Something you don't see every day

Crime in Milwaukee hits 23-year low in '03

Wanna see it in a picture?


Personally, I'd like to credit Democratic leadership in the statehouse. That and great schools. Okay, really, it's all me.

What's curious is that the drop in crime has corresponded with some utter crap in the economy; typically it's the other way around. Of course, in the article, anyone who could reasonably claim any responsibility is, from the disgraced ex-police chief to the new police chief to the county executive. I especially like the exec's line here:

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a former Republican legislator from Wauwatosa who supported Wisconsin's truth-in-sentencing law in 1998, said that measure is a strong reason why crime is down.

"Your more serious criminals are still in prison, they are not on the street," Walker said. "It isn't the only reason, but it is one of the reasons why the rate is going down."

Sounds good, eh? Keep those criminals behind bars and the rate of crime drops like, um, dropping things.

What's the problem? Mostly, this: Wisconsin incarcerates its African American citizens at an alarmingly disparate rate. By some measures, Wisconsin has the highest rate of black prisoners in jail. By other measures, it's just a lot.

Here's yet another picture:


No matter how you slice it, this is a disturbing thing to consider, and it's exactly along the lines of what Walker has been doing all along: He's building a distinct mistrust between the mostly white suburban Milwaukee County residents and the mostly black City of Milwaukee residents. His entire administration has been all about how to keep taxes low and services lean for the (black) city residents who most need it so that the white folks who vote for him will turn out in 2006 to vote for him for governor. That's right, boys and girls: Vote for Walker and those scary black people won't bother you any more.

Grumble.