Author: Claudio Martinez

A multicultural assortment of volunteers from the community joined together on June 19 to paint a Black Lives Matter street mural covering the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Locust Street, adjacent to the Milwaukee Police Department’s District 5 building. Within 24 hours of completion, the creative effort suffered sizable damage due to a thunderstorm. The words “Black Lives Matter” have been painted in giant letters on streets across the nation following the example of Washington DC, after peaceful protesters were attacked with tear gas by military forces acting under the orders of President Trump. Representing...

In a unanimous decision at the Board of Directors meeting for the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) on June 18, a resolution was passed to end the district’s contract with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). The vote was a victory for Black and Brown students, and the culmination of 2.5 years of work by Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) students to defund police at MPS. Learning institutions nationwide have been calling for the removal of law enforcement officers from their environment in the wake of the murder of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by Minneapolis police. “The Milwaukee Public School...

In less that two weeks since the death of George Floyd, and many days that saw protestors fill the streets of Milwaukee to demand equal justice, local artists and residents came together on June 4 to create a mural in his memory and for others people of color brutalized by law enforcement officers. Artists transformed the building at the corner of North Avenue and Holton Street on the Riverwest-Harambee boarder with Black Lives Matter artwork. The visually creative memorial was meant to honor Floyd but also be a place where residents could find healing and inspiration. The owner of...