Supervisor Haas Urges Community to Help Catch Attacker
"The person who committed this act must be apprehended so that all of us, especially our Muslim neighbors, can feel safe again."
MILWAUKEE – On Monday, April 10, a man violently attacked a Muslim woman walking home from morning prayers. The woman was hospitalized and released the next day. The attacker remains at large.
Supervisor Haas released the following statement:
“As the representative of the county supervisory district in which Monday’s hate crime took place, I’m extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our Muslim neighbors.
“The brazen attack that occurred early Monday was not just an attack on one person, or on the Muslim community – it is an attack on all of us who cherish our freedoms as Americans.
“I want to express my sympathy to the woman who was attacked and her family, I urge anyone with information about this despicable act to come forward and speak to police. The person who committed this act must be apprehended so that all of us, especially our Muslim neighbors, can feel safe again.
“Thankfully the woman who was attacked did not suffer life-threatening injuries, but the emotional trauma of being attacked for one’s religion beliefs is very serious and she will carry that with her for the rest of her life. No one should have to endure that kind of suffering.
“The recent increase in physical violence against individuals in our country based on perceived religious affiliations, national origin, and ethnicity is extremely troubling and I urge our neighbors to speak out and condemn hateful words and actions whenever and wherever they hear or see it.
“It is in times like this that we need to take extra care to look out for one another, and to reach out and introduce ourselves to our neighbors who are of different faiths, ethnicities, and identities.
“We can become stronger as a community despite hate crimes by celebrating our differences rather than allowing them to divide us.”
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
Is there a description of the attacker? Police drawing? Seems like something you’d want to share if you’re asking for him to be apprehended. Or are these just empty words?
Thanks to Supervisor Haas for his leadership on this.
Sadly, Gregory Humphrey and some commentors on this site seem to thing crimes are the fault of the victim… so we should probably look into making laws that prohibit people from wearing Hijabs (or perhaps force them to enact preventative measures such as armed guards) since it only invites the hate crime to take place. We need to protect them from their own negligence.
AG, thanks.
Do Greg and others want to prohibit Roman Catholic nuns from wearing veils?
AG, having a law like that is only necessary if being a victim of the crime, impacted people other than the original “victim”.
What if a factory owner’s building falls down and kills 3 workers? Of course the owner is hurt financially, but if they weren’t maintaining their building and caused the death of 3 innocent workers, the owner should be held responsible.
Why would you have it any other way?