Milwaukee, WI – On October 22, 50 people gathered at the King Center on Milwaukee’s Northside to mark Stolen Lives Day to uplift the memories of loved ones whose lives have been stolen by police crimes.

The Cole, Sharpe, Anderson, Thomas, Robinson-Scarborough, and Lawhorn families were present as were members of Milwaukee’s Palestinian community. All these families have unjustly lost their sons and daughters to police murders and negligence. Brian Verdin, one of the original founders of the Milwaukee Alliance, gave a moving account of the dozens of families the Alliance has struggled alongside for justice over the years.

Milwaukee poets Lea V, Mario “The Poet” and Jonah Denae offered up poems that celebrated the lives lost, made space for community anger, and uplifted the importance of the struggle for justice. Denae received a standing ovation for her poem that indicted the entire system for its violence against Black men.

Taleavia Cole, the sister of Alvin Cole, who was murdered by killer cop Joseph Mensah, stated, “No punishment can bring our loved ones back, and no words can undo the devastation violence leaves behind… the conversation cannot end with just justice. We need accountability, we need transparency, we need action.”

Families needed space to grieve, but they were also angry and ready to fight back. Indictments and convictions for killer cops are a start for these families, but they plan to keep fighting until they get the whole system changed.

Cole continued, “At the end of the day we cannot fight this alone, we need more grassroots organizations like the Milwaukee Alliance, we need more alliance.”

For the last three years, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression has hosted Milwaukee’s Stolen Lives Day.

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