This blog seeks changes at the NEIGHBORHOOD-LEVEL by a Call for transparency and accountability of ALL who are elected-appointed-volunteered and hired. WE encourage Citizen-Centered engagement, leadership and decision making. We value Principle-Centered Leadership that practices day-to-day Code of Conduct to maximize all government spending, respectful of civil-human-legal rights. It was created on June 3, 2010, with the thought that if I want it to be, it starts and end with me.
Mayor Barrett, Senator Taylor participate in online candidate forum
Monday, March 30. Forum President Rob Henken conducted back-to-back 30-minute live discussions with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and State Senator Lena Taylor. Didn’t get a chance to watch it live? You can watch it below.
Rev. Joseph Lowery - He served nearly half a century as a pastor, spending much of that time with Central United Methodist and Cascade United Methodist in Atlanta, Georgia.
He must be remembered for he brings a historic truth of African American history rooted in the racial discourse of Caucasian/KKK terror and brutal efforts of caucasian police against African Americans. We must continue to introduce and REMIND the world of this GIANT and his brothers during the heated time of the segregation movement. The "RAMS" in the bush. How they fought the "cause" for FREEDOM. It is still needed today. The message of MARCH.
He was one of the architects of the successful 381 days of the bus boycott for African American riders. He was one of the Presidents of the SCLC. He was one of the architects of the MARCH ON WASHINGTON (1963). Known for his many speeches, quotes, and knowledge of and creator of African American history often shared with the joy of humility and a smile.
He is one of the African American heroes that President Barack Obama was honored to meet, honor and know during his presidency. Rev. Lowery gave the closing of the 1st African American president - BARACK OBAMA Inauguration. The above quote about People of Color was part of Rev. Joseph Lowery comments.
View an interview of CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield. CLICK.
NEIL ALBRECHT - Executive Director - Election Commission
3-28-20
URGENT. URGENT ALERT. Be Informed -- VOTING CHANGE AGAIN.
Today is March 28, 2020. Spring General Election is April 7, 2020. That is 10 days away.
HOW ARE WE THE CITIZENS SUPPOSE TO BE PREPARED AND BE ABLE TO EXERCISE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE for April 7, 2020?
There should be MORE TIME - EXTENDED - given the Coronavirus, impact on Election Commissions, failed contact of the citizenry OF THE MANY LAST-MINUTE CHANGES, and citizenry LACK OF INTERNET ACCESS.
WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE? Where is Tom Barrett, City of Milwaukee and Chris Abele, County of Milwaukee oversight and leadership for the safety in Voting for the Spring General Election - city and county citizenry?
We got this Press Release from NEIL ALBRECHT, Executive Director, City Election Commission, from the City of Milwaukee on Friday, March 27, 2020.
Click photo to Enlarge MARY GLASS - Chief Visionary Officer, Smart Cities & Smart Growth Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC
3-27-20
ALERT. ALERT. BE INFORMED.
BE CONCERNED.
BE SENSITIVE AND AUTHORIZE "COMMON SENSE".
CALL ON INFORMATION SHARING.
CHECK TO SEE IF INFORMATION IS "SATURATED" AND UNIFORM. STOP ASSUMING THAT "ALL IS EQUAL" IN INFORMATION SHARING IN THE AREAS BEING TARGETED IN THIS TMJ4 REPORT.
THE RESULTS HERE IS "NO DIFFERENT" FROM BEHAVIOR ACROSS AMERICA AND THE WORLD - CHECK THE FACTS.
DO WE WANT INDIVIDUALS - YOUNG AND OLD - FAILING TO PROVIDE SAFETY FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR FAMILY AND/OR THE PUBLIC AT-LARGE?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
LEADERSHIP
AS FAR AS A $250 FINE, GIVE COMMON SENSE A BREAK. IT'S LIKE THE "PARKING TICKET" EXTREMES FOR MILWAUKEE THAT TARGET THOSE WHO "HAVE NOT".
WHERE IS OUR FUNDING FOR MASSIVE PSAsand other mechanisms to change behavior - for whatever reason. I heard the possibility of thought with the city and county Charter Officers showing LEADERSHIP NO. 1.
Alderman Russell Stamper - District 15
As far as Alderman Russell Stamper, presently running to retain the position of Alderman for District 15, this is the time for him to show the voters of the 15th District and nationwide why he should be elected April 7, 2020.
Stamper MUST take the LEAD in representing those harshly mentioned by DiAngelo Montgomery, the young man/young blood in the video (out to get gas in the gas can). Montgomery, who's aim is goodwill, lacks breadth given the past profiling behavior of Milwaukee Police - it could go extreme/EXTREME with death to young brothers like him.
Stamper's comments were confusing. He must "Be clear".
Stamper should KNOW by experience, by being of the area and growing up around basketball courts, but most of all the LACK OF INFORMATION SHARING to his constituents can lead to "non-distancing". The idea of working with other elected officials is VITAL.
Leadership to/for the citizenry is needed at times like this. As an elected official, his comments can contribute to PROFILING, negative branding of the neighborhoods he represents. It can also curtail non-compliance BY the citizenry AND unacceptable behavior of paid public servants who will implement the $250 fines.
Stamper should be on ALL media outlets and the media campaign utilizing quality entrepreneurs who support the neighborhood such as AUGGIE SCHOBER Schober Outdoor marketing to get the word out to the neighborhoods.
PSA should be massive and NOT PUNITIVE.
This would include partnering with radio spots (i.e., Riverwest Radio, WNOV, WUWM, Public Radio, etc.), podcasts, print media, ALL television outlets and the like without making broad sweeping statements that further demean his constituents and fail to get the behavior changed - self-sustaining.
NON-COMPLIANCE
I point to similar non-compliance behavior of others across the country on beaches, visiting and picture-taking in large numbers without safe distancing to watch "cherry blossoms". Then there is RAND PAUL - US Senator, endangering his colleagues and others with his wild behavior - this is a present leader of the US Congress. I do not recall hearing or seeing where he received a ticket from the Washington Police nor those on the beaches and cherry blossoms paths.
Paul even used the Capitol community gym and swimming pool.
We are Better than this
Stop the dumb and punitive stuff of People of Color and Work-Challenged families. Call for accountability. Yes. But do not forget to continuously SHOW THE WAY first.
This includes wild statements of "acting crazy". referenced by D'Angelo Montgomery, prominently mentioned in this WTMJ4 Report/ARTICLE. Given the patterns of profiling of Latinos/African Americans in Milwaukee and throughout America, we too often see statistics that end up tragic when young brothers are "stopped". As a matter of fact, an innocent act of walking for gas - stopped - one-word-to-another - requested ID - running checks - having a ticket, not having probable cause for stop - accused of obstruction, etc. and we are off to the races.
Frankly, I can see him thrown up against a cop car - handcuffed and/or sitting on the ground curbside because of the double/triple standards and discrimination that we have in Milwaukee.
I can also see him murdered by the police but the case ends up "justified" - another major suit against the city, an African American life has been taken and sadness forever for the family.
Let's use better and best judgment for this and all social issues like this.
MILWAUKEE || In 14 days, April 7, 2020, there is a historic election that can “elect-into-place” INCLUSIVENESSof African Americans in key Charter Officer
positions. They are:
Click photo to Enlarge
üSenator Lena
Taylor - Mayor
üAttorney
Tearman Spencer - City Attorney
üWI State
Representative Jason Fields - Comptroller
üWI State
Representative David Crowley –
Milwaukee County Executive
This article is to impress upon you, the
VOTER in Milwaukee, that it is time
for our Charter Officers to LOOK-LIKE the majority population of the City of
Milwaukee. They are African American and
People of Color. Why?
Besides creating a model of EQUITY for
All that will lay the foundation to break the high bar of POVERTY, here
are some additional reasons:
1. Removal of "INSTITUTIONAL
discrimination" that has marginalized African Americans for decades and trapped generations
through segregation, bigotry, prejudicial laws, lack of hiring, lack of
education attainment, use of mandated funding resources, incarceration and TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION.
2. We have NOT had
the leadership for Smart Growth to INCLUDE the largest urban city in Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
3.The City of
Milwaukee resident population brings mega federal funding annually through “special funding” i.e., CDBG-Community
Development Block Grant, education, transportation, housing, healthcare, employment,
people of Color business development, and attaching federal funding brought by
People of Color for quality of life and economic development based on the
population from Census data. The funding
is given/sent to Caucasians and their cronies with NO approval of the
constituents and NO guarantees – paybacks - for Milwaukeeans. It has created an oligarchy of 7 counties (the Milwaukee 7) that dictate the "monopoly-oligopoly" policies in the city hall of Milwaukee as well as the county site of Milwaukee.
4.Milwaukeeans are brutalized,
bullied, profiled and sent to prison by HARSH laws designed to incarcerate
African Americans. Wisconsin has the
largest INCARCERATION population. TRUTH
& SENTENCING law was put in place to incarcerate African Americans and
boost the Industrial Complex.
5.Laws denying
civil rights of citizens INCARCERATED – including the right to VOTE.
6.The federal
funding is parsed out and given to outsiders who live in neighboring
cities-villages, even from other states while its majority residential
stakeholders are mired
in Enduring Concentrated Poverty (a classification given in 2008 by
the Federal Reserve and Brookings Institution) and “institutional
racism-bigotry”.
Milwaukee is the largest city (604,110 - 2019) in Wisconsin with
majority of People of Color and the largest race of color is African American. It is the 21st Century, the year 2020, we Must MOVE the NEEDLE for Inclusiveness starting with NEW Charter officers of Color on APRIL 7, 2020. Updated
Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city of Milwaukee Election Commission, said Sunday he expects a 500-percent increase in absentee voting. Corrinne Hess/WPR ********************************* ***********************************
It is time to MOVE the Needle of Status Quo, MPA-LLC
Spring Election In-Person Absentee Voting (Early Voting)
Effective immediately, the City of Milwaukee will no longer be operating in-person absentee or “early” voting at the city’s three locations: Zablocki Library, the Zeidler Municipal Building or the Midtown Center. Due to increased COVID-19 exposure risk, the Election Commission can no longer maintain sufficient staffing levels to operate these sites in a manner that would ensure a safe or efficient public voting experience.
Votación Ausente en Persona (Votación Adelantada) de la Elección de Primavera
Con efecto inmediato, la Ciudad de Milwaukee ya no ofrecerá la votación ausente en persona (votación adelantada) en las tres ubicaciones de la ciudad: la biblioteca Zablocki, el Edificio Municipal de Zeidler o en el Centro de Midtown. Debido al mayor riesgo de exposición a COVID-19, la Comisión Electoral ya no puede mantener niveles suficientes de personal para operar estos sitios de una manera que garantice una experiencia pública de votación que sea segura ni eficiente.
Requesting an absentee ballot by mail
The Election Commission strongly recommends that anyone planning to vote inthe April 7 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary request to have an absentee ballot mailed to them.
You must be registered to vote to request an absentee ballot.
Voters should request an absentee ballot as soon as possible for April 7. The deadline is April 2, but do not wait!
Request your absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov(voters will be required to upload a picture of their Photo ID if not already on file).
Or send an email to absenteeballot@milwaukee.gov (Photo ID still applies). Be sure to tell us your name, address, and for which election you want the ballot.
Soliticar una papeleta en ausente por correo
La Comisión Electoral recomienda que cualquier persona quien piensa votar en la Elección de Primavera del 7 de abril y el voto de la Primaria de Preferencia Presidencial pide que se le envie una papeleta por correo.
Debe ser inscrito a votar para pedir una papeleta en ausente.
Los votantes deben solicitar una papeleta en ausencia lo más antes que posible para el 7 de abril. La fecha límite es el 2 de abril, ¡pero no esperen!
Solicite su papeleta en línea en myvote.wi.gov (se require subir una foto de su identificación de foto si aún no está en el archivo).
O mándenos un correo al absenteeballot@milwaukee.gov (aún se require identificación con foto). Asegúrese de decirnos su nombre, dirección y para cuál elección desea la papeleta.
Click photo to Enlarge People, Issues, Election, Coronavirus, Polling, Policy Surveillance, etc.
January 1, 2020 Howdy!
WELCOME to CITY-WIDE Facebook!
The Mission of CITY-WIDE Facebookand MPA PUBLIC POLICY REVIEWWebsites is to promote monitoring of the "public policies" at each level of government through alertness in the public square and professional sharings.
I am behind on my WELCOME to all our "Friends".
We are recruiting "Facebook Friends" who appear to be informed about the residential and commercial aspects of quality of life (affordable housing, education attainment, gainful employment, safety prevention & intervention - water, food, coronavirus, violence, racial profiling, bullying, terrorizing), economic development, RACISM, biases, bigotry, climate change and 4/5th Generations technology for ALL. Those who recognize that we are in a time of opportunity to be the best we can be as fellow citizens. We can "even-the-playing-field at the census tract level even though we are in:
a growing pandemic coronavirus.
an inherent racial-gender bias epidemic.
enduring concentrated poverty.
wealth inequity.
widespread homelessness.
a "must-do" elections (concerned about our cities, counties of Wisconsin and the entire country of America).
Individuals who take Citizenship as a "Gold Standard".
Before we send out our "Request Friend", we take a quick scan of your Facebook site for compatibility. We look at "the Friend" web for intersectionality in the public square, optics, issues shared, use of profanity, a sense of commitment, social justice, education attainment, marketplace employment, and uniqueness.
Focus: Re-defining,Re-branding andUn-trappingMilwaukeeans of Concentrated Poverty – replacing it with a BOTTOM-UP Recovery for a NEW Economic Class that is self-sustaining in quality of life and economic development issues. Keep coming back. Mary Glass - Chief Visionary Officer MPA-LLC Updated: 3-23-20
Voting Rights. By some measurements, we have fewer rights than we did 54 years ago and have found that politicians who get elected through racist gerrymandering and voter suppression subsequently pass laws that cut health care and hurt the poor, including more poor white people. What will you do to address this attack on voting rights and our impoverished democracy?
Poverty and Inequality. The United States is the richest country in the world and yet we hear there isn’t enough to go around, that ending poverty is impossible, that people should just work harder, have fewer children, get right with God, close our borders. When the stock market crashes, or banks are too big to fail, our government suddenly finds all kinds of resources to bail out the rich. When the U.S. decides to go to war, the money is right there. What is your response to this lie of scarcity, especially in regards to programs for the poor?
Poor People in the Election. There are 140 million people—43.5% of the population—61% of black people, 66 million white people, over 50% of our children—who are poor or one emergency away from poverty. Poor and low wealth people represent, in numbers, the key to a new political and electoral calculus. Politicians love to say who endorsed them is personality based. But we are interested in policy. With this in mind, why can’t the Democratic or Republican Party and candidates like yourselves talk consistently about poverty? Why do you only seem to have the capacity to discuss the working class as though poor people don’t work and as though poor people are a political curse?
Southern Strategy. There are 50 million poor and low wealth people living in the South, more than one third of all poor people 1/3 are white and millions are without health care in the former Confederate states. What will you do to ensure the broadest engagement of the southern states in the 2020 elections? Once in office, how will you reverse the legacy of disproportionate poverty, voter suppression, racism and more in these southern states?
Health Care. COVID-19 has laid bare the limitations of our health care system. While some emergency measures are being taken, it is clear that a health care system where 87 million people are either uninsured or underinsured is unacceptable and failing. The Poor People’s Campaign demands universal health care. What is your health care proposal for this country and how will you accomplish this in your first four years in office?
Systemic Racism. Racism is escalating across the United States. Islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-semitism, are all on the rise, while women’s rights, and the rights of LGBTQ communities are under attack. These attacks emanate from policies that systematically deny equal protection under the law, whether through immigration policy, mass incarceration, housing and welfare policy, fair wages and employment practices, education policy, tax policy, and more. What would you do—in your first days in office—to reverse the legislative, regulatory and legal policies that are empowering the injustice of systemic racism and discrimination?
Indigenous Rights. Native and indigenous people face some of the highest poverty rates, homelessness rates, violence from guns and police brutality. Many native communities lack access to clean water, good schools and decent health care. The US violates with impunity the treaties it has signed with indigenous nations going back generations. As President, what will you do to ensure the protection of their sacred lands and resources and how will you repair the damage with indigenous nations?
Immigration. Our immigration system separates families and incarcerates children. It denies the humanity of the millions of people who have come to this country to seek a better life for themselves and their families. What will you do to make real the claim that the US is a country of immigrants and continues to welcome people from all over the world?
Wages, Income and Welfare. Wages for the bottom 80% of workers have remained largely stagnant for decades while the costs of basic needs like housing, health care, transportation, and child care have outpaced the rise in incomes. At the same time, social programs are being scaled back and others are imposing work requirements making many ineligible to receive these benefits. As President, what will you do to ensure that everyone can earn a living wage now—not in 10 or 12 years—and that our right as workers to organize in a union is protected? How would you protect existing social welfare programs, and what additional programs do we need to respond to the critical needs millions of people face today?
Mass Incarceration. Our families and communities are torn apart by mass incarceration and the violence of a criminal justice system that brutalizes the poor, especially black, brown, and native people. Our communities are seeing more prisons and jails and military equipment instead of good and safe schools, recreation centers, affordable homes and decent jobs. How will you end the violence of mass incarceration and revive our communities?
Homelessness. We are facing a massive housing crisis, with 8-11 million Americans homeless or on the verge of being homeless, including 1.5 million children in public schools and many veterans. There is not a single county in this country where a full-time minimum wage job can pay for a 2-bedroom apartment. How do you plan to address homelessness, expand affordable housing and make the American Dream of having your own home a reality for every family and household in the country?
Education. Government investments in education at all levels have been on the decline for decades, including less support for teachers, administrators, and infrastructure. This has contributed to the re-segregation of schools along the lines of race, income and ability, and a general decline in support for our children, especially poor children and children with disabilities or special needs. As President, what will you do to make sure that all students have a fully-funded, diverse, and strong public education, from pre-school all the way to college? How will you support teachers and build up our schools so our children have what they need to thrive in today’s economy?
Access to Water and Natural Resources. There are at least 14 million households that cannot afford their water. During the COVID-19 crisis, many states and cities are suspending water shut offs to ensure that everyone has access to water. At the same time, at least 4 million families have lead in their water and millions more live with toxins and carcinogens from polluting industries in their air, water and land. How will you ensure that everyone access to clean water, air, and land? What will you do to defend and protect our environment from polluting industries, now, and for future generations?
Military Spending. The US spends 53 cents of every federal discretionary dollar on the military and less than 15 cents on health care, education and anti-poverty programs combined. Most of the $738 billion allocated for military spending doesn’t go to the troops—half of it goes directly to military corporations, while 23,000 active-duty troops make so little money that they and their families qualify for food stamps. What will you do to address the distorted priorities of our nation’s budget? How will you end the poverty draft on veterans? You have already committed to cutting the military budget—how much of the $738 billion would you cut, and how would you redirect those funds?
Foreign Policy. With the rise in military spending, international diplomacy has been almost abandoned. Sanctions that are described as “alternatives to war” always result in serious abuse of civilian populations—they are really acts of war, rather than alternatives to war. What would you do to rebuild the capacity of the US government to use diplomatic measures, rather than war, as a basis of our foreign policy?
Climate Threats. Scientists have known for decades that human activities, particularly the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, are warming the planet. In spite of knowing the risks, political leaders have dragged their feet on implementing solutions. Most recently the Trump Administration has backed out of the Paris Climate Agreement and redirected FEMA funding towards building a wall at our southern border. How will your administration respond to the increased threat of disasters and emergencies from climate change? What is your prescription for reversing the rapid escalation of climate change in this country fueled by human actions and human greed?
Fair Taxes. Multiple administrations have justified cutting taxes on the wealthy, corporations and Wall Street in order to boost the economy. In the most recent round of tax cuts, corporations gained $1.5 trillion, while 40% of the country does not have the savings to cover a $400 emergency and we face an explosion of household, consumer, and student debt. How do you plan to address the inequitable taxation system we currently have, where billionaires pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries? What kind of fair taxation system will you support and implement?
Poverty Measure. There is no good measure of how many people are struggling to make ends meet today. The official poverty line is way too low and out of date, and no other measure takes into account the debt that working families are carrying or that you can be working multiple jobs and still not earn enough to pay your bills. What is your definition of poverty? How do you address poverty in a low-wage economy and how do you square the claims about the low unemployment rates with the reality of so many people being poor or one accident away from poverty?
Voter Participation. There were 100 million people who didn’t vote in 2016, including a large number who are poor and low-wealth. What will you do to reach poor and low-wealth potential voters and ensure the greatest possible participation, including of poor and low-wealth voters, in the political process?
Emergency Response and Welfare. To address the COVID-19 crisis, city, state and local governments are passing moratoriums on evictions, water and utility shut-offs, and tax foreclosures. Other countries are cancelling debt payments, including mortgages. Will you work to expand these measures across the country, and make them permanent? What will you do to address the underlying crises of the lack of housing, access to water and heat, the need for mortgage assistance?
Moderation. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and William Lloyd Garrison, two great Americans, challenged the politics of moderation. One said that a moderate “who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’” is the greatest stumbling block to justice. The other said “I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No! no! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present.” How do you respond to this?
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Take a LOOK and LISTEN closely, then take Actions to pass the word on and to help Rev. William Barber and the Repairers of the Breach - Poor Peoples Movement.