Supervisors Haas, Weishan Blast County Executive Chris Abele Over Sex Offender Placement
They Received Little Notice of County Decision of “Inappropriate Placement”
Milwaukee County Supervisors Jason Haas and John F. Weishan, Jr., today blasted County Executive Chris Abele and Health and Human Services Director Hector Colon for placing sex offenders in a community home on Milwaukee’s south side, and they demanded that Abele take action to prevent the placement.
The community home is located at 429 W. Uncas Ave., and two sex offenders could move in as early as Friday, Weishan said.
“Over the past several years I have cautioned the community and elected officials about the potential of inappropriate placements of those patients with difficult histories in our neighborhoods,” said Weishan, a member of the County Board’s Health and Human Needs Committee. “Now we find out with only a few days’ notice that convicted sex offenders will be moving into a community home on the south side.
“Under Chris Abele, Milwaukee County has moved toward privatization of the mental health system. As this trend for privatization looms over Milwaukee, it is opening up room for ‘done-in-the-dark’ deals which put our community in jeopardy. The decision to locate these two convicted sex offenders in a quiet neighborhood is outrageous, but Colon has defended this placement. Perhaps that is why Abele gave Colon a unilateral $50,000 raise – so he could face residents, community officials and the media while Abele hides in his office.
“But the only person with the power to change this placement is Abele. He runs the mental health system in Milwaukee County.”
Haas said he and his constituents were assured that no sex offenders would be placed in the rehabilitation center when it was announced seven months ago.
“Yet just a few days ago, we learned that sex offenders would be housed in the heart of this quiet residential neighborhood,” Haas said. “The public was kept in the dark throughout this entire process, and my constituents were lied to. Abele is solely responsible for what is happening and he must be held accountable by the public for his decisions and utter lack of transparency.”
Haas and Weishan called on Abele to halt all sex offender placements in all neighborhoods.
“Our neighborhoods are what make Milwaukee County special,” Haas said. “This ill-considered placement puts our children and our neighborhoods at risk, and our constituents have a right to be angry over this decision by Abele. He must stop this placement and allow neighborhoods to remain safe, secure and quiet.”
By Supervisor Jason Haas and Supervisor John F. Weishan, Jr.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Sup. Jason Haas
Glad you two are up in arms about the privatization of the mental health system. Maybe you should ask Barbara Decker of Disability Rights Wisconsin who states: “The county could be responsible for the system but they should outsource the management functions” Perhaps Mr. Weishan can explain to the rest of us how one should “ethically” handle such a situation.
http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/11/20/report-finds-mental-health-care-issues/