Shorewood Spitter Charged With Hate Crime, Felony For Assaulting Officer

Attorney Stephanie Rapkin has been charged with one count of “disorderly conduct, hate crime,” a class B misdemeanor, and a second count of “battery to a law enforcement officer,” a class H felony, by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

The disorderly conduct charge carries a jail term of up to one year. The felony charge carries a jail term of up to six years and a fine of up to $10,000.

Rapkin’s charges stem from two related weekend incidents in Shorewood. During the first of which Rapkin, who is white, was recorded on video appearing to spit in the face of a black teenager who was peacefully marching down the 4000 block of N. Oakland Ave. on Saturday, June 6th. She was taken into custody that night by the Shorewood Police Department.

In the second incident, protesters had drawn chalk messages on the public sidewalk outside her home on Sunday, June 7th, including messages that said “I spit on a child” and “racist lives here” with arrows towards the house. Rapkin was captured on video having an interaction with the protesters who did not verbally engage with her.

After the recording halted, Rapkin is alleged to have shoved one of the protesters, a college student. Following that incident, the Shorewood Police Department arrived at her home and was recorded dragging her away. During that arrest she is alleged to have kneed a police officer in the groin.

“Officer Cody Smith interviewed the defendant on June 6 regarding the spitting incident and she explained that she was a cancer survivor and felt threatened because she was surrounded and they did not have masks on, (The video shows that the defendant did not have a mask on at the time of the spitting incident.)” says the charging document.

Rapkin is also facing a complaint at the State of Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation. Attorney Michael Maistelman submitted the complaint on June 7th. Maistelman says Rapkin engaged in professional misconduct.

Rapkin, 64, is an estate planning and probate attorney who practices out of an office in Mequon. The Milwaukee County Inmate Search does not show her as currently in custody.

Residents of Shorewood, including the village board, have widely denounced Rapkin’s actions. Her arrest marred another peaceful day where two marches made there way through Shorewood and the north shore suburbs with thousands of protesters.