“Homicides are up 182%”

Today we were driving to dinner to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary tomorrow when we spotted a car pulled over on the expressway with police surrounding the car and driver. My wife noticed a person on a bridge nearby with a smart phone videotaping the event. It seems like the right thing to do, especially if the person stopped by police is black man. With a video you can show what really happened.

I went to a prayer/discussion meeting today with some local churches and the Coalition for Justice, which was established when a white police officer beat and shot fourteen times an unarmed Dontre Hamilton in a County park on April 30, 2014. The district attorney took eight months to decide the police office would not be charged with any criminal act. There were three cameras taking video of the area but the DA said they did not show this event. The Hamilton family lawyer ask for the family to see the three video but so far, a year this week, the request has been denied. If the videos show nothing of the incident what is wrong with showing them to lawyer and family?

A fifteen year teen was shot in the back as he ran from police yesterday in Milwaukee. The police say the teen has a semiautomatic gun. The boy is in serious condition in the hospital. The mother of the young man was on TV tonight. She told how her son was not into gangs or drug and had a hard time believing he had a gun when he was shot in the back. She has not been able to see her son in the hospital. No video was taken so the story will probably fade away.

Black youth and young adults are shot and killed by police officer and other black youth and adults. Video cameras work when a police shoots a black man but is of no help when a black shoots other black persons, the usual situation.

The police chief, Mayor, Marquette University President and others say we need more policing, more punishment and prosecution of young black offenders though they know that this strategy does not work and does not deal with the root causes of violence, poverty, discrimination, high unemployment, poor education and housing.

The Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission reports that in the first quarter of this year “Homicides are up 182% and shootings are up 31% from last year”. The local newspaper homicide tracker reports 48 homicides as of yesterday with another one on news today.

What can we do to stop the violence and killing? I do not have the answer but know that blame, name calling, prosecution and more punishment does not work. I also know the only person we can change is ourselves. However, we can work together and by taking direct nonviolent action we can “create an environment where it is easier to be good.”

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