Saturday, August 12, 2023

KKKenosha kops featured on national news



This is nothing.  A couple of years ago a KKKenosha kop executed a man in front of his children by shooting him five times in the back at close range.  The kop is white and the suspect was black, so of course the kop is still on the force.  Stay away from KKKenosha and boycott Applebee's for firing an employee for exercising her constitutional rights.

Saying too many kids are in juvenile corrections, this Milwaukee program is looking for a better way

From JSOnline:

La Risa R. Lynch
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel



Wisconsin spends about $400,000 a year to house just one youth in its juvenile correction system.

A group of Milwaukee advocates, foundations and state officials wants to use that same amount to fund organizations to keep youth out of juvenile detention centers.

Zero Youth Corrections aims to award up to $400,000 to fund groups working on advocacy and policy issues that prevent the impact of the criminal and legal system on young people. The grant is providing two grants with a maximum award of $200,000 each.

“The goal of what we are trying to do is in the name — Zero Youth Corrections,” said Krissie Fung, operations and grants manager for the Milwaukee Turners. “We think it is a no-brainer that young people should not be incarcerated. Obviously, we are not able to accomplish that with $400,000 or $200,000 at a time, but that is the goal.”

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2023/08/11/milwaukees-zero-youth-corrections-program-looks-for-better-answers/70473951007/


I spend the better part of every morning scanning YouTube videos.  Many of these deal with the soaring crime rate in California, where they have removed the consequences from crime.  Citizens and business owners are at their wits end.  Businesses are moving out wholesale.  "Do-gooders," like those referenced in this article, do their "good" not because it helps the target of their largesse, but because it makes them feel better about themselves.  You do not "help" someone by "forgiving" their crimes; you just enable more criminal activity.  This is so obvious and is proven over and over in the field.  You have to change the culture that nourishes these criminals.  If you could find a way to make parents accept responsibility for their failure to parent their children, then you would have something.  Removing the consequences from crime just encourages more crime.  "Woke" people are a joke.  I am deeply saddened by this travesty.  Read this article from the same day's JSOnline: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2023/08/11/milwaukee-county-jury-doesnt-buy-gunmans-self-defense-claim/70513696007/   If the teen had been incarcerated for his previous crimes, a man would be alive today.

Man arrested for allegedly having 3 pounds of fentanyl laced marijuana

From The Journal Times.com:


MOUNT PLEASANT — A Mount Pleasant man is accused of having just over three pounds of fentanyl laced marijuana that he is accused of planning to sell.

Shawn Tucker was charged with possession with intent to deliver or manufacture between 1,000 and 2,500 grams of THC, possession with intent to deliver over 50 grams of fentanyl and maintain a drug trafficking place.

On Aug. 6, an officer from the Mount Pleasant Police Department was called to the 1400 block of Oakes Road after a report of vandalism, according to the criminal complaint.

The officer noticed that a back door to one of the units was open and a kitchen window was shattered. The officer also saw blood spatter and that the residence had been “ransacked,” and entered out of concern that someone could be injured.

Dispatch contacted Tucker, who was the last known resident, the complaint said. He reportedly told them that he did not live there anymore and hung up, then called back and stated that he did live there and that police did not have permission to enter.

While in the residence, the officer allegedly found two plastic bags with marijuana, according to the complaint.

A search warrant was drafted and executed.

During the search, the officer allegedly found several pieces of luggage that had been cut open and several small baggies of marijuana underneath the luggage, the complaint said.

Just over three pounds, or 1,401.5 grams, of marijuana was allegedly found at the scene. The substance was tested using a NARK II test kit and allegedly tested positive for THC and fentanyl, according to the complaint.

On Aug. 7, Tucker went to the Mount Pleasant Police Department to file a report for the damages to his residence and he was arrested. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Aug. 17.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/man-arrested-fentanyl-laced-marijuana/article_5b762678-37c2-11ee-891e-eb08b1141545.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Great.  A recreational herb laced with a deadly narcotic.  I recently had an angioplasty done and I asked what drug they used to "relax" me (I didn't feel anything).  They said, "Fentanyl."

Friday, August 11, 2023

Wisconsin DOJ asks to see documents related to clergy abuse sealed in Archdiocese bankruptcy case

From JSOnline:

Laura SchulteJessie OpoienHope Karnopp
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel





MADISON - Two years after opening an investigation into sexual abuse committed by faith leaders in Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul is seeking access to court documents sealed nearly a decade ago in a bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Kaul says the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has not voluntarily provided records sought as part of an ongoing investigation into abuse committed by faith leaders, including Catholic clergy.

In a motion filed Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Kaul requested a confidential review of "sealed claims by survivors, objections to those claims, briefing on such objections, and rulings on the objections."

Under the request, information from the documents would be used to further an investigation into the scope of faith leader abuse in Wisconsin by the Department of Justice, but no documents would be released publicly.

"Given the decades of secrecy and subversion surrounding abuse reports and the findings in other states in which inquiries into faith leader abuse were conducted, DOJ’s independent review of the lists of credibly accused priests published by dioceses in Wisconsin is amply justified," Kaul argued in the motion.

Kaul's faith leader initiative launched in 2021, seeking more information about incidents of abuse among religious leaders in Wisconsin. Since its launch, the DOJ has received about 250 reports of abuse within several different religious groups, including the Catholic church.

Charges have been filed against two men as a part of the inquiry, neither of whom were directly affiliated with the Catholic church.

This is the first action to directly target information from a diocese, though critics of Kaul's investigation have been calling for more action since the early stages of the investigation.

More:Flanked by victims of priests, Attorney General Josh Kaul announces probe of clergy sex abuse

Previously, Kaul was hesitant to discuss how he planned to obtain access to diocesan documents. He said he didn't know if he would use subpoenas to get access, noting that he would need probable cause that the documents contained evidence of chargeable criminal offenses.

“Through our ongoing Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative, we remain committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and faith leaders," Kaul said in a statement Thursday. "As part of that initiative, we continue to seek to obtain as much information as we can regarding clergy and faith leader abuse in Wisconsin."

The Archdiocese argues the DOJ's request is a violation of survivors and the others involved in the case.

"For the Attorney General to attempt to violate that trust more than a decade later goes against the promises and assurances made to abuse survivors and would be traumatic to survivors who made a report expecting that it would remain private and now fear it could become public," said Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff to Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, in an emailed statement.

DOJ seeks to revisit 2015 settlement

The DOJ motion seeks to reopen the 2015 case that resulted in a settlement between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and hundreds of survivors, in which the organization agreed to pay $21 million to compensate victims of sexual abuse. The settlement brought an end to a long-running case in bankruptcy court. 

More:Josh Kaul's clergy abuse investigation in Wisconsin is almost 2 years old. Here's what we know so far about the attorney general's work.

Kaul's request to reopen the case is limited to the DOJ's request to access sealed documents.

"DOJ does not ask for anything to be unsealed; it only asks that the DOJ be included among those that are permitted to confidentially review claims and related documents," the motion reads.

The Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 as it faced more than a dozen civil lawsuits over its handling of abuse claims. The Archdiocese moved to reorganize, as the claims for financial compensation exceeded its means.

Under the eventual settlement agreement, 330 of about 570 people who filed sexual abuse claims in the case received financial settlements. At the time, the settlement payout paled in comparison to those in similar Catholic Church bankruptcy cases, such as Boston's $85 million settlement in 2003. 

Kaul alleges that the claims that weren't part of the settlement mean that abusers could have gotten away with their crimes, and that survivors never got the justice they deserved.

"To the extent that names of abusers who should be on these lists are not — even if those abusers are deceased — their survivors may have lived not only with the trauma from abuse but also with the compounding harm of not having their abuse acknowledged," he wrote. "Having their abuser named, and their abuse recognized, can provide a sense of healing for survivors of abuse."

The motion outlines how obtaining information included in the settlement might help complete reports made during the DOJ's faith leader inquiry. Some reports made to the agency lack the details needed for the agency to pursue them. 

"This is not a surprise," the filing reads. "The events underlying reports often happened when the reporting person was a child and did not have a full understanding of what occurred; the events are often highly traumatic, which affects memory; and some occurred long ago." 

The bankruptcy filings would provide a "unique opportunity to corroborate," Kaul argued.

The motion could also grant the DOJ access to claims made against individuals within the Archdiocese that weren't clergy members, such as visiting priests, religious brothers and lay staff, such as teachers and volunteers. 

"That information was not central to the Archdiocese bankruptcy but is plainly relevant to a comprehensive understanding of clergy and faith leader abuse," Kaul wrote.

Advocates applauded Kaul's action Thursday afternoon, calling it a "complete game-changing legal intiative."

Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and Nate's Mission, said survivors are thrilled and hopeful.

"They're going to bring out their legal microscopes and go through this bankruptcy line by line," he said.

Sarah Pearson, also of Nate's Mission, said Kaul's motion could be the first step into really digging into how clergy abuse took place in Wisconsin.

"It’s the first step on the way to really investigating fraud, and the officials, leaders and community members that participated," she said.

And in response to the claims that reopening the bankruptcy would hurt survivors, Isely and Pearson strongly disagreed, arguing that Kaul's investigation has never aimed to harm survivors and only seeks justice for them.

Archdiocese previously called investigation 'anti-Catholic bigotry'

The Archdiocese over the course of Kaul's investigation has pledged to share information with Kaul only if it is related to a currently serving, living clergy member, but has refused to acquiesce to any other of Kaul's asks for further information.

At one point, the Archdiocese called Kaul's investigation a display of "anti-Catholic bigotry" and a violation of the First Amendment.

In the motion, Kaul outlined how dioceses in other states have aided in faith leader investigations, showing transparency and accountability.

He pointed to Illinois, Iowa and Colorado, all of which had dioceses that willingly provided information to the Attorneys General.

More:First came sex abuse allegations at the abbey. Then secret payments. Then a suicide.

"The Archdiocese has taken a markedly different approach, even accusing the DOJ of bigotry in connection with its work on the Initiative," the motion said. "DOJ remains undeterred."

Frank LoCoco, the Archdiocese's lawyer, argued that the DOJ missed its opportunity to get see the documents, and could have requested them when the bankruptcy was pending.

"We see no basis for providing access to these Proofs of Claim at this late date," LoCoco said in the Aug. 9 letter to the agency.

How do I report abuse?

To file a report, call 877-222-2620 or use the online reporting tool at supportsurvivors.widoj.gov. Both options provide the ability to file an anonymous tip. 

The department is still accepting reports and said survivors have control of what happens after their report is received. 

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura. Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com. Hope Karnopp can be reached at hkarnopp@gannett.com.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/10/wisconsin-doj-seeks-archdiocese-of-milwaukees-sealed-clergy-abuse-documents/70568923007/


Boy, we'll hear some squealing from the Catholic predators.  A priest tried to diddle me in high school.  I shut him down.  He just molested others.  The Catholic Church has a 2,000 year history of molestation of minors and other sexual perversions.  They brainwash their "faithful" and then prey upon their offspring.  This has happened thousands upon thousands of times.  It continues to this day.  It's what the Catholic Church does best.

Local Kenosha groups decry actions of police after arrest of wrong man

From The Journal Times.com:




Kenosha community activists and area residents decried the actions of some local police officers who they said brutalized and detained the wrong person at an Applebee’s restaurant. The incident, last month, occurred after a hit-and-run crash at Green Bay Road and Highway 50.

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Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, organized a protest Wednesday evening at the Public Safety Building, 1000 55th St. Leaders of Kenosha is a nonprofit organization that advocates for equity and social justice.

The man’s arrest was captured on a video by a restaurant patron and has since gone viral on social media. The incident has sparked headlines across the region.

The crash happened at about 11 p.m. on July 20 and vehicles ended in the parking lot at the Applebee’s, 6950 Green Bay Road.

In the video, the man who is being subdued tells police to let him go while a woman screams to someone telling them to “get the baby.” The man and the baby are then seen on the floor when the man tells at least two officers to let him go and someone appears to pull the child away.

Officers continue to wrestle the man to the ground until they handcuff him behind his back.

However, the video appears to show an officer’s arm and elbow moving repeatedly over the man while the person recording tells them to stop. Another officer tells the man recording the scene to step back. Officers from Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie police departments were on scene.

Officers later learned they had arrested the wrong man along with the woman he was with.

Leaders of Kenosha press conference

Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, said she and members of other groups "want to know why police officers are not being respectful to community members here in this city."

Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, organized a protest Wednesday evening at the Public Safety Building, 1000 55th St. Leaders of Kenosha is a nonprofit organization that advocates for equity and social justice.

McLean was accompanied by members of local groups Congregations United to Serve Humanity (CUSH), the Kenosha Coalition for Dismantling Racism, the NAACP Kenosha Branch and the Urban League of Racine and Kenosha.

“We’re meeting today because we’ve all watched the video that is circulating about a young African American male who was assaulted by a police officer at Applebee’s in Kenosha,” McLean told the 30 to 40 people in attendance.

“We really are disheartened by how the police officers chose to go to that family. There was just a lack of de-escalation. Everything happened so quickly. It elevated so quickly. It just didn’t seem that anyone was a voice of reason that had a uniform on. The only person that seemed to have a voice of reason was the Applebee’s employees, you know, trying to get the baby. But the police officers, it just does not appear that they were using good judgement and that’s just not OK.”

McLean also said they “want to know why police officers are not being respectful to community members here in this city.”

“What is it that makes you feel as if you need to be so overly aggressive, so confrontational?” McLean said. “What is it that just frightens you because we know that when people are fearful they act in irrational ways. So what is it that you’re so afraid of? When you see me, when you see another person of color, what is it that’s rattling you so bad that you feel like you have to escalate something to that level?”

McLean said she has been in contact with the Illinois man. McLean demanded any police body camera footage of the arrest be released to the public.

“Now we have another situation where a young man was assaulted with a baby in his arms and harm was brought to the baby. That is unacceptable,” McLean said. “What is it that you’re so fearful of that you have to use that level of force against a young man, a baby and his wife?”

‘Angry, deeply saddened’

The Rev. Monica Cummings, vice president of CUSH, said that when she watched the video of the incident she was first, angry, and then, deeply saddened. She opened her remarks with a moment of silence.

“(I was) heartbroken that an incident where a Black man experienced the trauma of being forced to the ground by police for no reason while eating with his family,” Cummings said.

Monica Cummings

Monica L. Cummings

“Heartbroken that a Black baby now has to live with the trauma of experiencing and witnessing her father being yelled at and her little Black body being yanked at by police. Heartbroken that a mother had to experience the trauma of standing by helpless while her partner and baby were being traumatized and hearing her baby cry and powerless to do anything about it.”

Cummings said “I don’t think it’s too much to ask” for police “to be guardians to the communities they are sworn to protect and serve and not military-minded warriors who behave like an occupying force and treat certain citizens like enemy combatants.”

Incident at restaurant

Kenosha Fire and Rescue personnel take a patient into an ambulance following an incident where a man was subdued by police officers, who later learned they had arrested the wrong person while pursuing suspects in a hit-and-run crash nearby at Green Bay Road and Highway 50 on July 20.

Alex Whitaker, vice president of the Kenosha Coalition for Dismantling Racism, said the “brutality” in the viral arrest video “was unacceptable.”

“The Coalition for Dismantling Racism calls on the police department to initiate a thorough and transparent investigation into the details of that arrest,” Whitaker said.

“We also request a third-party report as to whether use of force training protocols were followed by the arresting officers that night. ... We also call for a third-party assessment of the current culture within the Kenosha Police Department,” Whitaker said.

“Recent and not-so-recent interactions between officers and the community reveal the possibility of a culture of us vs. them that has arisen and possibly impacts the interactions of officers and those they are there to serve, especially as it relates to historically marginalized groups. The purpose of our calls is reform.”

Organizers asked the dozens in attendance to write to their locally elected officials.

The man was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. The woman was arrested on the same charges and for possession of THC.

The Rev. Monica Cummings, vice president of CUSH, said that when she first watched the video of the incident she was first angry and then deeply saddened. 

Police investigating incident

Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said Sunday he was aware of the video and that the incident is undergoing an internal investigation.

Patton said the Wisconsin Department of Justice requires police to perform a “use of force” review.

“This use of force didn’t meet that requirement, but us as a department, we go a step further by policy and we investigate all uses of force,” Patton said, referring to the department policy which was initiated in 2022 and put in practice by early January.

The process involves completing use of force logs, after an initial investigation indicates that such force is used, Patton said. That triggers an internal investigation for which a “use of force expert” is in the process of reviewing the incident. He said that process began the day after the incident occurred.

The case was assigned to the Kenosha Police Department’s office of professional standards.

Patton has said that officers were following a lead in “good faith” that led to the couple in the restaurant that had matched the description of suspects in the hit-and-run.

Patton said he did not know what injuries that man had, but said that pepper spray was involved while officers subdued him. The man was transported to a local hospital following the incident.

“People fled. They went into Applebee’s. We went and made contact with the Applebee’s’ employees and they pointed them out,” Patton said.

The chief said the man and woman matched the description given to police. Patton said the review will look to determine aspects that may have gone wrong or right, disciplinary action that may or may not be taken and whether additional training is needed.

“Ultimately, we were able to determine that they weren’t them, they just matched the description,” Patton said.

He said according to some Applebee’s employees, the couple had been “acting nervous.”

“However, the real suspects, the actual suspects that did commit the hit-and-run, were hiding in the bathroom,” Patton said.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/local-kenosha-groups-decry-actions-of-police-after-arrest-of-wrong-man/article_2918a647-9830-5380-be42-254034a0abda.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest


Go to the article on the Journal Times site (link above) to see the videos that I can't embed.  Party on, Kenosha Police Department.