New Berlin Rep. Asks Governer To Send National Guard To Milwaukee

NEW BERLIN, WI — A New Berlin lawmaker is calling on Gov. Tony Evers to activate the National Guard in Milwaukee after a series of shootings over the weekend.

Rep. Joe Sanfelippo released the statement Tuesday calling on Gov. Tony Evers to activate the National Guard to "restore" safety in Milwaukee after a violent weekend.

18 people were shot in separate incidents in the city over three days, reported WITI FOX6. 15 of of the victims survived while three have died.

Sanfelippo said that after introducing bills aimed at curbing violent crime, his proposals fell on deaf ears.

"Providing public safety is one of the fundamental responsibilities of government," Sanfelippo said. "The local elected officials in Milwaukee are failing to live up to this obligation which is why I am calling on Governor Evers to activate the WI National Guard to help restore safety in Milwaukee neighborhoods."

Other lawmakers, like Rep. David Bowen, told FOX6 that they want to see some of the $394 million from the American Rescue Plan be used to address poverty and violence prevention programs.

"This is so important for us to double down on the things that work, to ensure that when we are talking about investments in our community, we need consistent resources, a lifelong commitment to violence prevention so that we can impact generation after generation so that we can really address the poverty that is happening throughout our communities that is also at an all-time high," Bowen said. "We need to use those resources as much as possible to reduce poverty, really make investments where there’s been a lack in our community."

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression also spoke out after Sanfelippo's statement.

"This is NOT the solution to violent crime..." said the Alliance in a Facebook post. "These militarized takeovers always promise an end to crime yet we see crime getting worse... The communities in Milwaukee need resources and access to GOOD UNION JOBS!"