'Milwaukee Uprisings' Reflect Wisconsin's Terrible Treatment Of Black Lives | HuffPost Voices - Action News
Home WebMail Monday, November 4, 2024, 10:43 PM | Calgary | 4.4°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2016-08-17T08:01:35Z | Updated: 2018-10-01T20:41:43Z

CaIm has been mostly restored to many parts of Milwaukee since the police killing of Sylville Smith on Saturday led to violent protests, but the frustration over the poor treatment of black lives lingers.

The Milwaukee police officer, whose name has not yet been released, told the citys police chief he shot Smith seconds after Smith fled from a traffic stop. Smith, who was black, was armed and had a history of criminal offenses, but community members say that didnt justify his killing.

Protesters, most of them black, took to the streets for three consecutive days to demonstrate their anger against the police. In the citys northern neighborhood of Sherman Park, protesters vandalized and burned buildings; there were multiple reports of gunshots throughout the area and dozens of people were arrested. Gov. Scott Walker activated the National Guard in case city police needed help restoring order, but they werent ultimately deployed.

Sylvilles death did not come as a surprise, just a wave of sadness, Miela Fetaw, a 21-year-old resident of Milwaukee, told The Huffington Post. I have never seen this community so unapologetic in their anger, in their frustration, in their loss of a brother.

The disturbances were not just about Smiths shooting, said Milwaukee NAACP branch president Fred Royal. African Americans, who make up about 40 percent of the city, have higher levels of unemployment, higher incarceration rates and lower incomes than the white population. The recent upheaval may force city residents to have a long overdue reckoning about inequality, he said.

Institutional racism creates these problems, Royal said, adding, When you have systems in place that have been used for their privilege for years and have failed to meet the needs of another community, it may be that they will only identify with that type of outcry.

The institutional racism Wisconsin upholds has created deep divisions between its residents, and many of the states black men and women have felt marginalized and mistreated for too long.

The people are not heard, Fetaw said. Their pain is not acknowledged.

Wisconsin ranks as the worst state for black Americans, according to a special report from financial website 24/7 Wall St . For many of Wisconsins black residents, this news may be unsurprising; for others, perhaps confusing. Here are a few reasons to help explain why black lives dont seem to matter very much to the state of Wisconsin.

Prisons and jails get more money than schools.