Well, one writer of a letter to the editor had a predictable liberal response to the beatings. Note that it's poverty that caused this (my parents lived through the Great Depression, and never beat anybody), and it's not even the fault of the perps themselves.
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ATTACKS
Chief's comments not very helpful
A resident of Riverwest, I enjoyed the fireworks in Kilbourn Park on July 3 and left (thankfully) before the violence occurred. I was horrified at hearing the news of what happened that night.
Unfortunately, Wednesday's town hall meeting in Gordon Park has done little to reassure us and address the needs of our community.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn has done little more than denounce the events as "barbaric" and try his best to save face, admitting some fault while assuring the city that the Police Department mostly handled the incidents correctly and effectively.
The fact is that adolescents in Milwaukee, one of the poorest and most segregated cities in the nation, are facing a crisis: a seemingly hopeless future without jobs, education or any real opportunity. Our children are growing and living in neighborhoods where poverty and violence are facts of life. The understanding that incidents such as looting and beatings occur in this type of setting is logical and frightening.
The night of July 3 was a wake-up call for Milwaukee. We can't continue to blame parents, police or misdirected youths. Unless we, as a city and as a nation, begin to address the issue of poverty and the violence it breeds, we can expect more of the same.
Mike Helbick
Milwaukee
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