted in 75deaths."As the death toll mounts, we need

to advocate and pray on behalf of thevulnerable faith communities inNigeria," adds Curry. "The families of those 200 missing

girls are crying out in anguish for thereturn of their daughters, who report-edly are being sold for $12.50 eachas brides for Muslim men inCameroon and Chad."Nigeria is ranked No. 14 on the

Open Doors World Watch List of theworst persecutors of Christians. Over1,500 Nigerians haven been killed bythe Boko Haram in the first quarterof this year, according to the Associ-ated Press.

Situation inNigeria Rapidly DeterioratingOpen Doors USA PresidentCalls on the West to 'Wake Up'to the Growing Boko Haram Carnage

“A horrific, systematic targetingof not only Christians, but Mus-lims by the Boko Haram is takingplace while the world sleeps orignores the carnage. We in theWest need to wake up and standup for these victims now. Wecan't allow Nigeria to become an-other Syria."--Dr. David Curry

There is a mysterious and cruel au-toimmune disease that has plaguedwomen of color for years which haslargely gone undetected and unreporteduntil recently. May is Lupus AwarenessMonth and the Milwaukee Urban LeagueGuild is sponsoring a Healthy AwarenessDay on May 17, to increase awarenessand understanding about this cruel andmysterious autoimmune disease. More than 5million people have been

stricken by this disease worldwide andapproximately 1.6 million are victims ofLupus in the United States. This diseasestrikes more women than men and two-thirds of the sufferers are women of color. On Saturday, May 17 The Milwaukee

Urban League Guild will distribute pack-ets of information to interested people atLena’s Foods on Teutonia Avenue andCapitol Drive and the Midtown PigglyWiggly from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Sponsors of this event are The Mil-

waukee Urban League Guild, The Na-tional Council of Urban League Guilds,The Lupus Foundation of America, The LFA, Wisconsin Chapter, 98.3

AM Radio Station, Lena’s Food Market,Midtown Piggly Wiggly, and the AKA’sof Epsilon Kappa Omega Chapter. If you think that you might have this

disease, or you want to find out moreabout Lupus, stop by on Saturday, May17.

Milwaukee UrbanLeague Guild sponsoring HealthyAwareness Day forLupus Month

Famed College choir performs at TabernacleCommunity Baptist Church

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 5

when her mother died in 1905, she was determined to ful-fill her mother’s dream of having a mother’s day. Initially Jarvis sent carnations to a church in Grafton,

West Virginia to honor her mother. Carnations were hermother’s favorite flower and Anna felt that they symbol-ized a mother’s pure love. Later she and some supporters wrote letters to people

in positions of power lobbying for the official declarationof Mother’s Day as an official holiday. By 1911, Mother'sDay was celebrated in almost every state in the Unionand on May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed aJoint Resolution designating the second Sunday in Mayas Mother's Day. Thanks to the efforts of Ward and Jarvis, this Sunday,

all across the United States, we celebrate and pay tributeto mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, surrogates and allthose aunts, sisters and friends who stand in the place ofmoms in our lives. Moreover, as children grow older perhaps there is a

correlation between aging and greater appreciation formothers. When we were young, we thought we kneweverything and some of us even thought our mothers were‘old-folkie,’ too strict or didn’t have a clue what they weretalking about. From a personal standpoint, I can share that—to this

day—I frequently hear my mother’s voice warning me orgiving me advice that—at the time—I thought waswrong, outdated, or irrelevant, but rings very true in myreality today.My mother loved children—as is evidenced by the fact

that she birthed six children (two died as babies and oneas an adult), formally adopted two, informally adoptedone, and helped raise more than 52 foster children. As Ilook back over my life I marvel that she did this, withsuch a quiet spirit and capacity to love others uncondi-tionally. The best lesson my mother taught me is the importance

of faith and family. Before we ever attended school, mymother made sure that we knew a few things—our firstand last names and how to spell them, and that we couldrecite the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm. My mother also taught us that family takes care of fam-

ily. Never has this lesson rang more true for me then itdoes today, as I raise my two grandchildren. I am not the only baby boomer that recognizes and ap-

preciates the important lessons that our mothers taught.Some well-known Milwaukee residents share their lifelessons taught to them by their mothers, which enabledthem to become successful. Here are their lessons frommom:Randy Crump, President/CEO Prism Technical“My mother passed away when I was only 13 and my

father worked second shift. I vividly remember conver-sations with my mother about the importance of educa-tion and how much she wanted me to receive a collegeeducation to escape poverty. Her dream and words neverleft my consciousness through the adversity of growing

up in the inner city and I have repeated that message toevery young person that will listen.” (Mother, Annie MaeCrump)Janie R. Hatton, retired educator/principal/admin-

istrator/community activist“My mother's loving hands would hold my face as she

looked at me and often said, "You are a Hill and peoplejudge you by the company you keep. Stand for somethingthat matters. Now, go rest your mind.”My mom's name was Lueberta Edwards Hill.”Tyrone Dumas, educator/community activist“My brother Anthony, sister Sharon and I had to work

in the family-owned businesses where my mother taughtus responsibility, entrepreneurship, self-reliance, hardwork, love, family and self-pride. “She was hard on us and demanded a lot. When I

wanted to learn music as a teenager, she bought me adrum set. She purchased an erector set for me as a childwhen I started taking apart stuff around the house, which,along with my school shop classes, got me interested inarchitecture. “And, when I started doing stand up comedy in the

1970's, she was an inspiration for much of my act be-cause the trials and tribulations surrounding our up-bringing became really funny as I entered adult life. “Recently I was looking at her and could not reminisce

about any of those many childhood experiences becauseshe has Alzheimer's and does not remember much aboutthose times.” (Mother is Darlene Dumas-Elerby-Ingram,86 years old)Juanita Adams, retired Blue Cross/Blue Shield“The most important thing my Mother (Betty Guy) has

taught me is the love of God and the love of family. MyMom passed away in 2003, but the things she has taughtme stay with me every day. She taught by examples, andlived life to the fullest and I try everyday to live up to herexamples.” Happy Mother’s Day and thanks for the love and les-

sons. They have served us well!

Lessons From Mother(continued from page 1)

“Thanks to the efforts of Ward and Jarvis, thisSunday, all across the United States, we cele-brate and pay tribute to mothers, grandmothers,caregivers, surrogates and all those aunts, sis-

ters and friends who stand in the place ofmoms in our lives.“

him or her. Parents or other family members overreact. Friends do not accepttheir new deliverance. Some new Christians can grow spiritually from these actions and make

them stronger than ever. But others are treated like diseased or mentally un-stable in their newly found joy.Still we can do no good thing to earn the favor of God. It is all from His

grace and none of our works. Joining a church, getting baptized, tithing, pray-ing, nor any other work of man will suffice to save your soul. God has included all under sin that He may choose to have mercy on us

all. See what the Lord says to you and me; “That if thou shalt confess withthy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raisedHim from the dead, thou shalt be saved”.The Bible teaches baptism for converts as an act of obedience, prayer as

our means of communication with our God, church attendance to join withothers in worship and tithing to meet the needs of the church and ministeringto the needs of others who are less fortunate than us, but salvation is the wellspring of these things. It does not come because we do, but because He has done all that is neces-

sary. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved….

(continued from page 4)

What Must I DoTo Be Saved?

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

“Nineteen fifty-four to 2014: TheChanging Face of Public Education,”is the theme of an education summitbeing presented by the Wisconsinconference of NAACP branches Sat-urday, May 17, starting at 8 a.m. atAldrich Middle School, 1859 North-gate Drive, Beloit, Wisconsin. Beloitis the home of the state’s oldestNAACP branch.The summit coincides with the cel-

ebration of the 60th anniversary ofBrown v. Board of Education deci-sion by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision was monumental be-

cause it was the first brick removedfrom the wall of “Separate ButEqual,” and the institution of “JimCrow.”The keynote speaker for the sum-

mit will be Dr. Demond Means, su-perintendent of the Mequon-Thiens-ville School District. He is also the chair of the Wiscon-

sin State Superintendent’s Task Forceon Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap.Means will focus on the topic, “Pro-moting excellence for all.”Registration is $30 per person. For

youth, the cost is $10 per person.Lunch is included. For addtional information, contact

the NAACP state conference atwww.naacp.wisconsinstateconfer-ence@gmail.com. To register online,go to www.naacpwi-edu-summit.eventbrite.com. (Eventbritehandling fees will apply.)

State conference ofNAACP branches tohold summit onstate of public education afterBrown decision

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 6

SMALL BUSINESSSMALL BUSINESS

The Burleigh Street Community Development Corpo-ration (BSCDC) will hold a Commercial Property Show-case on Friday, May 16th from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.Several premier properties on the 5300 block of westBurleigh Street will be open for tours. Interested buyers, renters, developers and their brokers

are invited to view properties for sale and lease. BSCDCis teaming up with real estate and property managementrepresentatives from NAI MLG Commercial, Siegel-Gal-lagher, Sandor Development, and AASAP Managementfor their second annual property showcase.Individuals from traditional and non-traditional lending

partners will be available at the event to explain incen-tives, services and funding opportunities available. Thesepartners include: Legacy Redevelopment Corporation,US Bank, Milwaukee Economic Development Corpora-tion (MEDC), Wisconsin Women’s Business InitiativeCorporation (WWBIC), African American Chamber ofCommerce (AACC), Bank Mutual, Wisconsin Housingand Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), theSmall Business Administration (SBA), Educators CreditUnion and Seaway Bank and Trust. “We’re excited to build on last year’s event. This is a

great opportunity for professionals and retailers to seesome available office and storefront space in which they

can grow their business right here in the city,” said RenéeLindner, BSCDC’s Outreach Manager. “One of our goalsis to close deals.”Last year’s showcase helped at least one buyer find the

property that will soon house a new business on BurleighStreet. The commercial property showcase is one of manyBSCDC events that support urban commercial corridorrevitalization efforts.Beginning at 12:30 p.m. on May 16, this event is open

to the general public. Anyone interested in attendingshould contact Renée Lindner at the phone number oremail address listed above.

About the Burleigh Street Community Development Corporation

Leading revitalization efforts since 1999 is theBSCDC, a coalition of people who live, worship, workand do business in the neighborhood. Our mission is toenhance the business environment in the Burleigh StreetCommercial Corridor by conceiving and implementingeconomic development and community revitalizationprojects through the leverage of public-private partner-ships that link city, county, state and federal governmentswith private investors, local corporations and founda-tions. More information can be found at www.burleigh-street.org

Burleigh Street CDC AnnouncesCommercial Property ShowcaseEvent offers networking and resources to help businesses locate on Burleigh

By Lisa Williams,REALTOR®, CRS, GRI, BPORWilliams & Associates RealtyHere are some tips for you when

house hunting. The warmer weathermay bring out new buyers in the mar-ket and there will be competition onsome homes. We are seeing an increase in inter-

est rates and home prices are on therise as well so you should be pre-pared for when you’ve found theright one.Inventory of HomesHow will you know when you’ve found “the one.” It’s

important to be patient and keep your eye on the prize.With an increase in inventory you may see many houses,learn about the market and maybe even have a heartbreakor two. All of these experiences will inform you and pro-vide serious context when “the one” presents itself.Must-haves and Deal-breakers Most buyers begin their home search with a list of

wants, needs, must-haves and even deal-breakers. Youwill never get it all, so it’s important to know when tocompromise. Often the “perfect” home will come along, but don’t

lose sight of your checklist. You may see a nice kitchenthat you can’t seem to forget about, but if the home does-n’t have room for the two cars, doesn’t have the required

square footage or lacks that all-im-portant second bathroom, you mayneed to move on. It’s Not the End until Closing

Happens You may write a good offer but an-

other buyer may offer more than you,may have a larger down payment ormay offer the seller a swift closingand more favorable terms. It’s not a done deal once the con-

tract is signed. Many times a buyerand seller come to an agreement onterms and price, even sign a contract,

only to have a series of issues come up in the disclosureand inspection phase. Know that dozens of issues cancome up. Being PatientKnow upfront that the home shopping process will be

a journey. Expect to see a lot of homes and know you willlearn a lot along the way. No matter how frustrating the process is, believe that

the journey will eventually come to an end and that “theone” will present itself in due time. The more knowledge you have the more you will know

when the right “one” comes along and you’re ready toseal the deal. Happy House Hunting! For more information feel free to contact Lisa

Williams, Williams & Associates Realty call (414) 463-9948 or website: www.williamsandassociatesrealty.com.

The real estate market is heating up!

his is the mil-lion-dollarquestion,isn’t it? Un-

fortunately it isn’t as easyas yes or no. There are cer-tainly variables and some arevery basic. Here are somequestions to ask:Is your salestraining actually producttraining?Is it a one-day training that is

packed to the gills with info?

Is their follow up coaching andmaintenance to assure success?Are their activities set up to cre-

ate true accountabilities not justmeeting the revenue numbersalone?Are your sales people trainable?I recently read a survey of 500

small to medium size businessesthat I want to share with you.This particular survey found 6%

of salespeople are at the top of theirgame. They are consistently beatingtheir goal #s as a matter of fact, theyset their own goals dependent onwhat they want to earn. Another 20% are doing well but

could do better. They are fairly con-sistent but could really sharpen theirtools a bit more and be unstoppable.Then there are 74% who are not

cutting it. Most of the people(about two thirds) in the 74%bracket can improve if they gettraining. The last one third in thisgroup are in the wrong job and re-ally aren’t fixable. Unfortunately we spend more

time with these bottom end per-

formers and try to get them to im-prove when truly our time and en-ergy should be spent at the top.It doesn’t seem to make a differ-

ence what industry you’re in, orwhat type of company you are. Notsure? Ask yourself what percentageof your sales representatives areconsistently successful? Is it close to out of 20; 2 are suc-

cessful, 5 are pretty good and therest and not really cutting it. Out ofa group this size, the top 2 are train-able but will not change what theyare already doing right away …if itain’t broke…12 or 13 will improve quite a bit

with training, and the last 5 or 6should be gone. We hold on tosalespeople for much longer thenwe should. Here is another brilliant comment

about training; “ I like to go to train-ing seminars. Even if I learn 1 tip…” You want a tip? Here’s one forlosing weight, “eat more vegetablesand less carbohydrates”. How’sthat? How about, “To be a betterspouse, be a better listener.” A tip is

nice but will not change behavior. Itis of course the easy way to “getmotivated” but continue to do whatyou’re doing.Sales tends to be a misunderstood

phenomenon. We feel like the ex-cuse of doing pretty good or gettingclose to the goal is OK. Here is thequestion I ask salespeople whenthey say that.If your company’s payroll depart-

ment said, “well we may not get tocreate and sign all of the paychecksthis week, but we will do the bestwe can” would your sales rep kickup his/her heels? You bet. So whatis the difference?Greta Schulz is president of

Schulz Business SELLutions. She isthe best selling author of "To Sell isNot to Sell". Greta does corporatetraining for fortune 1000 compa-nies and she has an on-line trainingcourse for entrepreneurs. For freeweekly tips go to: www.schulzbusi-ness.com/ sign up for GretaNomicsfollow on twitter @schulzbusinessLike Schulz Business onFacebook.com/SchulzBusiness

Will Training Help?Get Out of Your Way and Go! By Antoine MillerEver been stuck in a traffic jam? Do recall feeling like you would give

anything to have the car in front of you start moving? Now imagine thatthe car in front of you could drive ahead but just refused to move becausehe couldn’t decide which way he wanted to go. As you look, you see there is nothing in front of that driver but open

road and opportunity. Can you imagine being behind that car? A car thatjust wouldn't go. It would be frustrating. In life, we stand in front of our success by not moving forward. We

block our success. We get so hung up on which way is the right way to gothat we end up standing still and ultimately going absolutely nowhere.Being complacent is never the best solution. Standing still gets younowhere. The solution to a life filled with no action is to simply start livinga life where you create more action. Start taking some risks. Sometimesyou have to scare yourself into taking action. Do whatever it takes. If youwant to reach your goals you have to always be moving towards them. Motivational speaker Jack Canfield has an activity he often uses as a

motivational piece in his seminars. He simply stands in front of the room of people attending his seminar

and he asks this question? “Who in this room would like this $100 bill?”He would indeed be holding up a brand-new crisp $100 bill. Everyone'shand in the room would shoot up in the air. He would ask again, “who would like this $100 bill?” And again, every-

body's hand would shoot up in the air. Finally, one courageous personwould get up out of his seat, walk up to Jack and actually take the $100bill. Everyone else would sit in their chair stunned that they didn’t get upand go for the money. The message is clear. If you want something you have to go get it! At

the conclusion of the presentation, Jack would hold up another $100 billand ask the same question. Only this time, I’m sure you can imagine themad dash people made to the front of the room to grab the money.Let’s face it. The people who make the mad dash towards their goals

will always be more successful than the people who sit quietly with theirhands raised. Stop hoping and wishing and force yourself to get up anddo something that will get you what you really want! We all want some-thing. You want something right now. The frustrating thing is you won’tmove.

By Greta SchulzTSchulz

Williams

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 7

The Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation,Inc. of Southeastern Wisconsin willhold its third annual “Dare ToDream” Krimson Scholarship BallSaturday, May 17, at the PfisterHotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. Theevent will start with a reception at5:30 p.m. Dinner follows at 7p.m.Since its inception, the Foundation

has recognized the academicachievements of 66 deserving stu-dents awarding each of them a$1,000 scholarship toward their un-dergraduate education. During the fraternity’s 2013 schol-

arship function, the Foundationawarded eight students a $1,000scholarship, an Apple I-Pad and $300in school vouchers to assist with foodand supplies. In addition, four previ-ous recipients received $500 towardtheir continuing college education.Another area of focus for the

Foundation is its commitment to “To-morrow’s Youth” through its spon-sorship of The Guide rightmentorship program, which focuseson middle school young men and thehigh school component of this pro-gram the Kappa Alpha Psi Instruc-tional Leadership League(commonly known as The KappaLeague). These programs are designed to

help young men grow and developtheir leadership talents.

The ball will also have a silent auc-tion. Tickets for the event are $60 each.

For more information, go towww.milwaukeenupes.com. Klickon the Foundation tab.

Kappa foundation to hold third annual“Dare To Dream” Krimson Scholarship Ball

the scene, talk to Dontre, establishthat nothing was wrong or requiredtheir intervention then be able toleave peacefully? I didn't get thename of those two officers, but I wishI could tell them that I appreciatethem for doing their job as a protec-tor of the people involved that day.

I still have questions: Why wasChris there? Was he called out totriple-check the situation since therewere two previous calls in the area?Also, why didn't he come talk to mycoworker or me first? I don't understand why we weren't

alerted to his presence. Maybe that'snot our right, or that we are not owedthat from a police officer on duty, butwe are the ones that made the call tobegin with.Why did Chris not say something

to Dontre to try to diffuse the situa-tion? The situation went from batonto a firearm. Was there no other op-tion to subdue Dontre? He didn'teven try using his words beforepulling out a gun. Why didn't he just try to disable

Dontre? I never saw where the offi-cer shot, but my coworker told me hestarted at the ribcage and moved up-ward. If that's true, why did it take 10shots?These seem like reasonable ques-

tions that anyone not familiar withpolice protocol would ask. Mycoworker is the one who recognizedthat it was Chris, and once I realizedwho that was, I felt horrible. In ask-ing myself these questions, it dawnedon me that I had experienced some-thing unsavory with this particularofficer before.It was November of 2013, and I

had just recently transferred to theRed Arrow Park Starbucks. Since ourbuilding is connected to a park build-ing, some of the facilities are actuallyowned by the city (such as the bath-rooms). We often have people com-ing in to warm themselves by thefireplace in our store - includinghomeless people. A few of them try to do illegal sub-

stances in the bathrooms where theythink we can't do anything about it,but we are often calling authoritieswhen there is any kind of illegal ac-tivities going on in our bathroom.

On one such evening when a callwas made, Chris and another officerreported to the scene. As Chris wentto move out any non-paying cus-tomers, I made a comment about howhomeless people were just trying tokeep warm and weren't a problem. I felt bad that he was kicking them

out for no reason. He responded withsomething along the lines of how thepeople in that position are homelessby their own doing and are now lay-ing in the bed they've made.That isn't a direct quote. I don't re-

member exactly what was said, as atthe time I didn't think I'd need to re-count it as something relevant. I justremember getting a dark vibe fromChris that night.

I realize my anecdotal evidencealone doesn't prove anything aboutthe incident last Wednesday, but itmakes me skeptical. It gives me enough to reasonably

question it. With all of these factorscombined, I ask myself if it wassomeone who was looking for afight, if it was someone looking to"clear out the trash".We capture more cases of police

brutality now than ever. I onlylearned recently that Dontre sufferedfrom mental illness, specificallyschizophrenia. Dontre had been awake for days

before the incident Wednesday andhad been walking a long distance be-fore finally resting underneath ourarrow at Red Arrow Park. He wassleeping because he was exhausted,and he was only waiting for a ridefrom his brother.

It's extremely hard to speculateabout a police officer trying to dohis/her job, but this isn't the first caseof this happening. In 2011, Fullerton police officers

beat a schizophrenic man namedKelly Thomas so badly that he diedfrom his injuries. Despite extensivevideo evidence from multiplesources, the police officer involvedwas acquitted. This is an extremely similar case:

a man with schizophrenia meets anuntimely end, with no clear answer

as to what provoked the situation orwhy it was allowed to progress to thestate it did. The ACLU made a statement infer-

ring that the DA that was in charge ofthe case regarding Kelly Thomas wasincapable of impartially handling it.In Wisconsin, there is a new law re-quiring two outside agencies, asidefrom the DA, to investigate a casewhen there is a shooting involving apolice officer. This may aid the im-partiality that can exist in a depart-ment the ACLU cited, but this is thefirst case that the new law has beenapplied to. I gave a statement to the DA and a

table-full of agency heads, but I hopeit was worth something. I hope this isdifferent than the case with KellyThomas, where somebody ended updead and the department scrambledto protect their own.

I've seen and read some terriblethings regarding Dontre's case whendiscussing it with people. There hasbeen a lot of support for him, but alsoa lot of opinions from people thatdon't fully understand the story orthey've never had a friend or lovedone with a mental illness. They make the assumption that the

officer approached the situation witha clear head, therefore not making amistake. Why do we assume that the victim

deserved their fate if they ended updead in a confrontation with a policeofficer? At the end of the day, what were

Dontre's crimes? He was a man tak-ing a rest in a public park on a warmafternoon. He was doing nothingwrong. This is reinforced by the factthat TWO officers before were ableto communicate and check him outwithout issue. So what happened the third time?

How many things could have hap-pened differently? What he wasdoing was not illegal. Was Chris in-capable or unable of handling this sit-uation differently? Or has this become a place where

we award mental illness with thedeath penalty?

James Reedy (pictured at right)turned 80 years old April 30! “Thisman has been so much to so manypeople,” said Reedy’s daughter, Tre-nace Cole. “I will never be able tothank him enough for all that he hasdone for me! Happy birthday daddy!”

MILESTONE

FIRST PERSON(continued from page 3)

Members of Kappa Alpha Psi

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 8

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 9

The Milwaukee Community Journal May 7, 2014 Page 10