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June
23 , 2005
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Religious
leaders seek
better relations with police |
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Call
for more accountability
highlights south side community meeting |
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MILWAUKEE
— The March killing of Wilber Javier
Prado by Milwaukee Police Officer Alonso Glover
has south side communities concerned.
On June 9, more than 50 community members met
at South Division High School to show support
for Prado’s family and to listen to a myriad
of speakers. Rev. Carlos Aranda and Pastor Arnold
Brownstien set the tone for the evening as they
prayed, “Jesus enter the hearts of those
who are in power.” When this happens, they
said, the healing Milwaukee needs can begin.
Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope
helped host the event, represented by its president
Rev. Joseph Jackson and Patt Jackson. MICAH, an
organization composed of representation from 45
religious congregations, including a Jewish community
and some groups outside of Milwaukee, has recently
started a campaign called “Holy Ground”
to quell violence on Milwaukee’s streets.
In a letter to Mayor Tom Barrett concerning the
recent police related violence, Patt Jackson wrote,
“On holy ground we are safe from violence.
Every neighborhood is sacred ground and that’s
where we shall stand.”
City leaders are mindful of the measures being
used by groups like MICAH to improve Milwaukee.
The group has respectfully pressured leaders such
as David Heard, Milwaukee’s Fire and Police
Commission Executive Director, and Mayor Tom Barrett
to improve relations with community members via
frequent summits, which create an environment
of negotiation for both groups.
In the most recent summit Barrett agreed to appropriate
funds to put video cameras in all police cars,
a measure designed to improve accountability and
to prevent further mishaps such as the Prado case.
Rev. Jackson made it clear that “Holy Ground”
is focused on “tearing down walls to improve
relationships” between Milwaukee’s
police force and the citizenry it is empowered
to protect. “Justice tears down the walls,”
Rev. Jackson said, “and that’s what
we need here.”
MICAH used a different formula than other groups
in the forum. Patt Jackson’s letter to Barrett
was read aloud for attendees whereas representatives
from other groups gave speeches that consistently
had people out of their chairs, cheering. MICAH’s
letter, according to its leaders, is meant to
open the lines of communication through negotiation,
unlike speeches from other groups that evoked
emotion for the injustice of this case.
Matt Nelson, from Education for the People, proposed
a civilian review board, an independent and autonomous
group to investigate police brutality cases with
the power to “discipline and dismiss”
negligent officers.
He recommended that Milwaukee’s Fire and
Police Commission, a group whose responsibilities
include handling citizens’ complaints about
Milwaukee’s fire and police personnel, be
dissolved. According to Nelson, of the more than
800 complaints reported since 1999, the commission
has not found police wrongdoing in any matter.
“We want a trial and charges for (Glover),
and we want a civilian review board,” he
shouted over applause, “and the only reason
we don’t have these is because we haven’t
put pressure on (Milwaukee County District Attorney
E. Michael) McCann to get them.”
Nelson targeted McCann and Chief Deputy District
Attorney Robert Donohoo during his speech, suggesting
that the former be fired.
“There’s a struggle for safety, civil
rights and a professional police force. (To get
them) it’s gonna take a little bit of thunder,”
he said.
Michelle Mendoza, leader for Citizen Action of
Milwaukee, spoke like a prosecutor, detailing
what might have happened the night Prado was killed.
“I’m upset, disgusted and saddened
that in this day and age we have these types of
actions from police,” Mendoza said.
“What could (Glover) have been thinking
as he fired those eight rounds that landed in
Wilber’s back?”
One woman, who chose to remain anonymous, replied,
“We don’t need to worry about firing
McCann,” she said, “What we need is
to find someone who will represent us better than
McCann has.”
According to Rev. Jackson, that type of thinking
is exactly how MICAH plans to make Milwaukee a
better place to live. By working with political
leaders rather than against them, offering negotiable
solutions rather than rash demands, and by treating
each situation as is appropriate, Rev. Jackson
said, maintaining that MICAH has made its point
clear, but has done so in a respectful manner.
Milwaukee needs change, he said.
MICAH is a group without boundaries. Its multicultural,
multi-denomination community is always branching
out to unite the communities of Milwaukee and
surrounding areas. Communication is important,
Rev. Jackson said, and he plans to keep the lines
as open as possible. A few weeks from now he will
meet with Milwaukee Chief of Police Nannette Hegerty
to continue the process.
Rev. Jackson has opened MICAH’s doors to
those who wish to file complaints or raise concerns
in police related matters.
If you have a complaint, go to MICAH’s office
at 2821 N 4th St. suite 148 Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 2 to 5 p.m. Phone for directions at (414)
264-0805. |
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