Welcome, if you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe to our email newsletter. Thanks for visiting!

Welcome to Soviet Russia…

No, no it’s just the People’s Republic of Madison officials gooses-stepping to environmentalist Nazis. A few weeks ago I remember Charlie Sykes talking about Minneapolis (I think) banning people from idling their car. He’s also covering the drive-thru ban at 10:45 as the post goes up.

Now, a member of the influential Madison Plan Commission wants to ban the restaurant drive-through — or at least restrict the ubiquitous symbol of America’s auto-centric lifestyle.
“Given the concern about all the carbon going into the atmosphere, I’m not sure we should be building more places for people to sit idling in their cars,” says Eric Sundquist, who was appointed to the citizen panel by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz this spring.

A former newspaper reporter in Atlanta now working as a researcher at the UW-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Sundquist notes that several cities in Canada have recently moved to ban the drive-through coffee shop or stand-alone fast food restaurant (www.ecospace.cc/culture/drive-thru-ban.htm).

I think it’s evident that Madison thinks that the best way to help business is to regulate them to death. It’s sickening to think that people care this much more about the environment than a successful economic environment. Do business owners in Madison really not mind bending over and grabbing their ankles for these wack-jobs on the city council? It’s really only a matter of time before Junior doesn’t get his happy meal after soccer practice because Mom can’t go through drive-thru and the lines inside are ridiculously long or for that matter, because McDonalds closed because of poor service from ridiculously long lines and no way to get patrons their food quickly while staying in their car. It’s probably only a matter of time before drive-thrus on banks are a thing of the past and then idling at stop lights and in traffic jams will be a punishable offence. And then the day will come when it’s illegal to warm up your car on a bitterly cold Wisconsin morning.

I don’t know how anyone would be able to tolerate officials in Madison. I certainly can’t tolerate the school. What Madison should do to reduce it’s carbon footprint is eliminate heating and air conditioning. Let’s start in the Mayor’s office and then eliminate it at the school too.

On a side note, I was recently at the Sears Grand store in Menomonee Falls. The girl behind the checkout counter told me I had to resue the plastic bag she was putting my purchase in. After getting a horrendous nosebleed I assume from her incompetence, I went home and burred that plastic bag and at least five more.

“It is no longer a celebration when you have people getting shot” Milwaukee Police Captain Michael Young.

For those of you who missed the launch of the summer festivals, RiverSplash, consider yourself rather lucky. Not that I was shot at personally but it was a disturbing situation. By the time I got to Splash it was absolutely chaotic. Unlike Friday night, there had to be double the number of people and it was not a good situation to be had. I and fellow gop3-er Brian Collar were smart enough to get out of there by the time we saw the undermanned security trying to break up one of the countless fights. I am still baffled at what would attract so many people to RiverSplash. It couldn’t have been the bars because they weren’t in there, they were all outside fighting and shooting each other. The Journal has been trying to piece together some of last night’s events.

Allan Laird, who said that as a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher he is not easily intimidated, told how he, a woman friend and their two teenage children feared for their safety as they tried to leave the festival about 11:15 p.m.

“My son said, ‘We should get out of here, someone might have a gun,’” Laird recalled.

About 25 minutes later, according to Milwaukee police, multiple arguments broke out among crowds of people N. 3rd St. and W. Highland Ave. and an 18-year-old man was shot in the foot.

As his group walked north and west of the area, Laird said, he saw groups of males “play fighting” and some males trying to pull females out of cars that were stalled in traffic. Laird said one male tried to scare him by swinging a fist over his head.

That just screams class doesn’t it? In fact I think it’s real important to attract more of this type of crowd.

Police described a chaotic scene shortly after the festival closed at 11:30 p.m. The streets were filled with people who were “drunk and scared,” Milwaukee police Captain Michael Young said.

Young said he did not have figures of the number of arrests made, but that numerous arrests involving disorderly conduct were made.

Marsha Sehler, a spokeswoman for RiverSplash, said the shooting and bottle throwing are a concern, but they should not be a black mark on an event that has generally been very safe.

Yeah Marsha, there is absolutely no crisis. The event is generally safe, minus the countless arrests, out of control fights, bottle throwing, drunken rowdiness, SHOOTINGS, and how many other crimes will go unreported. Yeah I felt really safe. I guess it shows that people like Marsha don’t actually attend their own events. Or the leave at 7pm before stuff gets out of hand.

RiverSplash spokes people remarked later “What? The guy can’t take a gunshot in the foot?” That’s generally safe part of the body to take a bullet.”

Ald. Robert Bauman, who represents the area, called the incidents “extremely disturbing” because RiverSplash has been so safe in the past. He said the city would review what happened to see if any changes should be made at RiverSplash or at other festivals that will be held this summer.

“We’re going to retrace our steps to make sure nothing’s been overlooked and that security is as strong as possible,” Bauman said

Thanks Bob!

I would not disagree with figuring out a way to charge people to get in. That would keep the crowd a bit smaller. Eliminating the event should always be on the table after what happened last night. I will say this though, I commend all the bars for having a stringent carding policy. And especially to the bouncer at McGillycuddys for realizing that a girl born in 1984 is not 22.

Update via NewsWatch of the drive-by shooting outside the Town of Addison:

Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said this morning that it is “probable” that the car in which Nicole Sell was shot during a drive-by shooting May 3 in the Town of Addison was targeted by someone who had a “perceived dispute” with one of the two boys in the car - Sell’s friends Justin Towne and Scott Cecil, both 17 - or someone who had previously owned the car.

“It is believed there are two likely scenarios for a motive in the case: The vehicle and the occupants were targeted by someone who had a perceived dispute with Towne, Cecil or others who previously operated the vehicle,” or that it was a case of road rage, Schmidt said in the statement.

“No one has provided specific information to support this theory; however, the circumstances surrounding the meeting of the two vehicles indicate this is probable,” he wrote.

Rita Gahagan.

Remember that name.

Gahagan is the 911 police dispatcher who dismissed the emergency phone call of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmerman.

From the Journal Sentinel:

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said evidence on the call should have been heard by the 911 dispatcher who handled the call and that should have prompted her to send police. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said the call contained “significant sounds” that were not heard by the dispatcher.

Joe Norwick, director of the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center, originally said the dispatcher who took the call asked several times if there was an emergency but got no response.

The Journal Sentinel, to its immense credit, is pushing for the release of documents surrounding the call and the Dane County 911 Call Center:

The Journal Sentinel and three other media organizations have sued Dane County and the City of Madison for withholding public records, including the tape of the 911 call.

The lawsuit says that the 911 system is maintained at public expense for the public’s benefit, and the system’s effectiveness has been called into question by developments in the Zimmermann case.

Rita Gahagan, the Madison Police Department and the Dane County Sheriff’s Department are going to have to live for the rest of their lives with the fruit of their incompetence: yet another likely preventable homicide in Madison.

I often criticize Marquette for the security situation around campus: too little honestly on behalf of University bureaucrats engaging in constant CYA behavior. I’ve always thought that DPS to a vast extent, however, is very serious about its job.

(I continue to long for the day when MPD becomes more serious about its own job. MU wouldn’t need 40 DPS officers if the solution to crime was more than leaving an empty squad car on campus the past 2 weeks, as someone relayed to me.)

At Marquette, fortunately, I’ve never had to worry about elemental criminal prevention or victim response. It seems as if in Madison, however, basic functionality of police departments is non-existent.

I don’t know if I ever did a “what the heck is going on with the chronology of the kidnappings” GOP3 post, but it really, really bothers me that the two individuals who were kidnapped earlier this semester were taken around midnight, the first discovered a couple hours after that and then the second a little after dawn, and no email was sent to students until 9am or 10am [Update: It was 10:29am] that morning, despite the fact that another student had been violently robbed and I would assume in contact with DPS/MPD beforehand and despite the fact that the freaking suspects were still at large!

We just got another email from DPS about another mid-afternoon robbery on campus:

An off-campus robbery within the 900 block of North 17th Street was reported to the Department of Public Safety at approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21. During the incident, two male suspects approached the victim, a Marquette student. One suspect displayed a weapon and demanded personal property. The descriptions of the two male suspects were not specific. The victim was not physically injured.

The Department of Public Safety and Milwaukee Police Department officers were contacted and immediately responded to the scene. Victim services were offered to the student involved in this incident.

So, at 9:41pm tonight the Department of Public Safety thought it important to get out an email to students about a brazen daytime robbery basically in the middle of campus that includes armed suspects still at large. Wouldn’t it be prudent to inform students about at-large armed suspects sooner than six hours after a robbery, particularly one as bold as during the middle of the afternoon?

I ask this in all seriousness. We’re all aware that DPS has the capability of sending out text messages to students in the case of a “real” emergency (”Virginia Tech-style emergency” is the phrase that has been thrown about, I think). Obviously if someone is in Wehr Physics waving around a sidearm, a text message should be sent. But, I don’t understand why text messages are not being sent to students about crimes committed in the non-academic parts of campus.

Besides the near-rape of the Freshman girl by a homeless guy in the first-floor female bathroom of Raynor my Freshman year (Fall of 2003), there hasn’t been a major crime that I can remember happening on the academic portion of campus. Crime happens on Kilbourne, on Michigan, etc. If a crime is quickly resolved with suspects detained then yes, I think an email hours after suffices. But if two armed suspects rob students in the middle of the day, I think it makes sense to alert the student body sooner than six hours after it happens whether through email or texting.

The above email was seven sentences. Would it be that hard to get that out at 5pm or even 6pm? I’m concerned because if someone is able to get away with this during the middle of the day, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that they would return, and potentially soon thereafter. Look at what happened at Virginia Tech — two homicides, and then two hours later 30 more homicides. It is possible for one or more criminals to strike, wait and then strike later.

Another year another CR state convention, this year CRs from around the state are lucky enough to be able to hold the convention stuff in the Assembly Chambers…sadly there is no wireless connection that I can get on to so this will be a post live live-blog. Just thought I’d put it out there that Malkin was pretty good last night. Spoke on Immigration, so she did a good job on an issue that I’m not passionate about. Malkin did mention that she remembered (hopefully still reads) GOP3. Granted she mentioned remembering Brandon…(boo)

I really could get used to being in here

Pledge of Allegiance…to weed out any communists.

Let the business begin…

Wrasse talks about his goals accomplished (hehehehe)
We raised money…
Wrasse launched Leadership Development…he’s proud of that, it’s keen

Elections
Madison nominates Carrow… Point 2nds
Madison nominates Fuller… Ripon 2nds
Can Madison nominate both? Not that I care all that much
Madison gave a speech… I zoned out it was about Carrow as a leader er something

Carrow gives speech. He was in Iraq…calls Wrasse’s job the “Wrasse Revolution” I’m happier to be a part of the Walker Revolution, though I swear I heard Karrow take credit for Walker, even though he was never in the office. Did he even know where the office was? Please find Milwaukee County on a map. Secondly, Wrasse Revolution? Being the hand-picked successor to a one term leader isn’t much a revolution. Damn if that’s all it takes to have a revolution these days …utilize facebook and have a tech savy communications guy. Does that mean I’ll get more than just 17 facebook messages about the state convention? Overall he kinda sounded like McCain

Madison gives 2nd speech
Luke has unique brand of leadership and experience
Fuller’s speech on Walker experience. First and only reason to be a WICR is to elect republicans. Sold his soul to Scott Walker instead of meeting with chapters…wouldn’t change a thing
Carrow 57.9
Fuller 20.1

So just like real republicans the war vet gets it over the legit experienced candidate

Sol Grosskoff vs Chris Schaefer
Chris…from Ripon…new chapter gives Karrow credit for that too
Dan Suhr gives Sol’s speech. Speech will undoubtedly overshadow anything else said today
Sol wears a bow tie…I’ll let you judge that

These assembly chairs are comfortable…I’m thinking I might just take a nappy nap if this gets anymore boring
Sol vice chair by… bunches
Treasurer:
Jeff Bloomberg? Nominated by Point he’s from Madison
Kinda means we’re stuck with him…not in a bad way, if I would complain I would have nominated someone

Secretary: Whitewater nominates Ashley Karingsworth?
Well we are stuck with her to…Im not complaining

Well any business that I care about is done. WICRs have added a few more tools to the toolbox. It’ll be nice to see them next year at this time…if I see them before then I’ll be hella surprised.

It’s shocking, really. If you think through the implications of Lena Taylor’s legislation, it would result in the release of literally of thousands of hard-core criminals back into our streets. Criminals who would otherwise be where they belong, behind bars. Criminals who could threaten our neighborhoods here in Milwaukee, including the Marquette campus.

Rapists, robbers, drug dealers, even murderers. Literally thousands of offenders convicted of violent crimes would be back on the streets under Senator Taylor’s plan. What’s more, her bill, SB 401, would increase taxes in Wisconsin by $3 million, and it would cost taxpayers statewide an additional $50 million or more in unfunded mandates on counties, according to a Legislative Audit Bureau report.

Lena Taylor’s plan would send criminals to children’s court, rather than adult court like they are now, and then she asks the taxpayers to pay millions more for it. Incredible. Let’s delve into the details.

Currently, a 17 year old arrested for a crime is sent automatically to adult court. Senator Taylor’s bill would give the judge the discretion to send a 17-year-old offender to children’s court, which would result in a faster release back into society. The bill would also reclassify each 17-year-old suspect as a “child,” and that would be their designation unless the judge changed it. The fiscal estimates expect that the vast majority of offenders covered by the bill would be sent to children’s court. How many offenders are we talking about? The LAB report says that from 2001 through 2005, 31,075 arrests were made in Milwaukee County of 17-year-olds. Many of those arrests led to cases and convictions.

Senator Taylor is quick to point out that her bill continues to automatically send to adult court those who commit or attempt first degree intentional homicide, commit second degree intentional homicide, commit first degree reckless homicide, or commit assault on a correctional or probation officer. But consider how many other crimes where offenders would make their way back into our neighborhoods:

MURDERERS

Her bill means some murderers would now start the system labeled as children - those who commit felony murder or second degree reckless homicide. A review of cases from 1995-2006 indicates that at least 14 such murderers would get such relief, including 13 from Milwaukee County. Consider this case, 1996CF964677B, as reported in the Milw. Journal Sentinel:

Two men who participated in a fatal beating that was at least partly motivated by the death earlier that day of “gangsta” rapper Tupac Shakur received maximum prison sentences Wednesday for their roles in the attack. Charles I. Hudson, 20, and Terrance L. Johnson, 17, received prison terms of 15 and 10 years, respectively, for the Sept. 13 mob beating of Andre D. Arvin, 38.

You decide - does a 17-year-old who joins a brutal mob in beating a man to death deserve a year in juvie, or 10 years in prison? By the way - he was later convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, again in Milwaukee County (2006CF003558).

DRUG PEDDLERS

Senator Taylor’s bill would allow 17 year old drug dealers to be sentenced as children. Drug crimes constitute 17 percent of criminal cases filed against 17-year-old offenders, so do the math and we’re talking about over 1100 drug offenders each year being labeled as “children.” You think that’s a good idea, Senator?

RAPISTS

The same data set shows that crimes against persons, violent crimes, constitute 15 percent of criminal cases filed against 17-year olds. That means 1000 people accused of violent crimes could be shunted off into children’s court each year. Look at a few examples from CCAP:

1999CF003402: Convicted in Milwaukee at age 17 of second degree sexual assault of a child. Has since been convicted of drug dealing, felon in possession of a firearm, and sexual assault.

1996CF000584: Convicted of felony threats to injury – criminal gang crime in Kenosha. Received probation. Age 17. Then, convicted of sexual assault of a child and child abuse and sent to prison. Still age 17. Convicted of misdemeanor battery. Still 17. Later convicted of resisting an officer. Should he be sent to the same court as a 14 year old who commits a petty theft, Senator?

VIOLENT CRIMINALS

Many other horrendous crimes would fall into children’s court under Taylor’s bill, violent crimes against people and property. Simple examples suffice, like 2002CF007045: convicted at age 17 of Armed Robbery with Threat of Force here in Milwaukee. He was previously convicted THREE times as an adult before that conviction – for resisting an officer, driving a vehicle without the owner’s permission, and battery. He was later convicted of drunk driving under age 21.

INCREDIBLE

I could go on, but you get the picture. Armed robbery, arson, assault, auto theft, (and I’m only in the A’s), etc. - all 17-year-olds charged with crimes would be initially labeled as children under Senator Taylor’s proposal. Often these offenders already have criminal records. Often, after their time is served, they go on to commit another crime. Senator Taylor wants to treat these criminals as children and put them in detention for a shorter period. To keep our communities safe, they need to be treated as adults and sentenced to the prison time they deserve.

Dr. McAdams blogged on an email the Marquette community received yesterday about new armed robberies from “early Friday morning”:

The Department of Public Safety apprehended five suspects within minutes of an armed robbery that occurred early Friday morning in the 2000 block of W. Wisconsin Avenue. The victim, a Marquette student, was approached by the suspects while walking alone and shown a weapon. The suspects took the victim’s personal possessions and fled on foot. The victim was not physically injured and immediately entered a nearby building to call Public Safety. Public Safety officers immediately responded and were able to catch the suspects. All five suspects are now in police custody. Milwaukee Police do not believe that this incident is related to any previous incident involving Marquette students.

I wonder when “early Friday morning” was. Good for the Department of Public Safety for responding quickly to the incident and seizing the suspects.

The incident and the email that includes a quick overview of Marquette’s security system reminds McAdams of previous efforts to counteract safety problems:

Back in the early 1990s, then Marquette President Albert DiUlio felt the need to deal with the perception that Marquette was a dangerous place, and did so by dumping millions of Marquette’s money into a program called “Campus Circle” — a redevelopment plan that made the area adjacent to Marquette more attractive at horrendous cost.

It seemed to “work,” or at least the bad publicity died down.

But in reality a campus near a dangerous area of a dangerous city is never going to be as safe as a campus in some bucolic rural area.

But the situation in Milwaukee is made worse by the rather lax attitude civic elites have toward law enforcement.

I’ll address this in a future post, but much of the problem with the response to these acts of violence is that Marquette, and to the limited extent to which the Milwaukee Police Department cares about student safety, engages in too much of what I call “symptom management,” something McAdams alludes to. There is too much effort spent trying to respond to the fact of the problem rather than trying to respond to the problem itself.

Relatedly, WISN, the best off-campus source for news about the kidnappings, has news (a video) about the beginning of the trial of Mark Nellum, one of the kidnappers, including testimony from two of the victims:

One of the men accused of kidnapping and robbing two Marquette University students will stand trial.

A judge made his decision after listening to testimony from the victims on Thursday.

They accused Mark Nellum of kidnapping them and then driving them around town and forcing them to withdraw money from automated teller machines.

Nellum faces eight charges including, armed robbery and false imprisonment.

Police are still looking to arrest a second person in the case. [Emphasis added]

Hopefully the police are somewhat close to finding the second kidnapping suspect.

By the way, we’re creating a new GOP3 category: “There is no crisis” in honor of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s inane comment about safety in the City of Milwaukee.