Milwaukee, WI – On November 15, members of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression attended the Fire and Police Commission Policies and Standards Committee meeting. This meeting provided important updates regarding the ongoing work to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the public release of footage related to cases of misconduct from the Milwaukee Police Department.

After September’s meeting, Fire and Police Commission (FPC) Executive Director Leon Todd, and Chair Ed Fallone communicated to the Milwaukee Alliance that they would be drafting their own SOP to compare to the police department’s own SOP. After a period of deliberation, the Policies and Standards Committee would present one of the SOPs to the entire FPC, which would then vote to adopt the SOP.

However, at November’s meeting, Todd presented a draft that he wrote up. Upon review of this draft, there were immediate red flags. First, this draft was for a Standard Operating Instruction (SOI), not procedure. This distinction means that the policy would only apply to a specific department or office within the MPD rather than every police officer. Moreover, an SOI is significantly less enforceable than an SOP.

Second, the SOI draft makes a soft suggestion for the public release of evidence that captures an officer-involved death or other critical incident within 15 days of the incident. Given the various exemptions that Todd makes in this SOI draft and the emphasis on business days rather than calendar days, the public release of video evidence will take significantly longer than 15 days.

Third, the SOI draft preserves the power to publicly release video evidence with the police. As the SOI draft states, “the video evidence in question shall be released as soon as the reason(s) for the delay has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chief of Police or his/her designee.” Currently, the MPD already has complete control over the release of video evidence, which is why the Milwaukee Alliance has been so adamant about creating an SOP requiring the public release of video evidence in a timely manner. To solve this issue, the power cannot be preserved in the hands of the MPD. This SOI draft is a failure on this front.

Fourth, and perhaps most egregious, this SOI draft omits any input from the community or the families of Milwaukee who have lost loved ones to police violence. The Milwaukee Alliance and multiple families who have lost loved ones at the hands of police have met with the Fire and Police Commission several times this year to discuss the SOP. They have made it clear that they want to see video evidence released publicly within 48 hours and the names of officers involved released within 24 hours.

“What’s most disappointing about this process is having to update the families about how weak this SOI is and how it disregards what we’ve expressed to the FPC that we want to see out of the SOP,” said Lauryn Cross, co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance. “The FPC has received ample community input, but through this SOI draft, they have shown that only the MPD’s input matters.”

When it came time to discuss the SOI draft, Commissioner Bree Spencer questioned why the SOI draft gave the chief of police any discretion over the release of video evidence and why it insisted on counting only business days when accounting for the 15-day period. Furthermore, Commissioners Spencer and Amanda Avalos expressed concern with the suggested length and voiced support for a shorter time frame. It should be noted that as soon as it was time to discuss this item in the agenda, Todd exited the meeting. Thus, the questions and concerns raised by the commissioners and members of the public were left unaddressed since the author of this draft was no longer at the meeting.

The Milwaukee Alliance intends on carrying forward the 24/48 demands and will continue to pressure the FPC to actually oversee the MPD. 15 days, even if calendar rather than business days, is still too long of a waiting period for the public release of video evidence. If the policy’s intention is to build trust between the public and the MPD, transparency needs to be ensured with the release of video evidence within 48 hours.

The police are more than capable of releasing video evidence in short periods of time. During the midterm elections, police arrested a man who was threatening voters with a knife, and the video evidence was released within a day. Rather than listen to the MPD, which they are tasked with overseeing, the FPC needs to draft an SOP that requires the public release of video evidence without any discretion from the police.

#MilwaukeeWI #MilwaukeeAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepression

Some parts of the FPC memorandum suggest promising recommendations for the eventual SOP. It requires the Milwaukee Police Department to show families of people killed by MPD the video footage. However, most of the other recommendations lack the teeth that would help the SOP ensure a significant level of transparency.

For example, the FPC wants to consider “whether MPD should have the ability to redact other portions of video footage, such as disturbing images/sounds.” As those organizing against police killings and crimes know, these videos are disturbing, so if MPD had the ability to edit “disturbing images/sounds” there would be no video.

Furthermore, the FPC remains lenient on MPD’s narrative that it takes them 45 days to go through the process necessary for holding a community briefing and releasing the footage.

In July, authorities in Akron, Ohio, released video footage and held a community briefing a week after the brutal police killing of Jayland Walker. After a police chase, Walker was shot 46 times from behind by eight police officers. Why can’t MPD, with all its resources, nearly half of the city’s budget, release the footage in less than a week?

“Oh, they can release the footage. When the cousin of Keishon Thomas shot up District 5, they released the footage the next day. But they still don’t release all of the footage in the case of Thomas himself [who died in MPD custody earlier this summer],” said Brian Verdin, education chair of the Milwaukee Alliance, during the meeting with the FPC.

Part of the answer to the question is that the police must edit the footage and give their officers enough time to review it and match their accounts to the video for when they are eventually interviewed in cases of critical incidents or police murders. Of course, MPD’s chief of staff, who attended the meeting and took up the most time speaking, denies that they edit footage for these reasons. He claims they edit the footage because they don’t want it interfering with ongoing investigations, a point that the district attorney has actually negated.

While the memorandum is only the beginning of the drafting process of the SOP, it suggests that the FPC is poised to create a proposal that changes little. It is soft and preserves the power of police in determining the narrative. This undermines the facts in cases of police misconduct and murders.

“You have the chance to create a policy that will actually ensure police transparency in these cases,” said Alan Chavoya, outreach chair of the Milwaukee Alliance, at the FPC meeting. “You speak of how our communities have no trust in MPD or [the FPC], yet you produce a memo that shows you are ignoring the demands of the families who have lost loved ones to police violence and the nearly 1000 people who have signed our petition for releasing the footage within 48 hours and the names of officers within 24.”

Omar Flores, finance chair of the MAARPR, said, “We’re wondering why we have to beg to put something forth that the public is asking for, and yet, [the FPC] takes a whole year only to listen to the police about why we supposedly can’t have this policy.”

At the meeting’s conclusion, the FPC voted in favor of beginning to write the proposal of the SOP. The Milwaukee Alliance will keep a close eye on the FPC as they draft this proposal and will continue demanding for an SOP that ensures actual transparency and accountability.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #MilwaukeeAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepression

Milwaukee, WI – On August 26, the family of Earl Lawhorn joined the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in a car caravan to demand justice for him and his family. Lawhorn was murdered by Milwaukee police exactly one year before. Cops initiated a high-speed chase with Lawhorn. The chase culminated in a fatal shooting, which the police officers justified by claiming Lawhorn had fired on them. Evidence presented by the district attorney to the family revealed that the firearm in Lawhorn’s possession was broken and unable to fire.

Over the last year, Lawhorn’s family has been trying to piece together that fatal day with the little information that has been released to them about the case. Jacqueline Ratzel, mother of Lawhorn, said that in footage she recently saw that Lawhorn, “had surrendered to the police. The police officer got out of his car and proceeded to shoot my son. They are refusing to tell me the officers’ names.”

The lack of transparency in this case is reflective of Milwaukee authorities’ misleadership and their refusal to hold the police accountable. Chief Jeffrey Norman of MPD refused to speak with Ratzel, and Mayor Cavalier Johnson has refused to draw any attention to the case.

“It’s not the first time we’ve been here in front of the Third District. How many people must this happen to until they are willing to take action?” asked Omar Flores, co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance.

Given their inability to hold police officers accountable, “we as people,” said Ratzel, “need to come together and stop the police from killing our people.”

As such, the Milwaukee Alliance and Lawhorn’s family are demanding the following for Justice Earl Lawhorn: The release of the full, unedited footage related to the case documenting the car chase, foot pursuit and shootings; the release of the names of the officers who shot Lawhorn; and, that the officers who shot Lawhorn to be charged.

The Milwaukee Alliance stands in full solidarity with Earl Lawhorn’s family. This car caravan is the beginning of their joint efforts to hold these murderous police officers accountable and get justice for Earl Lawhorn!

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #MilwaukeeAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepression #EarlLawhorn

Milwaukee, WI – Just after noon on November 20, over 120 people gathered at Red Arrow Park downtown to condemn the “innocent on all charges” verdict in the trial of vigilante murderer Kyle Rittenhouse. The protest was called for and organized by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, UW-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society, and the Wisconsin district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. All three groups had a presence on the ground in Kenosha last summer in the midst of the uprising.

The rally began at Red Arrow Park, but organizers quickly took the streets with the gathered crowd, with cars at the front and the rear to keep the marchers safe. They marched to the federal courthouse, chanting along the way, “Indict, convict, send Kyle Rittenhouse to jail!” and “Don’t arrest me, arrest the Nazi!”

Once the march reached the courthouse, speakers took center stage. The people in attendance heard from representatives of each of the organizations responsible for hosting the event as well as The People’s Revolution, whose membership turned out in support.

Adelana Akindes of UWM SDS spoke first, sharing her experiences protesting in Kenosha before and after Rittenhouse’s murder of Anthony Huber and JoJo Rosenbaum. On the night after Rittenhouse fled from Kenosha, Akindes was swept up by officers in unmarked vans. A successful nationwide fight was waged by National SDS, the Milwaukee Alliance, and their allies to free Akindes and the other people who were being held with her.

“They kept us there for almost two days, and they did it all because we were there for justice for Jacob Blake, justice for the victims of police crimes,” said Akindes. “It’s so infuriating because the day before, Kyle Rittenhouse was there and he murdered people, and he was able to go home. They didn’t target him like they did us.”

Akindes concluded with a call to action. “But there’s power in numbers. We have to organize. We have to imagine a world that benefits us and not the white supremacists, not the Kyle Rittenhouses. Get out there and keep fighting!”

The next to speak was Nadezdha Young Binter, a rank-and-file trade unionist and member of FRSO. After reading off a statement from the organization, she told the crowd, “This capitalist country and capitalism around the world has always been built on the hyper-exploitation of Black labor. You can’t fight capitalism without the participation of the people who are most oppressed by it; there is no end to capitalism without Black liberation.”

Mariah Smith of The People’s Revolution spoke next. TPR formed out of the spontaneous mass protests that erupted in Milwaukee in the summer of 2020 and went on marching every day for more than 200 days, and Smith was and is an integral part of their efforts.

“A 17-year-old can get driven across state lines – his mama don’t get charged with nothing; that’s child endangerment. But Black parents go to jail for using a different address so that their kids can go to a better school. There are Black mamas in jail because they wanted their kids to have a better opportunity, and this mama at home kicking her feet up because her son is at home,” said Smith.

Smith continued, “If Kyle’s name were Davante, he’d be doing 25-to-life. He’d have been guilty on every single charge. It wouldn’t have taken a couple days to deliberate. When they gave the deliberation instructions, they’d have been saying, ‘Guilty!’ ‘Guilty!’ ‘Guilty!’ And that’s our reality.”

Alan Chavoya, a leader with the Milwaukee Alliance, wrapped up the speakers stating, “You’ve got this people’s uprising in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. This kid sitting in his fucking house in Illinois thinks, ‘I gotta go over there and protect that property.’ Why is he thinking like that?”

Chavoya continued, “He’s thinking like that because when we were on the streets, they sent the National Guard, they sent the police, they sent everyone they could – the feds – to protect that property. That’s no coincidence. That’s how this system functions.”

After some last closing comments, the rally returned to the starting point at Red Arrow Park. Those in attendance were left with some words of wisdom from Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, who said that this moment isn’t the end of something, but the beginning of it.

People were urged to continue the fight and to join an organization. As the chant goes, “The people, united, will never be defeated!”

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #KyleRittenhouse #MilwaukeeAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepression

Milwaukee, WI – Just after noon on November 20, over 120 people gathered at Red Arrow Park downtown to condemn the “innocent on all charges” verdict in the trial of vigilante murderer Kyle Rittenhouse. The protest was called for and organized by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, UW-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society, and the Wisconsin district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. All three groups had a presence on the ground in Kenosha last summer in the midst of the uprising.

The rally began at Red Arrow Park, but organizers quickly took the streets with the gathered crowd, with cars at the front and the rear to keep the marchers safe. They marched to the federal courthouse, chanting along the way, “Indict, convict, send Kyle Rittenhouse to jail!” and “Don’t arrest me, arrest the Nazi!”

Once the march reached the courthouse, speakers took center stage. The people in attendance heard from representatives of each of the organizations responsible for hosting the event as well as The People’s Revolution, whose membership turned out in support.

Adelana Akindes of UWM SDS spoke first, sharing her experiences protesting in Kenosha before and after Rittenhouse’s murder of Anthony Huber and JoJo Rosenbaum. On the night after Rittenhouse fled from Kenosha, Akindes was swept up by officers in unmarked vans. A successful nationwide fight was waged by National SDS, the Milwaukee Alliance, and their allies to free Akindes and the other people who were being held with her.

“They kept us there for almost two days, and they did it all because we were there for justice for Jacob Blake, justice for the victims of police crimes,” said Akindes. “It’s so infuriating because the day before, Kyle Rittenhouse was there and he murdered people, and he was able to go home. They didn’t target him like they did us.”

Akindes concluded with a call to action. “But there’s power in numbers. We have to organize. We have to imagine a world that benefits us and not the white supremacists, not the Kyle Rittenhouses. Get out there and keep fighting!”

The next to speak was Nadezdha Young Binter, a rank-and-file trade unionist and member of FRSO. After reading off a statement from the organization, she told the crowd, “This capitalist country and capitalism around the world has always been built on the hyper-exploitation of Black labor. You can’t fight capitalism without the participation of the people who are most oppressed by it; there is no end to capitalism without Black liberation.”

Mariah Smith of The People’s Revolution spoke next. TPR formed out of the spontaneous mass protests that erupted in Milwaukee in the summer of 2020 and went on marching every day for more than 200 days, and Smith was and is an integral part of their efforts.

“A 17-year-old can get driven across state lines – his mama don’t get charged with nothing; that’s child endangerment. But Black parents go to jail for using a different address so that their kids can go to a better school. There are Black mamas in jail because they wanted their kids to have a better opportunity, and this mama at home kicking her feet up because her son is at home,” said Smith.

Smith continued, “If Kyle’s name were Davante, he’d be doing 25-to-life. He’d have been guilty on every single charge. It wouldn’t have taken a couple days to deliberate. When they gave the deliberation instructions, they’d have been saying, ‘Guilty!’ ‘Guilty!’ ‘Guilty!’ And that’s our reality.”

Alan Chavoya, a leader with the Milwaukee Alliance, wrapped up the speakers stating, “You’ve got this people’s uprising in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. This kid sitting in his fucking house in Illinois thinks, ‘I gotta go over there and protect that property.’ Why is he thinking like that?”

Chavoya continued, “He’s thinking like that because when we were on the streets, they sent the National Guard, they sent the police, they sent everyone they could – the feds – to protect that property. That’s no coincidence. That’s how this system functions.”

After some last closing comments, the rally returned to the starting point at Red Arrow Park. Those in attendance were left with some words of wisdom from Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, who said that this moment isn’t the end of something, but the beginning of it.

People were urged to continue the fight and to join an organization. As the chant goes, “The people, united, will never be defeated!”

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #KyleRittenhouse #MilwaukeeAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepression