From: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=683887
So residents blame this incident on poverty, a lack of police-citizen connections, and slow police reponse to the area. The mayor responds by blaming the problem on high-capacity magazines, although to his credit he did say that parents need to be more responsible for their kids.
(empahsis added)Residents of south side divided on whom to blame
Shootings that injured 5 are likely related, mayor says
By LINDA SPICE
[email protected]
Posted: Nov. 7, 2007
In the south side neighborhood where at least four dozen gunshots injured five people in a chaotic series of shootouts Tuesday night, most people were reluctant to talk Wednesday, and others were divided about whether gangs are to blame for the violence.
At the corner of S. 12th and W. Madison streets, bullet holes marked by evidence technicians as "46" and "47" splintered the siding on the back of Eddy's convenience store. Owner Fayz Hussein heard the gunfire just before one of the victims ran through his front door holding a dog.
"He said, 'Someone is shooting outside,' " Hussein recalled. The boy was screaming and crying. Then he ran toward the back of the small store and fell to the ground, wounded in his legs, Hussein said.
More bullet holes scarred a truck and at least two homes along Madison St. Terry Bounds said his 10-year-old daughter and his wife's 17-year-old cousin were inside when his house was hit with gunfire. They were not hurt.
He blamed trouble in the area on poverty and the lack of connections between police and neighbors.
"We don't have kids throwing up gang signs on the corner," he said. "It's not the gangs. It's young kids who are broke with no money."
Deanna Silvas, however, said she has seen kids wearing gang colors and "knew it was a matter of time" before something would happen. She said she moved to 12th and Madison recently from S. 5th and W. Maple streets to get away from gunfire that she said had become too common in that neighborhood.
Around the corner at S. 14th St. and W. Greenfield Ave., where the two officers were shot moments later, residents spoke of problems with drugs, prostitution and shootings. They spoke with anger and cynicism about police response to the area, saying it was usually slow or sometimes wouldn't happen at all.
Two victims in critical condition
Police said two boys, ages 15 and 16, victims in the first shooting, were in critical condition Tuesday night; no updated conditions were available Wednesday.
A 26-year-old police officer remained stable Wednesday at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, recovering from a gunshot wound to the groin. He is expected to survive. A 31-year-old officer shot in the shoulder was treated Tuesday night and released.
The officers had been called in as backup after drug investigators heard shots fired from Madison St. and saw suspected shooters. The officers, also members of the vice control and intelligence unit, were showered with gunshots as they arrived, police said, and returned fire. One of the suspects, a 15-year-old boy, was hit. Both he and a second suspect, a 24-year-old man, were arrested.
District Attorney John Chisholm and investigators from his office were on the scene Tuesday night. Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said the office doesn't have all the police reports yet and would have a better idea of who might be charged with what by the end of the week.
Police Chief Nannette Hegerty is scheduled to talk about the case at a news conference this morning. She made no official statements Wednesday. Police Department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said the chief was visiting the wounded officer at the hospital and was attending previously scheduled training with command staff.
Mayor Tom Barrett spoke Wednesday morning, confirming that the two shootings were likely related and praising the work of the police officers involved.
"This incident is a reminder of the bravery of the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department who put their lives on the line every single day," Barrett said during a news conference at City Hall. "These individuals knew that there had just been shots fired. They had the description of the individuals. They were looking for people with guns. They clearly knew they were facing danger when they entered this scene, and they did it to protect the public."
Barrett said the fact that a squad car responded so soon after police surveillance officers reported the first shooting shows the city is well covered. Then he asked why a 15-year-old would have a semiautomatic weapon with a high-capacity magazine.
"Just the fact that someone cares so little about human life in this community that they are willing to give a gun to a 15-year-old shows you there's a real problem with the moral compass of some people in this community," he said.
The mayor said he hoped Tuesday's shootings might spur debate at both the state and national level about the availability and legality of large-capacity magazines.
He said he would continue to address crime by putting more officers on the streets and by working with faith-based initiatives and families to address crime.
"But there comes a time when parents have to step forward and say, 'I will be responsible for my children,' " Barrett said. "That's what we have to press upon this community. There has to be a moral compass in this community for these young people, and if we don't have that, then we can't be shocked by these actions. But we have to remain shocked by these actions because if we don't, we are going to be paralyzed into doing nothing."
So residents blame this incident on poverty, a lack of police-citizen connections, and slow police reponse to the area. The mayor responds by blaming the problem on high-capacity magazines, although to his credit he did say that parents need to be more responsible for their kids.
