Kenosha Mayor Calls on Governor’s Office, Members of the Community to Help the City Rebuild

KENOSHA, Wis. – (August 30, 2020) – City of Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian announced that he has requested $30 million in state funding from Governor Tony Evers to help the City of Kenosha rebuild and heal after the week of violence and damage experienced particularly in the downtown, uptown and surrounding areas of the city.

“Kenosha is a safe community with hardworking individuals who are mourning and facing immense tragedy and devastation,” said Mayor John Antaramian, City of Kenosha. “We’re asking the state and community partners to help rebuild what was lost and to invest in programs and training for our young people.”

The damage caused by violent demonstrators and rioters, led largely by people from outside the city, destroyed dozens of businesses, homes, and city buildings. Sunday evening, rioting and looting led to burnt buildings, homes, car dealerships, city transit vehicles and more. The city is working with local business owners to estimate the total cost of damaged property.

“The City of Kenosha has experienced a significant economic impact, both our small business owners and large corporate tenants who have lived and worked here for generations,” said Common Council President David Bogdala. “We need to move quickly to provide aid to our local businesses so we can get people back to work and enjoying our beautiful city.”

The closure of businesses due to COVID-19 and then the protests have put immense financial strain on the community of Kenosha.

“The events that occurred in Kenosha this week are tragic and impacted our community emotionally and physically,” said Wisconsin State Representative Tod Ohnstad, 65th Assembly District. “Kenosha has lived through economic devastation before and the community will rebuild again.”

The City of Kenosha plans to use the state aid to help cover property damages, housing and business revitalization, initiatives that will encourage new businesses to invest in the area and costs incurred by the city during the recent violence.

“We are living through unprecedented times with compounding crises facing our communities,” said Wisconsin State Representative Tip McGuire, 64th Assembly District. “Our Kenosha community is resilient, and we’ve exemplified that over the last several days, but we need state funding to address the devastation in the community.”

The mayor has participated in several conversations with the governor’s office, business leaders, community advocates, clergy members and residents to discuss the community’s needs. Each stressed the importance of the city coming together.  The mayor will continue these meetings into the coming weeks and work with the City of Kenosha Common Council toward the betterment of the community.

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.