The Truth About Race in Milwaukee?
Police Chief Edward Flynn speaks to reporters after a Fire and Police Commission meeting earlier this month concerning the shooting of a black man, Dontre Hamilton. Flynn had just learned a five-year-old girl was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting. Where are the protests and riots? According to Flynn, “This is a tragedy for the family, it’s a tragedy for the community. … But there are a lot of people lining up to take advantage of this tragedy to promote their own agendas. … If some of the [protestors] here gave a good G-d damn about the victimization of people in this community…I would take some of their invective more seriously. The greatest racial disparity in Milwakee is getting shot and killed. Eighty percent of my homicide victims are African-American. Eighty percent of our aggravated assault victims are are African-American. Now [the protestors] know all about the last three people who have been killed by the Milwaukee police department in the last few years, but there is not one of them who can name one of the last three homicide victims we’ve had in this city. There is room for everybody in fixing this police department and…we’re not without sin. But this community is at risk alright. And it is not because men and women in blue risk their lives protecting it. … The [protestors] are absolutely MIA when it comes to the true threats facing this community.”
Listen to the chief’s full remarks to see where this interview goes.