Silence is Complicity – If You See Something, Please Say Something
We will soon move to prohibit any city work rule that would punish or prohibit whistleblowing.
For four hours earlier this week, I and my colleagues on the Steering and Rules Committee took testimony and asked questions about the evident mismanagement of the Milwaukee Health Department and its failure to properly notify the families of children found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood.
We discussed work rules, procedures, testing protocols, and, it seemed, everything else under the sun.
In my mind, I kept coming back to the children.
These children probably do not know my name or anyone else’s involved in this terrible situation. They do not know the difference between the different types of blood tests used or the different levels of exposure. They are just children who want what my own children and everyone else’s want – a chance.
And that is what makes the culture of “see nothing/say nothing” that seems to have been fostered at the Health Department so dangerous.
The city has tried to afford “whistleblowers” protection from retaliation and has tried to provide a path for those who want to come forward with their concerns. Consider the following resources:
- The Fraud, Waste, and Abuse hotline: 414-286-3440 or hotline@milwaukee.gov
- Inappropriate Workplace Behavior: http://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/jkamme/Policies/EmplComplaintForm_New.docx
- The Workplace Grievance Procedure (For Safety Concerns): http://city.milwaukee.gov/der/csc/WSGP
We will soon move to prohibit any city work rule that would punish or prohibit whistleblowing.
None of these will be effective if unused. Silence is too often complicity and, if we have learned nothing else from this situation, it can have awful consequences.
Please: See something, say something.
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.
More about the Lead Crisis
- Trump Administration Axed Federal Employees Needed for MPS Lead Crisis - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 14th, 2025
- New MPS Superintendent Dumps Beleaguered Facilities Director - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 3rd, 2025
- Amidst Lead Crisis, State Reprimands MPS Facilities Director - Evan Casey - Apr 3rd, 2025
- Three MPS Schools Remain Closed Because of Lead Contamination - Evan Casey - Mar 29th, 2025
- MPS Submits Draft Lead Action Plan to Milwaukee Health Department - Milwaukee Public Schools - Mar 21st, 2025
- City Hall: Milwaukee Sees 250% Surge in Lead Lateral Replacements, But It Needs More - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 20th, 2025
- City of Milwaukee Health Department and MPS Provide Updates on Lead Safety Efforts - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 19th, 2025
- MPS Closing Three More Schools Due To Lead Hazards - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 13th, 2025
- MPS Will Reopen School Shuttered Because of Lead Dust - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 12th, 2025
- Trowbridge Street School Won’t Reopen Monday, to Allow More Time for Deep Cleaning of Lead Dust - Milwaukee Public Schools - Mar 7th, 2025
Read more about Lead Crisis here
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