by Benjamin Yount
There’s a lot of talk about doing something about guns after Milwaukee’s most violent weekend of the year.
Milwaukee Police say more than 20 people were shot in separate shootings Saturday and Sunday. Three of the gunshot victims died, including a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
Milwaukee’s mayor on Monday said the weekend violence is “disgusting.”
“No kid in this city or anywhere in this state, or anywhere in this country, should have to live in an environment like that,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said at a news conference. “It takes us in government and it also takes folks out in the community to do their part as well.”
His police chief, Jeffery Norman, said guns are the ties that bind the weekend shootings.
“The common denominator: firearms,” the chief said. “We need the public. We need the assistance of those who see those carrying firearms to intervene. We need those who can step up and be that voice of reason, because we’re seeing violence where it should not be at.”
State Rep. David Bowen, D-Milwaukee, said the Republican controlled Assembly and Senate must step up and do something about guns as well.
“The Legislature must come back to the table to pass meaningful legislation to institute common sense gun violence reforms and provide sustainable funding for violence prevention that will last until this problem is solved,” Bowen said.
Milwaukee is on pace for another record year for homicides. As of Sunday, Milwaukee Police said 65 people have been killed in the city. That’s 20 more than last year, and 2021 was also a record year for homicides.
The weekend violence also came as Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention began what it is calling Youth Victory over Violence Week. City leaders and advocates are planning a march through Milwaukee this Sunday. They say they hope to draw attention to the city’s problem with violent crime.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Milwaukee Police Car” by AlbertHerring. CC BY 2.0.
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