Milwaukee Gang Rape/Dyson or Cosby?

[PerroLoco]

Editorial: A job bigger than police

The numbers show police seized scores of guns and dozens of pounds of cocaine and jailed thousands of suspected wrongdoers over the summer, Milwaukee Police Chief Nannette Hegerty noted this week. Yet assaults and robberies have surged.


"I think we have a societal crisis," Hegerty concluded. Think? We most certainly have a societal crisis, and a long-simmering one. The fuel comes from many sources, but the latest was the collapse of the economic floor under Milwaukee's inner city during the 1980s, due to the downturn in manufacturing. That section of town is still reeling from the catastrophe.

The chief also said: "This is a problem bigger than law enforcement." Indeed, societal problems cry out for societal solutions. Yes, the Police Department plays a crucial role. But others must pitch in, too.

As it happened, two heinous crimes punctuated the crisis this week. A 22-year-old man, Brandon Sprewer, was shot at a bus stop on the northwest side in a robbery. And an 11-year-old girl was allegedly gang raped on the north side. The depravity of that crime was unusual - a 40-year-old relative was among the 19 suspected culprits. A recent United Way of Greater Milwaukee report notes that a substantial portion of teen moms are victims of sexual assault, often by adult males.

In considering the scope of the solutions, the Fire Department may be illustrative. It puts out fires and, ordinarily, is not held responsible for their outbreak. Still, the department has a role to play in prevention. It can encourage the use of smoke alarms, for instance. It can lobby to require fire-resistant materials in consumer products.

But prevention requires more: City officials can insist on sprinklers in new construction. Neighborhood groups can stay on the alert for fire traps. Teachers can warn children against playing with matches. Public policies to encourage higher incomes can help because there is a greater risk of fires among the poor. The insurance industry can pitch in. And residents themselves have a role to play, by practicing fire safety.

In like manner, the Police Department primarily responds to crime after the fact. It has a role to play in prevention, but it needs help. More jobs in the inner city would be the No. 1 cure - a task beyond the reach of the police. After-school programs curb teen crime - a reason to contribute to such programs, via the United Way, for instance. And yes, crime is an individual responsibility. Parents must raise children right and true.

Hegerty is not off the hook. But stemming the hopelessness fueling this crisis is a job bigger than the police.

[PerroLoco]

'Animal' tag excuses rapists' actions
Posted: Sept. 11, 2006


Eugene Kane


It didn't take long for the reaction to a shocking gang rape allegation involving an 11-year-old girl and a group of men and boys to include references to other species of Milwaukee inhabitants.

"Animals!"

Some readers called the suspects "beasts" or "wolves," but most of the comments in e-mails and voice mail agreed on the more generic term.

A few too many took the next step, the one that always seems to come whenever a story of incomprehensible debauchery in Milwaukee's central city hits the headlines.

"You black people are all animals!" was a voice message that stuck with me for hours.



It was all part of the overall anger and frustration many in town feel after yet another shameful incident hit the national headlines to mark our city as a place where outrageous events seem to happen with a numbing regularity.

I suspect more than a few people nationally who heard the story about 19 males in Milwaukee raping a young girl recalled the savage mob-beating of Charlie Young Jr. back in 2002 and made a mental connection:

What kind of city is Milwaukee, anyway? Sure seems like a lot of unspeakable stuff happens there.

Let's not forget the other shocker last week, the murder of a Special Olympics athlete at a bus stop. It was a double whammy of a news week that had our chief of police proclaiming "a societal crisis."

Seems to me Chief Nannette Hegerty's words were a welcome condemnation of the state of affairs in some areas of Milwaukee right now. But in a bloody summer that saw 28 people shot over Memorial Day weekend alone, here's a question for the beleaguered chief:

If it's a crisis now, what was it back then?

Societal crisis or not, people are frantically looking for signs of outrage about last week's events, particularly the alleged rape of a child. It's a situation crying out for somebody to scream "ENOUGH!"

It might come as a surprise to some of you, but one of the most prominent voices was controversial Ald. Michael McGee, who led a hastily organized protest outside the home where the assault took place. He's clearly outraged, as are a community of African-Americans dumbfounded by the vicious nature of the crime.

That's important for some of you to understand, particularly those throwing the A-word around in describing the actions of the black men and black boys who apparently participated in the ultimate debasement of a juvenile with a troubled past who is also HIV-positive.

When some readers tell me it's about "animals" in the black community, I know where that thinking is headed.

I truly believe calling these suspects "animals" serves to absolve them from responsibility for their actions. An animal can't think or make rational decisions. An animal can't be held accountable for allowing sexual heat to dictate its behavior. It's said some animals eat their young, but many animals protect their children much better than did the adults in this girl's world.

I don't think people should label these suspects "animals" as a way to debase them in racial terms; that only opens the door to not viewing them as human beings caught doing an inhumane thing.

One reader who said the case proved "all black people are animals" actually amended his vile message in a way I can agree with.

"On second thought, I won't call them animals, he said at the end of his angry message. "I actually like animals."

That's exactly my point.

[PerroLoco]

This story just highlights the complete debasement of some of our communities. I really have no words for this sickness. I did not even know that the girl was HIV positive.

What was up with the uncle of the lesbian girl (who looked and acted like a boy)? Why would an 11 yr old be sexually attracted to her/him? There are too many questions that no rational person can even deign to ask, much less answer.

What the hell is going on?

[AXEAM]

Originally Posted by PerroLoco

This story just highlights the complete debasement of some of our communities. I really have no words for this sickness. I did not even know that the girl was HIV positive.

What was up with the uncle of the lesbian girl (who looked and acted like a boy)? Why would an 11 yr old be sexually attracted to her/him? There are too many questions that no rational person can even deign to ask, much less answer.

What the hell is going on?

Good question..from what I read it is a jacked up situation.

[mccoyred]

The whole situation is What kind of world do we live in where an 11 year old is HIV positive? What would serve these 'gentlemen' right if they got HIV from this situation!

[PerroLoco]

Originally Posted by mccoyred

The whole situation is What kind of world do we live in where an 11 year old is HIV positive? What would serve these 'gentlemen' right if they got HIV from this situation!

Not really. As trifling as they are, they would only infect more innocent people. This is why our communities are endangered as it is. Those 17 or 18 guys would only spread it more exponentially.