Milwaukee residents want reckless driving to stop — but are split on how
Washington,
November 25, 2019
They were all victims of reckless drivers. Officer Kou Her was killed in June when a drunken driver ran a red light and hit Her's car. Roy Mendez, 68, died after 11 days in the hospital, sent there by a driver who hit him, then fled the scene. Milwaukee Department of Public Works employee Bryan Rodriguez was killed in February when a car hit him as he was filling a pothole and didn't stop. And sisters A'Lisa "Lisa" Gee, 6, and Amea Gee, 4, were killed in October when a car swerved around cars stopped at a red light and hit them. Carjacking incidents are no less violent — when a carjacker failed to pull Jennifer Clark out of her car, he beat her until she honked her horn. Moreover, such cars are often used to commit other crimes or as mobile drug units. More than 150 Milwaukee residents showed up to a public listening session held at Rufus King High School to hear how the city plans to tackle reckless driving and carjackings and offer their own solutions. The event was hosted by the Carjacking and Reckless Driving Task Force created in January by the Milwaukee Common Council. Many of the members were present, including Ald. Michael Murphy, Ald. Chantia Lewis, Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Police Assistant Chief Michael Brunson and Office of Violence Prevention Director Reggie Moore. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee NAACP President Fred Royal and State Sen. Lena Taylor were also present. Residents were asked to develop solutions in three areas: prevention and education, infrastructure and enforcement. Many suggested more funding and earlier driver's education courses, physical barriers such as speed bumps and curb stops and getting more youths involved in messaging against reckless driving. On the issue of enforcement, residents were split. Many of the residents asked for more police officers, concealed traffic-observing police officers, red light cameras and steeper penalties (such as impounding cars). However, others pointed out that punitive measures would only increase chances of fleeing and fail to address underlying causes of reckless driving — poor/no driver's education, lack of a license and no access to reliable transportation. They advocated for solutions such as driver's license recovery and better insurance incentives for youths. Walter Kelley, 62, lives off Appleton Avenue and said he sees speeding in excess of 90 miles per hour, drivers on their phones, and drivers smoking marijuana on a regular basis. "These kids don't know anything about points. They don't care," he said, about driver's license points. "You pass them by and if they have the window down a little bit, you'll get high as a kite." Enforcement of traffic crimesThis is the second listening session to be held on the subject. As the holiday season approaches, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales has said drivers can expect a step up in the enforcement of driving laws. That includes the confiscation and impounding of cars with owners charged with state crimes. This summer, Milwaukee police and the Wisconsin State Patrol made over 2,500 stops and issued over 1,000 warnings. Carjackings were reduced by more than a quarter between 2018 and 2019, according to the Uniform Crime Report. Teenagers have also stepped up to discourage carjacking, producing a short video that appeared in May. The Common Council is prepared to use $600,000 of funding to implement the recommendations in the final report, which will include solutions from residents and the task force. On the carjacking front, residents agree that vehicle thefts seem to have gone down. On the reckless driving front, however, residents are less hopeful. Kelley got his 18-year-old granddaughter a car last week. He said she works in Germantown because she's afraid to drive in Milwaukee — and he doesn't blame her. "There's two young ladies at my church who won't drive. They say they have a better chance of getting where they need to go taking the city bus." |
