Saturday, June 20, 2020
RIP Frank Lamping
From Racine County Corruption:
Frank Lamping
Union Grove has lost a pillar within the community with
today's passing of Frank Lamping.
Frank had battled cancer for the last several years while maintaining an active schedule of community service.
We featured Frank twice in 2016 and 2017 as a truly exceptional individual within our community.
He was the 19th. inductee into the Green Bay Packer's
FAN Hall of fame
You may read about him here:
Frank embodied public service to an extreme
- Pro Bono Publico -
freely sharing his time for the advancement and betterment
of our community.
Franks was active in Lions Club, Relay for Life, History Seekers and several more local organizations.
We had the privilege to visit with Frank on Tuesday.
He was bed ridden but awake and cognizant of his surroundings, cancer had been sucking the life out of him.
But his spirit was alive and well.
When asked who will be filling his shoes, he pointed his finger at me, I said no no no, nobody can replace you.
Upon leaving, Frank mustered up the strength to say
"thank you"....
Frank was Union Grove's very own "George Bailey" of the movie
"It's a Wonderful Life".
Always giving to the community, focused on faith, family and friends rather than the other distractions of life.
Frank was Union Grove's very own "George Bailey" of the movie
"It's a Wonderful Life".
Always giving to the community, focused on faith, family and friends rather than the other distractions of life.
THANK YOU.......
Frank Lamping for your years of service and dedication to make our community a better place to live.
GO FRANK GO !
Sheriff defends armored vehicle purchase, says it is ‘not a militarized vehicle’
From The Journal Times.com:
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A Bearcat G3, made by Lenco Armored Vehicles and used by the Ottawa Police Service, is pictured here. The Racine County Sheriff's Office has purchased its own Bearcat G3.
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RACINE COUNTY — In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, questions have come up about armorizing police.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office recently purchased an armored vehicle for as much as $305,000.
It will replace an aging armored vehicle, purchased via military overstock, that is now used by the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Christopher Schmaling defended the purchase of such an expensive vehicle during a Racine County Government Services Committee meeting on Tuesday.
Schmaling attested that the vehicle — a Bearcat G3 from Lenco Armored Vehicles that is entirely bulletproof, can carry up to a dozen people and is not equipped with any offensive weaponry — is necessary.
Burlington resident Susan Sheldon called into the virtual meeting to ask “Is it needed? And if so why?” She wondered if spending hundreds of thousands of dollar on a vehicle at a time when municipalities are so strapped for cash is “money well spent when we have so many other things that require our funds from our taxes.”
Up to $305,000 to purchase the vehicle was approved in the county’s 2020 budget, before discussions about the militarization of police ramped up amid the protests sparked by the death of Floyd on May 25 — an officer-involved killing that Schmaling called “sickening.”
Judge: Racine must halt COVID restrictions
From The Journal Times.com:
RACINE — A Racine County Circuit Court judge on Friday afternoon issued a temporary halt to the City of Racine’s COVID-19 restrictions.
That means the city can no longer enforce its restrictions at this time, per the court order.
Judge Jon Fredrickson issued the temporary injunction order while a civil suit against the city and its Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox by David Yandel, the owner of Harbor Park CrossFit, 3801 Blue River Ave., works its way through the court system.
“The defendants are temporarily enjoined from enforcing the Forward Racine order, and enacting any other orders pursuant to administrator Bowersox’s exercise of general powers to issue general orders of general application under Wisconsin statute 252.03,” Fredrickson said.
Fredrickson denied City Attorney Scott Letteney’s request to stay the order until the city could appeal.
Yandel filed the suit against the city and Bowersox on May 21, alleging that business has dropped by more than 25% since the local Safer at Home Order went into effect on May 13.
Bowersox issued that order after the state’s Safer at Home Order was nixed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Racine groups come together, ‘protest for justice’ on Juneteenth
From Fox6Now:
RACINE -- The movement for equality picked up steam in Racine on Friday night at a Juneteenth rally for justice as different demographics joined for a common cause.
Coming together as one, organizers from two different groups rallied separately before converging to march from 14th and Wisconsin to the Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine -- hoping to bring peace to generations to come.
Protests in Racine
Protests in Racine
"Exercising our voices, right to protest for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black Americans in the united states," Corey Prince, one of the organizers, said.
On a day marking the end of slavery in the U.S., the celebration was bittersweet as, activists said, Black Americans are still not free.
Corey Prince
"We get to June 19, 2020 and we're still having the same wage gap we did when Martin Luther King got killed, in 1968," said Prince. "We can't snap our fingers and make things happen, but there are systems in place that have been built that can snap their fingers and make things happen.
"Inside those systems, they can very easily break down the walls that have been built for 401 years to keep Black Americans oppressed."
Protests in Racine
Demonstrators asked for everyone who is an ally to come out -- regardless of age, race or religion. The only requirement, organizers said, is that everyone who came wore a mask to ensure everyone's safety.
Racine police blocked off roads to keep drivers and demonstrators safe.
The Juneteenth rally wound down by sundown, but demonstrators said calls for change will continue.
Racine Co. Sheriff Office offering ridealongs to lawmakers to promote transparency
From Fox6Now:
RACINE -- The Racine County Sheriff's Office is offering local lawmakers to ride a mile in their shoes. This, while many communities talk about police reform.
RACINE -- The Racine County Sheriff's Office is offering local lawmakers to ride a mile in their shoes. This, while many communities talk about police reform.
Sheriff Christopher Schmaling
"How do you implement change when you don't understand what the challenges are?"
Police reform is a hot topic nationwide. The Racine County Sheriff's Office is opening up the dialogue by offering ridealongs to local lawmakers and elected officials.
"I truly believe that once they understand the challenges that we face, then they go back to the drawing table and see what, if anything should be fixed," Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said.
While the sheriff's office has always offered ridealongs, Sheriff Schmaling says transparency is vital during a time of unrest.
"There is real concern from my deputies, should they find themselves in a deadly force encounter, that there will be a quick rush to judgment and they'll find themselves in handcuffs before there`s any due process at all," he said.
Each passenger will wear a mask, bulletproof vest and sign a waiver, then go on routine calls with a deputy.
Schmaling hopes to give a better understanding of the challenges law enforcement officers deal with. The sheriff is also noticing a lack of support for law enforcement.
He hopes this will rebuild a level of trust within the community.
"I want our community to understand that we now more than ever needed their support and needed their prayers," he said.
The first ridealongs with lawmakers start next week. Several officials already signed up, including U.S. Representative Bryan Steil.
Ridealongs will be offered again to citizens in the coming weeks. If you'd like to sign up, click here.
AMC Theaters reverses course on masks after backlash
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| –AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation’s largest movie theater chain changed its position on mask-wearing less than a day after the company became a target on social media for saying it would defer to local governments on the issue.
AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron said Friday that its theaters will require patrons to wear masks upon reopening, which will begin in mid-July. Customers who don’t wear masks won’t be admitted or allowed to stay.
“We think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests,” Aron said. “It is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks.”
Rival chain Regal followed AMC’s lead. Spokesman Richard Grover said Friday that moviegoers must wear masks in all its theaters as well.
Eskimo Pie, Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben's and Cream of Wheat are changing. Are the Washington Redskins next?
After decades of criticism for how their products have perpetuated racial stereotypes, four iconic brands announced change was coming within hours of one another.
First, Quaker Oats said it would retire Aunt Jemima from packaging on its brand of syrup and pancake mixes, acknowledging its prior work to update the character was "not enough." Then in rapid succession Wednesday, the owners of Uncle Ben's, Mrs. Butterworth's and Cream of Wheat said their products' packaging also would be reviewed.
The rebranding announcements – considered long overdue by experts, historians and some consumers – come at a time when companies face increasing pressure to boost diversity efforts and combat racism in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On Friday, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream said in a statement to USA TODAY that its Eskimo Pie brand would be renamed.
"I think a lot of these brands really need to look at the contributions, or lack thereof, that have contributed to a lot of the systemic issues," said Mike Jackson, founder of Los Angeles-based 2050 Marketing. "This is a real movement and this one feels really, really different.”
Dan Gasby, a former TV producer who in 2017 started a Change.org petition asking PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats, to replace Aunt Jemima with his now-late wife TV personality B. Smith, one of the country's first high-profile black models who went on to become an author, restaurateur and lifestyle maven.
Friday, June 19, 2020
Company plans space tourism flights in high-altitude balloon
Researchers, armchair astronauts and even brides and grooms looking for an out-of-this-world wedding experience will be able to celebrate, collect data or simply enjoy the view from an altitude of 100,000 feet in a balloon-borne pressurized cabin, complete with a bar and a restroom, a space startup announced Thursday.
"Spaceship Neptune," operated by a company called Space Perspective from leased facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will carry eight passengers at a time on six-hour flights. The passenger cabin, lifted by a huge hydrogen-filled balloon, will climb at a sedate 12 mph to an altitude of about 30 miles high. That will be followed by a slow descent to splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean where a recovery ship will be standing by to secure the cabin and crew.
Test flights carrying scientific research payloads are expected to begin in 2021. The first flights carrying passengers are expected within the next three-and-a-half years or so, with piloted test flights before that.
Family of ducks crossing I-41/94 causes crash in Racine County
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| Photo: Wisconsin State Patrol |
RACINE COUNTY, Wis — A family of ducks was on a leisurely stroll, hoping to cross southbound
I-41/94 near County Highway K on Thursday, June 18 around 10:50 a.m. The driver of a vehicle came to a complete stop in a lane of traffic to allow the ducks to pass and was subsequently hit from behind by a semi-truck.
The driver of the car was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. No one else was injured.
Surviving ducklings were safely moved to the other side of the interstate. No word on how many ducks didn’t survive, according to a Facebook post from Wisconsin State Patrol.
Multiple lanes of traffic were closed for cleanup and the crash was cleared by 11:30 a.m.
This crash remains under investigation.
Mask rules confront pushback as coronavirus infections surge
Several studies this month support wearing masks to curb coronavirus transmission, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends their use as a protective measure.
Case numbers continue to surge across the South and West — notably in Oklahoma, where President Trump plans to hold a campaign rally Saturday. Records were also reported in California, Arizona and Florida on Thursday.
Here are some significant developments:
- Nearly 8.5 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide, with the largest share — close to 2.2 million — in the United States. At least 451,000 people have died of covid-19 worldwide, and 116,000 of those deaths were reported in the United States.
- In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump called coronavirus testing “overrated” and suggested that people wear masks to signal their disapproval of him.
- On Friday, Britain lowered its coronavirus threat level from four to three, following advice from chief medical officers and the country’s Joint Biosecurity Center. Ethnic minorities in Britain may get priority for accessing a coronavirus vaccine, the country’s health secretary said Thursday.
- New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said Thursday that he was considering instituting mandatory quarantines for travelers from Florida, highlighting how much things have changed since March, when Florida ordered people fleeing hard-hit New York to self-isolate for two weeks.
Nazis used red triangles to mark political prisoners. That symbol is why Facebook banned a Donald Trump reelection campaign ad.
A red triangle was once a common sight at Nazi concentration camps, a part of history now thrust into the national spotlight by a banned political campaign ad.
Facebook moved Thursday to remove ads from President Donald Trump's reelection campaign that the company said violated its policies on "organized hate" and were a "banned hate group's symbol," an upside-down red triangle.
The symbol is not listed in the Anti-Defamation League's database of symbols of hate and resembles an emoji that can be easily used. At particular issue currently: It may also be tied to antifa, an umbrella term for leftist militants.
In the historical context of Nazi concentration camps, however, the meaning of the symbol is well-documented.
Prisoners in concentration camps were identified using a system of symbols, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The practice of using triangles in that system started in the late 1930s, according to the
Protest organizers Frank Nitty and Khalil Coleman
From JSOnline:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/06/15/milwaukee-protests-against-police-brutality-live-updates-marches/3190055001/
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/06/15/milwaukee-protests-against-police-brutality-live-updates-marches/3190055001/
Protesters go to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' home to lay a wreath
From JSOnline:
Alison Dirr, Ricardo Torres and Matt Piper, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Alison Dirr, Ricardo Torres and Matt Piper, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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| Four protesters - (from left) Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Fabi Maldonado, Chance Zombor and Adebisi Agoro speak before laying a wreath at the driveway of the home of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in Burlington |
Protesters on Thursday went to the Rochester home of GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to lay a wreath of flowers in response to his recent comment appearing to blame immigrant “culture” for a COVID-19 outbreak in Racine County.
“We’re here to send a message to Robin Vos, who hasn’t had to risk his life or the life of a loved one to work to support them,” said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of immigrant advocacy group Voces de La Frontera.
Neumann-Ortiz called on Vos to resign, apologize and "support real change.”
It was revealed recently in a secretly recorded meeting with Gov. Tony Evers that Vos seemed to blame immigrant “culture” for Racine County seeing an increase in coronavirus cases.
Vos responded in a statement Thursday saying the protests were about politics.
"Today was not about worker benefits; it was about politics, which is unfortunate," Vos said. "At a time when everyone is looking for answers, we should be finding ways to work together."
Protesters met at Echo Veterans Memorial Park to pay tribute to those who have died from the coronavirus after contracting it at work.
Dozens drove from the park to Echo Lake Foods, where they dropped off a wreath. Neumann-Ortiz believes Echo Lake Foods and Briggs & Stratton could have done more to protect and provide more benefits to their workers.
According to Voces, Juan Manuel Reyes Valdez, who worked at Echo Lake Foods, died after contracting the coronavirus, and Michael Jackson, who worked at Briggs and Stratton, died after contracting coronavirus.
They then drove to Vos’ house with another wreath but were told by Racine County sheriff's deputies that they couldn't leave items at the mailbox. The deputies offered to take the wreath and photos to store them at their sub-patrol station, where they could be picked up later.
Racine County Supervisor Fabi Maldonado agreed to pick up the wreath and photos later on.
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| Chance Zombor, from left, the grievance rep for United steelworkers Local 2-232; Adebisi Agoro, holding a photo of his cousin of Mike Jackson, back second right, a 45-year-old father of eight who collapsed in late May while on the assembly line at Briggs & Stratton and later died of COVID-19; Fabi Maldonado, Racine County Board supervisor; and Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, walk with a wreath to be placed at the driveway of the home of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in Burlington. (Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) |
MPS to end use of police officers outside its schools
From JSOnline:
Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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| Demonstrators gather outside Milwaukee Public Schools administrative offices Wednesday to support a resolution ending district contracts with the Milwaukee Police Department for resource officers. (Photo: Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) |
Milwaukee Public Schools will no longer fund police resource officers to patrol outside its schools, under a resolution unanimously approved by board members late Thursday.
MPS is the latest district to sever ties with its local police agency in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis last month.
The resolution also bars the district from buying and maintaining what was termed "criminalizing equipment," such as metal detectors, and facial recognition and social media monitoring software.
The decision is a victory for the youth advocacy group Leaders Igniting Transformation, which has pushed for the district to stop the use of school resource officers, metal detectors and other policies it argues criminalize student behaviors and feed what is commonly derided as the school-to-prison pipeline.
"Tonight, young people of color in Milwaukee made history. This has been a long time coming," said Cendi Tena, high school organizing director for LIT, which drew about 500 people for a demonstration and rally at MPS' central offices on the eve of the vote.
"Youth of color advocated very hard against the criminalization of black and brown students. They organized heavily, consistently shared their experiences and their stories. They earned it. This is their victory."
The resolution was put forward by two women of color, board members Sequanna Taylor, who is black, and Paula Phillips, who is Latina.
Thursday's vote followed testimony by more than two dozen speakers, all in support, who argued that school resource officers do not make schools safer and that police violence is disproportionately directed at black and brown people.
More than 700 others flooded the district with emails and letters overwhelmingly supporting the resolution.
In advocating for the measure, Taylor recited the names of black men and women killed by police or vigilantes: Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Dontre Hamilton and others, saying these could have been her own sons, her nephew, her cousin.
"I've heard from many students that having police in schools does not present a positive effect," she said. "And while I understand the need for police, I do not understand the need for them directly in our schools."
The Milwaukee Police Department issued a statement during the meeting, saying it "fully supports the Milwaukee Public School system if it decides to remove all School Resource Officers from its schools."
"We agree with the many voices from our community who believe that the funding should be reinvested into our public school system to support social services. Regardless of the vote, MPD will continue to support MPS and MPS students."
Idiots!