Author: Jonathan Brostoff

Let’s talk honestly about suicide, more than 50% are committed with guns. As a teen I could have been one of those statistics. Earlier this year, I was informed I would be named to the Task Force on Suicide Prevention. Legislators often are assigned to task forces based on their interest. This was the case for me back in my first term as a legislator, when I served on the Task Force on Alzheimer’s and Dementia. But suicide prevention? This assignment meant much more to me on a very personal level. Many people know I am an extremely passionate...

Fore·shad·ow: verb, be a warning or indication of (a future event). Early in the evening of August 30, I was talking with different community leaders about how preventative versus punitive measures are needed right now more than ever around Sherman Park. Later that night during my efforts to de-escalate the situation around the Sherman Park neighborhood, I was thrown to the ground and arrested by the Milwaukee Police Department. For weeks now, I’ve been working with a number of neighborhood leaders, community members, elected officials, and faith leaders in an effort to de-escalate and redirect the energy there in...