Here & Now

Rep. LaTonya Johnson Addresses Unrest In Her District

VIOLENCE IN THE CITY RESULTED IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE TO TORCHED BUSINESSES AND GUNFIRE AMONGST THE CROWD. IT CAME IN RESPONSE TO AN OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING LAST SATURDAY DURING WHICH AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN WAS KILLED. POLICE SAY THE MAN REFUSED TO DROP HIS GUN IN THE MIDST OF A TRAFFIC STOP. THE OFFICER WHO SHOT THE MAN WAS ALSO BLACK. THE FLASH POINT THAT IGNITED PROTESTS AND ARSON WAS THE TRAFFIC STOP SHOOTING, BUT THE UNDERLYING ANGER AND TENSION IN SOME MILWAUKEE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE MANY BELIEVING IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THINGS HIT THE BOILING POINT. MEETING AT THE SCENE OF ONE OF THE TORCHED AND DESTROYED BUSINESSES, WE TALKED WITH MILWAUKEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE LA TONYA JOHNSON, WHO WAS JUST ELECTED STATE SENATOR AND IN WHOSE NEW DISTRICT THE VIOLENCE ERUPTED. SHE SPOKE WITH GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER THIS WEEK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE SHOULD COME FROM THE STATE.

LA TONYA JOHNSON:

IT’S GOING TO TAKE NOT ONLY THE COMMUNITY. IT’S GOING TO TAKE ELECTED OFFICIALS. IT’S GOING TO TAKE LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THE CORE ISSUES OF WHY THE COMMUNITY IS FEELING THE WAY THAT THEY ARE. IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, YOU HAVE A LOT OF SHOOTINGS, NON-FATAL AND HOMICIDES. WE ARE NOT AT THE EXTENT THAT WE WERE LAST YEAR, BUT WE STILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT FOR A CITY OF OUR SIZE. THE CONCERN IS AS LONG AS THERE IS CRIME, ESPECIALLY IN OUR HIGH-CRIME AREAS, YOU’RE GOING TO FIND AN OVER-SATURATION OF POLICE OFFICERS. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT’S BECAUSE THE LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS IN THOSE AREAS WANT THE POLICE THERE BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO BECOME THE NEXT VICTIM. SO ANYTIME YOU HAVE POLICE STOPS OR POLICE INTERACTION WITH THE COMMUNITY, IT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAPPEN, BUT THERE’S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALTERCATION. SO WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO GET THE POLICE OUT OF THE COMMUNITY. AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO ADDRESS THE RECORD NUMBER OF CRIMES THAT WE’RE SEEING HERE IN THE INNER CITY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT KIND OF LEGISLATION WOULD YOU PROPOSE TO GET AT THIS?

LA TONYA JOHNSON:

THERE’S A LOT OF LEGISLATION THAT CAN BE DONE. FIRST OF ALL, WE WANT TO TARGET THE NUMBER OF GUNS THAT ARE ON THE STREETS IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU ARE A GUN OWNER AND YOUR GUN IS LOST OR STOLEN, THAT THAT IS ACTUALLY REPORTED. RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO LAW THAT SAYS THAT IF YOUR GUN IS LOST OR STOLEN THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE A REPORT. THAT’S JUST A GIVEN. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY PENALTIES FOR STRAW PURCHASERS. RIGHT NOW STRAW PURCHASES IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE ARE MISDEMEANORS. AND IT STILL ALLOWS THAT INDIVIDUAL TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CONCEALED CARRY. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GO TO THE HEART OF THE ISSUES. THAT WE GET THESE ILLEGAL GUNS OFF THE STREET. THAT WE PROVIDE SOME FORM OF RELIEF FOR THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND FOR THE CITIZENS WHO CALL MILWAUKEE HOME, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO HELP ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THE JOB ISSUE. WE NEED EMPLOYERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE INNER CITY IN OUR NORTH AND NORTHWEST SIDES. BUT IN ORDER TO ATTRACT THOSE EMPLOYERS, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE. WE HAVE TO CHANGE MILWAUKEE’S REPUTATION. AND FOR TOO LONG WE HAVEN’T ADDRESSED THOSE ISSUES BECAUSE MILWAUKEE HAS THE HIGHEST INCARCERATION RATE IN ANY CITY IN THE ENTIRE NATION. AND WE GET THAT. AND THAT’S AN ISSUE. BUT WE HAVE TO BE SMART ABOUT OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND WHO WE SEND TO JAIL AND WHO WE DON’T.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WAS THE GOVERNOR RESPONSIVE TO YOUR IDEAS ABOUT GETTING AT ILLEGAL GUNS?

LA TONYA JOHNSON:

HE WAS RESPONSIVE AT THE IDEA THAT WE DO NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO GET THE ILLEGAL GUNS OFF THE STREET, BUT ALSO AT THE BAD ACTORS. BECAUSE THESE COMMUNITIES ARE FILLED WITH LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS WHO JUST WANT TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE IN A SAFE COMMUNITY. THE SAME AS ANY OTHER COMMUNITY AROUND THE STATE. I THINK IT WAS ONLY GOING TO BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THIS SITUATION BOILED OVER BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS WHO WANT THE POLICE THERE, BUT YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO STILL FEEL WHY AM I GETTING STOPPED, YOU KNOW, FOR A SMALL INFRACTION. THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN IN WAUKESHA. AND THEY’RE RIGHT. IT DOESN’T. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE FREQUENT TRAFFIC STOPS. IF YOU’RE A LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN, THEN THEY HAVE NO ISSUE WITH YOU. YOU’LL GO ON BY YOUR WAY. AND YOU’LL PROBABLY WILL GO ON WITHOUT A TICKET. THEY’RE TRYING TO GET ACCESS TO THE CARS BECAUSE THEY’RE TRYING TO GET THE ILLEGAL GUNS OFF THE STREET. WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO GET MORE RESOURCES HERE TO THE INNER CITY OF MILWAUKEE. CRIME IS A HUGE ISSUE, BUT SO IS LACK OF JOBS. SO IS QUALITY EDUCATION. SO ARE A LOT OF THE BASIC ESSENTIALS THAT PEOPLE NEED JUST TO HAVE A DECENT — JUST TO HAVE A DECENT LEVEL OF EVERYDAY LIFE. WE’RE LACKING SAFE COMMUNITIES. YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS ARE LACKING SAFE PLACES TO PLAY. OUR JUVENILES ARE UNEMPLOYED AND THEY DON’T HAVE MANY THINGS TO DO. AND SO ALL OF THESE ARE HUGE CONCERNS FOR US AND THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. AS WELL AS THE TRAUMA THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITIES ARE LIVING THROUGH. WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE RIOTS THAT TAKE PLACE, I CAN’T HELP BUT THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN THAT LIVE IN THIS AREA. WE’RE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM A HUGE PARK THAT’S UTILIZED EVERY DAY. I CAN’T IMAGINE BEING A CHILD AND LOOKING OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW AND SEEING POLICE DRESSED IN RIOT GEAR AND SEEING A BUILDING BURNING DOWN TO THE GROUND LIKE THAT. AND THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO FOR THOSE KIDS? YOU START TO SEE GENERATIONAL COURSES OF THE SAME BEHAVIOR, THE SAME HOPELESSNESS, THE SAME SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES CONTINUE TO REPEAT ITSELF. AND AT SOME POINT IT HAS TO GIVE.

LA TONYA JOHNSON:

YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE POLICE SHOOTING AND STREET VIOLENCE, JOHNSON AND TWO COUNTY SUPERVISORS WENT DOOR TO DOOR THIS WEEK IN THE SHERMAN PARK NEIGHBORHOOD.

LA TONYA JOHNSON:

RIGHT NOW WE’RE OUT TRYING TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES. IF EVERYTHING IS OKAY. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING. IF WE CAN BE OF ANY TYPE OF SERVICE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

JOHNSON FOUND RESIDENTS WERE FRIGHTENED. ONE SHOWING A PHOTO OF WHERE A BULLET CAME THROUGH HER BEDROOM WINDOW DURING THE PROTESTS. THEY’RE ALSO WORRIED SHE SAYS ABOUT ACCESS TO LOCAL BUSINESSES SHOULD THEY NOT REBUILD.