An open public forum on violence was held at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus recently, which spoke of various aspects of violence, including random violence. James Causey, editorial writer and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, stated in his speech that, “Random violence very rarely happens. You usually know the person, and they look like you. They tend to come from the same economic background.”
He used the example of black on black crime to further his point. Causey wanted to offer solutions to violence, stating that we should “invest in early childhood education (as) a long-term solution. If a kid goes to a higher facility they are taught to be lifelong learners. If you have a college degree you tend not to rob liquor stores.”
He said that there needs to be more effort involved in Early Release programs for offenders, so they are less likely to re-offend.
Audrey Skwierawski, coordinator of the Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, continued the panel discussion with a focus on domestic violence and healing. She said we need to “increase the focus on healing. If you don’t heal, the cycle will continue, but healing can break the cycle.”
Robert Shelledy, coordinator of Social Justice Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, had a focus on solidarity, saying, “We are all members of the same family, when one suffers, we all suffer.”
He also offered the attendees a booklet entitled “Confronting a Culture of Violence,” which stated, “Our society seems to be growing numb to human loss and suffering. A nation born in a commitment to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ is haunted by death, imprisoned by fear and caught up in the elusive pursuit of protection rather than happiness.”
Olusegun Sijuwade, former police officer and now a counselor at the Alma Center, said, “Men are not naturally violent, they are trained that way. The first sense of violence we get is from the home.”
Sijuwade was the last of the panelists to speak before questions from the audience were taken. When a question of drugs and alcohol being a part of domestic violence was asked, Sijuwade responded by saying there was “already the idea of violence before the drugs and alcohol, (they were) just an inhibitor.”
The event was moderated by Mitch Teich, executive producer and host of the “Lake Effect” show on WUWM radio.
