District Attorney watches while the City of Milwaukee implodes

Just recently I attended the Fire & Police Commission’s meeting at the Washington Park Senior Center as the commission discussed the firing of Officer Christopher Manney by Chief Edward Flynn, and heard public comments on the matter. At the meeting was the realization that this issue is further dividing the City of Milwaukee not only by race, but with the venom of hatred. And one major entity fueling this environment is District Attorney John Chisholm.

I was born in Milwaukee and witnessed my share of injustices. The DA’s office must stand for the balance of justice, and not politics. There seems to be a focus on pain instead of gain, how much pain will the DA continue to cause by not making a decision before we understand this is not good for any community? As I stood in the room, the seating reminded me of how divided our community is; the Milwaukee Police Association’s (MPA) predominantly white members were on one side, and the community members who were predominantly black were on the other side, with the aisle dividing the two groups. It was painful to hear the frustration on both sides as this obligation from the DA’s office to decide to charge Officer Manney, or not, lingers on, and on, and on.

I’ve personally spoken to District Attorney Chisholm about this issue some time ago and was told a decision would be made soon, only to realize he didn’t keep his word. He has met with the Hamilton family and shared information from the Department of Criminal Investigation’s report with the family and legal counsel, and still no decision. He has assured those of us who have supported him in the past that the DA’s office would be run with the community’s trust in mind, but we are now witnessing a pattern of disregard for closure. And finally, as the City of Milwaukee faces yet another setback coming from the Office of the District Attorney, we now are hearing the tagline of Ferguson when relating to our city.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney has 19 municipalities under his jurisdiction. The request I have on behalf of my beloved City of Milwaukee (one of the 19) regarding these circumstances is that the District Attorney either make a decision NOW in the possible Dontre Hamilton/State of Wisconsin vs. Christopher Manney case, or RESIGN. You don’t have the right to tear my city apart.

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.