Milwaukee Mayor Johnson discusses Milwaukee’s legal and crime challenges and opportunities

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By Steve Schuster

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Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stood before a room full of journalists at the Milwaukee Press Club Thursday discussing recent victories including preventing the city from going bankrupt through the levying of a local 2% sales tax, and a significant drop in the city’s homicides rate.  Although with the successes he and his administration have accomplished, Johnson made no secret of the challenges that are ahead for his administration and all Milwaukeeans.

“Homicides in the city of Milwaukee are down about 30% when compared to this time last year,” Johnson said, noting that, “we’re not celebrating that.”

In addition to Johnson’s administration successfully solving a decades old fiscal challenge, his administration has also improved relations with Madison and other rural parts of the Badger State.

Johnson also said much work needs to be done with public safety, including addressing gun violence. Other challenges facing Milwaukee, include, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Johnson said Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has been recently speaking to European leaders in Belgium in his capacity as President of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“There is a national platform that Republicans have put forth to attack diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Johnson said, referencing the DEI attacks on the University of Wisconsin by Republicans.

“So, I didn’t choose the political dynamic of the day, but we’re in it. And, it’s my responsibility to solve it to get something for the city to stand on in the future,” Johnson said in reference to the current GOP controled Wisconsin legislature.

Noting that he is unhappy with cuts to diversity and inclusion programs beyond universities, Johnson was asked by a journalist if he is still considering legal action on the DEI attacks impacting the city of Milwaukee.

Johnson responded that there are still many opportunities on a local level, short of litigation that are currently being discussed by his administration, but litigation has not been ruled out.

“There are opportunities for us to still have our values met … in order to have diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the city of Milwaukee,” Johnson said.

Gun Control

“I’m not talking about taking people’s guns away. That’s not going to happen. We live in the United States of America where there are more guns than people,” Johnson said, calling for reform on gun laws.

“What I’m asking for is to find some area of common ground and some area of common sense where people who shouldn’t have access to guns don’t,” Johnson said.

Johnson indirectly said the problems in the city of Milwaukee are a result of lack of gun control laws in Madison and in Washington, D.C.

“There is a problem. The problem is that at the local level, we don’t control gun law,” Johnson said, noting that he and the Common Council don’t have any control over state or federal gun laws.

“But everyone looks at us (for solutions),” Johnson said, asking the media to also address future questions about gun violence to the lawmakers who actually control gun laws.

“It would be my desire to getting the (Wisconsin) legislature to act on guns,” Johnson said, noting that “we have to do something more than the status quo.”

The frequency of gun violence is a source of pain for not only the victims, but for local leaders, he said.

“People have been shot fatally or nonfatally every single day, it’s too much … We shouldn’t live in a city, in a state, or a society where parents have to hold their kids really tightly when they send them to school because the ease in which people can get guns and there could be a mass shooter at a school,” Johnson said.

“Especially when a kid gets hurt, it drives me absolutely insane … some child … in Milwaukee has been shot, because it should not happen. It just shouldn’t happen. … How on earth are we living in a society, in a city that doesn’t control gun law, but a state that has broader authority on access to guns when kids are being shot and we are doing nothing about it,” Johnson added.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, at a time when the State of Wisconsin has a record $6.6 billion surplus, the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee (JFC) approved a motion in June effectively cutting all funds for school safety and only approved only a fraction of what Gov. Tony Evers requested for the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s budget.

Avoiding Bankruptcy

On Thursday, Johnson also praised the work of local and state officials from both political parties regarding the recent change in allowing Milwaukee to add an additional 2% local sales tax, avoiding insolvency. Johnson plans to sign this measure into law Friday morning.

“Finally, it puts the city of Milwaukee in a position to have the same sort of revenue generating tools that virtually every other major metropolitan city in the United States has,” Johnson said.

Job creation, increased revenue

Johnson talked favorably about Harley Davidson’s 120-anniversary this weekend and the Republican National Convention next year, which will bring jobs and revenue to Wisconsin’s largest city.

Johnson said that public safety remains a priority for his administration, including with upcoming events that place Milwaukee in the national spotlight.

“We will make sure the Republican National Convention is safe for all and will reflect positively on us and the city of Milwaukee,” Johnson said.

Other legal regulation

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported back in June, Johnson signed new food truck regulations addressing community concerns about public safety, primarily impact food trucks downtown and around Burnham Park.

Johnson said that Thursday that for many people the issue was after bar’s closed too many people congregated around the food trucks and now the new regulations provide some structure to mitigate those issues and others.

Johnson also noted that bars could close at 4 a.m. during the Republican National convention, as previously reported by WBAY.