A Closer Look At the Milwaukee Uprising And What Happens Next
Milwaukee Public Radio’s Latoya Dennis breaks down events and how they fit in larger societal issues.
Last week the city of Milwaukee faced the kind of civil strife we don’t see very often in this country. Residents took to the streets to protest during the day, and some set buildings and cars on fire during the night.
Milwaukee has issues that have been bubbling beneath the surface for quite some time. The most recent instance was spurred by a police shooting of a black man, and the story’s details are still muddled. But what’s clear is this Wisconsin city is suffering from the same problems many cities in America are suffering from. But what makes Milwaukee different?
“We have the largest black-white achievement gap in the country when it comes to kids,” says WUWM reporter LaToya Dennis. “A lot of people are saying ‘we’re just tired.'”
Dennis says though the facts of the Sylville Smith case are still not totally clear, the fact remains that residents feel oppressed and singled-out by police in the city.
“You have neighborhoods where people are saying ‘we’re being over-policed,'” says Dennis. And she says that has led to the tension boiling over between police and civilians.
To hear more of the conversation on Detroit Today, click on the audio player above.
