>> MILWAUKEE KEEPS BREAKING
RECORDS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES, WITH
86 HOMICIDES THIS YEAR SO FAR.
23 MORE THAN THE RECORD SET LAST
YEAR.
MOST OF THESE HOMICIDES CAUSED
BY GUNFIRE.
THEN A WEEK AGO, THREE SHOOTINGS
DOWNTOWN NEAR THE DEER DISTRICT
INCLUDING A MASS SHOOTING THAT
INJURED 21 PEOPLE.
THE MAYOR THERE HAS NOW IMPOSED
A CURFEW FOR PEOPLE UNDER 17
THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND IS
WORKING TOWARD ADDITIONAL
MEASURES.
WE SAT DOWN WITH DEMOCRATIC
STATE SENATOR LATONYA JOHNSON,
WHOSE DISTRICT INCLUDES THE
ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT FOR HER
RESPONSE.
SO WE TALKED WITH YOU IN 2015
ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE WHEN IT WAS
AT RECORD LEVELS THEN.
TODAY, IN 2022, IT'S MUCH WORSE.
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE GUN VIOLENCE
IN YOUR CITY AS OUT OF CONTROL?
>> GUN VIOLENCE IN MY CITY IS
OUT OF CONTROL.
BECAUSE IT'S TO THE POINT WHERE
KIDS ARE GETTING CAUGHT IN THE
CROSS FIRES JUST BEING IN THEIR
FRONT YARDS.
>> S SO AS WE KNOW, A WEEK AGO
THERE WERE THREE SEPARATE
SHOOTINGS IN THE DEER DISTRICT,
THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT,
INCLUDING A MASS SHOOTING.
WHAT WAS YOUR IMMEDIATE REACTION
TO THAT?
>> I WAS SADDENED, I WAS ANGRY,
FRUSTRATED, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T
HAVE TO GET TO THIS POINT.
WE KNOW IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE JUST
TOO MANY GUNS.
AND WE NEED TO CLOSE THE GUN
LOOPHOLES TO TRY AND GET SOME OF
THESE GUNS OFF THE STREET.
THE REASON WHY I WAS FRUSTRATED
IS BECAUSE EVERY YEAR, THIS
BECOMES A TOPIC, ESPECIALLY FOR
ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO REPRESENT
MILWAUKEE.
AND WE CAN NEVER GET HELP, NEVER
GET HELP.
BUT YOU KNOW, ONCE IT HITS THE
DEER DISTRICT, THEN IT BECOMES
AN ISSUE OF CONCERN DURING
CAMPAIGN TIME.
AND THIS IS AN ISSUE OF CONCERN
EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVE HERE.
>> ONE SPECIFIC THING THAT THE
MAYOR HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE IS
DOING IS ENFORCING A CITY-WIDE
CURFEW ON YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THE
AGE OF 17, AND IMPOSING 100 OR
$200 FINES.
DO YOU THINK THAT WILL WORK?
>> I THINK THAT IT'S A START.
I THINK THAT THE MAYOR IS USING
WHAT HE HAS AT HIS DISPOSAL.
HE CAN'T SIT THERE AND LET THE
CITY CONTINUE TO DECLINE, OR LET
INNOCENT CHILDREN BE KILLED ON
THE STREET.
SO IF HE'S TRYING TO DO
SOMETHING, AND HE'S USING WHAT'S
AVAILABLE, AND THE UNFORTUNATE
THING IS THAT THE POLICE ARE
DOING THEIR JOB.
THEY'RE ARRESTING THESE PEOPLE,
THEY'RE RECOVERING THESE GUNS.
THE MAYOR IS DOING HIS PART.
OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS
DOING THEIR PART WITH WHAT FEW
RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE.
THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO AREN'T DOING
THEIR JOB IS THE STATE
LEGISLATURE.
AND WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO ALLOW
MILWAUKEE TO SHOULDER THIS
BURDEN BY ITSELF.
AND THE ONE THING THAT I REALLY
HATE IS WHEN MY COLLEAGUES TALK
ABOUT THE VIOLENCE, AND THEN
THEY TALK ABOUT POVERTY.
THAT REALLY IRKS ME, BECAUSE
THAT SAYS THAT POOR PEOPLE ARE
VIOLENT, AND THAT'S NOT THE
CASE.
I GREW UP IN LA GRANGE,
TENNESSEE, A THREE-ROOM SHACK,
NO INDOOR PLUMBING, AND I'VE
NEVER BEEN TO JAIL.
YOU KNOW, SO NOT ALL POOR PEOPLE
ARE VIOLENT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
KNOW.
AND I TRY TO EDUCATE THAT IN THE
CAPITOL.
IN MOST CASES, A LOT OF THESE
PEOPLE ARE VICTIMS JUST LIKE WE
ARE.
THEY'RE TRAPPED IN THE ONLY
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT THEY CAN
AFFORD TO LIVE IN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, VIOLENCE DOES
CAUSE TRAUMA.
AND WHEN PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE FILLED
WITH TRAUMA, THAT TRAUMA IS
GOING TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT.
AND A LOT OF THAT IS WHAT WE'RE
SEEING WITH THE GUN VIOLENCE.
IT'S TRAUMA.
TRAUMA ON TOP OF TRAUMA.
AND WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB
OF CREATING BETTER ENVIRONMENTS
FOR OUR CHILDREN.
YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS CAN'T GO
OUTSIDE AND PLAY.
WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT FOOD
DESERTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND
THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE, ESPECIALLY
IN TERMS OF OBESITY, BUT WHAT'S
AN EVEN GREATER RISK IS PARENTS
NOT FEELING SAFE ENOUGH TO LET
THEIR KIDS GO OUTSIDE, TO
EXERCISE, TO PLAY.
THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE.
AND THAT'S AFFECTING SO MANY OF
OUR KIDS IN THE CITY.
>> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR
CONSTITUENTS AROUND ALL OF THIS?
>> THAT WE ARE TRYING.
I'M TRYING.
THAT AS A BLACK ELECTED, AND I'M
TRYING TO PREVENT MYSELF FROM
CRYING, HAVING WISCONSIN CARRY
THE TITLE OF BEING THE WORST
PLACE IN AMERICA FOR A BLACK
CHILD, THAT HITS HOME, BECAUSE
I'M BLACK.
AND I'M A MOTHER.
HAVING TO ATTEND SO MANY
FUNERALS FOR KIDS, THAT'S
TRAUMA.
HAVING TO GO TO THE CAPITOL YEAR
AFTER YEAR AND BEG FOR HELP,
THAT'S TRAUMA.
AND NOT BEING ABLE TO DO
ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THAT'S
TRAUMA.
BECAUSE AS THE WEATHER GETS
WARMER AND PEOPLE ARE EXCITED
ABOUT GOING OUTSIDE, OUR KIDS
ARE IN THE GREATEST DANGER
BECAUSE THEY'RE OUT ON THE
STREETS.
AND WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
I HAVE TO GET MY COLLEAGUES TO
CARE.
AND SO MANY TIMES, I'VE BEEN
TOLD, WELL, THIS ISN'T HAPPENING
IN MY DISTRICT SO IT'S NOT MY
ISSUE.
AND I UNDERSTAND, I PROMISE YOU
THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU
KNOW, THEY ARE LAW-ABIDING
CITIZENS AND THEY DESERVE THE
RIGHT TO HAVE THEIR GUNS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT HUNT, THEY
DESERVE TO HAVE THEIR GUNS.
BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN THOSE GUNS
ARE BEING USED ON YOUR CHILDREN?
IF THIS WAS THEM, WHAT WOULD
THEY DO TO TRY AND SAVE A LIFE?
I DON'T THINK LAW-ABIDING LIFE.
ESPECIALLY SAVING THE LIFE OF
INNOCENT CHILDREN.
THERE'S NO REASON THAT A 2 MONTH
OLD IN THE CITY SHOULD KNOW WHAT
A GUNSHOT FEELS LIKE.
BUT THEY DO.
AND THAT'S TOO MUCH.
IT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND WE HAVE TO
DO BETTER.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE EXTENDED
INTERVIEW AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG BY