Author: Staff

In 2013, the state legislature invalidated the City of Milwaukee’s 75-year-old residency requirement, and that action has led to a significant loss of revenue and community leaders in local neighborhoods. Alderman Michael J. Murphy pointed to the study by SB Friedman as proof that the state’s interference into local affairs was once again having a negative impact on the City of Milwaukee. “Employees spend a good 25% of their money on housing. That income is now supporting other communities and suburbs,” said Alderman Murphy. “This further demonstrates how the state is not looking out for the interest of its...

50 years after the Kerner Commission delivered a report to President Johnson examining the causes of civil unrest in African American communities, a new study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) compares the state of black workers and their families in 1968 with the economic circumstances African Americans face today. The review found that while African Americans today are much better educated than they were in 1968—and in many ways better off in absolute terms than they were in 1968—they are still economically disadvantaged relative to whites. “Black Americans have clearly put a tremendous amount of personal effort into...

Traffic at the intersection of 6th and Main Streets came to a halt for a quarter hour on March 5 as protesters in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) demanded a resolution from House Speaker Paul Ryan. DACA was due to expire on March 5, but federal courts intervened and issued rulings that temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from ending the program that offers protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children. “We took bold action to raise the pressure on Paul Ryan,” said Luís Tapia, a 16 year old high school junior...

In a newly released white paper Alderman Jim Bohl suggested that the City of Milwaukee should look at a more effective strategy for reducing lead in tap water and in the home. In the City of Madison, which undertook complete lateral replacement, only 49% of the lead in the water was found to come from service lines with other sources accounting for the remaining 51%. “Quite frankly, I see the plan to replace lead water lines across the entire city as incredibly daunting, expensive, and not solving the problem,” Alderman Bohl said. “We are talking about an endeavor that...

According to a new study released on March 1, Wisconsin is the national hub of human trafficking, with Milwaukee at the center of a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that has commercialized sexual exploitation as a form of modern slavery. Analysis of incidents of sex trafficking in Milwaukee seeks to inform further responses to trafficking. The multi-agency collaboration plans to release a report estimating the magnitude of sex trafficking of juveniles and young adults in the City of Milwaukee from Jan. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2016. The project was made possible with funding by the Bob and Linda Davis...