Milwaukee Cop Suspected Of Shooting Unarmed Man Wants Reinstated

The policeman who shot unarmed Dontre Hamilton in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last year appealed the decision of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission to uphold his firing from the Milwaukee Police Department.

Police Chief Edward Flynn fired Christopher Manney after the fatal on-duty shooting of Hamilton, 31, at Red Arrow Park on April 30, 2014.  A panel of commissioners – Sarah Morgan, Kathryn Hein and Steven M. DeVougas – announced their decision to uphold the chief’s discipline in March after five days of testimony.

Once the commission released its explanation of the decision on April 28th, it opened a 10-day window for Manney to appeal in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, writes the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel.

Manney filed a notice for review of the decision with the Fire and Police Commission last Tuesday.  The commission filed relevant documents in court on Friday, asking for a judge to be assigned to the case.

Is the Dontre Hamilton case getting enough attention?  In a separate article, the Journal Sentinel writes that state agents took a more hands-on role in the case of Tony Robinson than with Dontre Hamilton.  More than two dozen agents from the state Department of Justice investigated the shooting death of Tony Robinson by Madison police officer Matt Kenny.

However, in the Dontre Hamilton investigation, 10 Justice Department agents went to the scene and three were sent away “shortly after responding when it was determined (their) assistance was no longer needed,” according to the Journal Sentinel.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/manney-files-appeal-of-firing-in-dontre-hamilton-case-b99498291z1-303328091.html

Bizarre: Man Hits Child In Car, Stops To Help, Gets Shot

A motorist who knocked down and killed a two-year-old girl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been shot dead after stopping to help at the scene of the accident.

A gunman, apparently enraged that a van had struck a 2-year-old boy Sunday in Milwaukee, not only “assassinated” the driver of the van – in the words of Mayor Tom Barrett – but also shot the toddler’s 15-year-old brother, who had rushed to the scene.  The 15-year-old boy, who was not in the vehicle, was shot in the shoulder and later died in hospital.

The accident happened on Sunday at 5:10pm after the child ran into the street and was hit by a van.

Rasheed T. Chiles, 15, had been attending a party at a nearby house with his brother, 2-year-old Damani T. Terry.  Damani was hit by the van.

Archie Brown Jr., 40, was driving the van about 5:10 p.m. Sunday in the 4600 block of N. 48th St., near Wahl Park in Milwaukee when he hit Damani, who had run into the road, according to Milwaukee police.

Brown immediately jumped out and was reportedly grieving and upset as he stood over the body.

Police have said there were no suspects in custody.  Milwaukee police continued on Monday to work on identifying the shooting suspect.

In the late afternoon, Attorney Michael Hupy offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Brown.  An upset Hupy said it was the fourth time ever he has offered a reward in a murder case.

Police Captain Timothy Heier said the 41-year-old driver remained at the scene to help and was then shot along with the teenager, who was not a passenger.

Sky News reports the driver was 41, whereas The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel states he was 40.

The driver was identified by his father.  Archie Brown, Sr. said his son was the father of four daughters, including one who was six months old.

Library Helps The Homeless

Hedberg Public Library staff in Janesville, Wisconsin, is serious about its mission to serve all residents, including those who are homeless, according to the GazetteXtra.

The staff provide a safe daytime haven so long as everybody follows the rules by respecting others’ rights and the library itself, said Michelle Dennis, circulation director of the library.

“We are very clear about the expectations of behavior for everybody who uses the library, and we try to restrict or limit people’s access only if their behavior warrants that,” said Dennis.

On most days, about a dozen homeless people use the services.

Thursday was a particularly nasty day with its mix of cold and snow, and winter clothing piled on a corner chair served as home base for a homeless man who spends his days at the library.  He is welcome at the library, and volunteers heat his lunch in the ground level coffee shop, said Bryan McCormick, library director.

Sometimes, someone just wants a quiet place to sit, Dennis said. Other times, they need resource materials.

The ground floor coffee shop is a popular place to hang out, along with a stretch of windows along the Rock River or in the lobby near the elevators.

Homeless people typically don’t create problems, especially since GIFTS (God Is Faithful Temporary Shelter) Men’s Shelter opened in Janesville, said Dennis.

GIFTS rotates nightly shelters for men between churches during the cold months. In November—the latest figures available—GIFTS served 51 guests with 727 shelter nights.

When GIFTS is at capacity, staff arranges sleeping elsewhere, such as in Madison or Walworth County shelters.

http://www.gazettextra.com/20150108/out_of_the_cold_library_is_daytime_haven_for_homeless#sthash.UoIAOXPU.dpuf

Is There Still A Scott Walker Scandal Going On?

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is one of the brightest stars in the Republican Party, and he has very clear ambitions to run for President in the near future.

Before he hits the national stage, however, he still has a lot of investigations to overcome.

Mike Papantonio discusses this with Brendan Fischer from the Center for Media and Democracy.

Ring of Fire

More on Walker’s campaign finance scandal here.

Presidential Contender Scott Walker Not Sure Of Obama’s Religion

Not only does Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) not know whether President Barack Obama loves America, he also appears to be unaware that the president is a Christian.

In an interview with the Milwaukie Journal-Sentinel, Walker was asked, “Do you think the president loves America?”  This was in reference to former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani’s comments.

The possible 2016 White House candidate said he’s never asked the president about it.

“I assume most people in this country love America. And to me I don’t think it’s worth getting into the battle over whether he does or he doesn’t,” Walker told the Journal Sentinel. “He can handle that himself. I know I do. And I know there are great people in this country who love this country and who … feel this country’s exceptional and it doesn’t necessarily align by party. I think there are Republicans and Democrats and plenty of people in between. I’ve never asked the president so I don’t really know what his opinions are on that one way or another.”

Walker told The Associated Press: “You should ask the president what he thinks about America.”

Recently, the Washington Post asked Walker if he thought the president is a Christian.

“I don’t know,” the potential 2016 candidate told The Washington Post at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that,” Walker said of Obama’s faith. “I’ve never asked him that. You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?”

“First and foremost, my Christian faith gives me a perspective and security that I don’t think I would have otherwise: that I am loved. That, at the end of the day, God is in control,” Obama said in a 2012 interview according to The Huffington Post.

According to an AP survey, 18 percent of Americans thought Obama is Muslim in 2012.   In 2010, 17 percent of Americans believed he is Muslim.

Click to access AP_Racial_Attitudes_Topline_09182012.pdf

Dontre Hamilton

Who is Dontre Hamilton?

According to fox6now.com, Dontre Hamilton is the 31-year-old unarmed African American man shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer inside a park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last April.

The attorney for Hamilton’s family released an autopsy report, toxicology report, and cause of death from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, December 1st

Dontre Hamilton’s family received a copy of his autopsy report in July, and it was released to the media on December 1st.

Seven months after Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed by Christopher Manney, a former Milwaukee police officer terminated for his handling of Hamilton that day, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office continues to investigate. That office will ultimately decide whether Manney should face criminal charges.

On April 30th, 2014, Dontre Hamilton was sleeping in Red Arrow Park. Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney was performing a welfare check, and police say Hamilton grabbed Manney’s baton and struck him with it. That’s when Christopher Manney opened fire, shooting Hamilton 14 times.

Demonstrators have marched through Milwaukee’s streets for months, demanding charges against Officer Christopher Manney in the death of Hamilton. The have protested in areas such as City Hall and even in front of Milwaukee County Prosecutor John Chisholm’s home in Bayview, Wisconsin. Members of the community are also asking for changes in the way police interact with the minority community.

“The family has wanted to get (the autopsy report) out for some time. We’ve held off on doing that, hoping again that there would be a decision by the District Attorney. It’s now been seven months,” said Hamilton family attorney Jonathan Safran.

“The family continues to hear mischaracterizations of the facts. (Dontre Hamilton)’s a person that is my size. He’s 5’6″ or 5’7″ weighing 169 pounds. Not a large person. It does not jive with how Manney described Dontre,” said the attorney.

The autopsy report lists 21 gunshot wounds — and that includes entry and exit wounds.

“The fact there is no stippling or gun residue on Dontre Hamilton’s body would reflect that there was some distance. I’m not a forensic expert — probably at least three feet or so at the minimum. The wounds show that at least half of them were in a downward direction, even though they were both supposedly standing. There’s one that reflects it was shot into Dontre Hamilton’s back,” Safran said.

The autopsy report released by Dontre Hamilton’s family through Safran says Hamilton died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. That ruling means Hamilton died at the hands of another.

“We think there is sufficient evidence there should be state criminal charges,” Safran said.

The Hamilton family says they want the public to know Dontre Hamilton wasn’t homeless. He had the following items on his person when he died: a wallet, a cell phone, a backpack, a blanket, candy and cash totaling $160.

His family says Hamilton was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia a couple years before he was shot and killed, but he didn’t have a long history of mental health issues and no criminal record.

A toxicology report released with the autopsy report shows there were no drugs in Dontre Hamilton’s system when he died.

Hamilton’s family continues to wait for the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether Hamilton’s death merits criminal charges. The District Attorney’s Office says they are aware of the autopsy report, and they have no comment at this time.

The Other Side Of The Coin? Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn

Video by Ashley Luthern.

Perhaps this video shows the “other side” of the coin and how hard it is to be a police officer.

In November, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn spoke to reporters after a Fire and Police Commission meeting concerning the shooting of Dontre Hamilton.

Hamilton was an unarmed black mentally ill man who was shot by a Milwaukee policeman last April.

The video has over 6 million hits since the November meeting.

Is Welfare A Bribe?

Welfare is a bribe because…you know…living in public housing must be “the life.”

U.S. Rep-elect Glenn Grothman (Republican, Wisconsin) thinks that welfare is a bribe.

He feels that the government is bribing single parents to stay unemployed and unmarried.

Majority Report video.

Republican Insults Wisconsin

Republican National Committee co-chair Sharon Day spoke at a Republican Party field office in Waukesha on Monday.

She spoke of the need to get Scott Walker supporters to the polls.

Did she insult Wisconsin in the process?

Cenk Uygur discusses.