Calls to 911 From Black Neighborhoods Fell After a Case of Police Violence
Lack of accountability and violence from law enforcement makes it difficult for residents to trust that a call to 911 will actually help them and not end up with them being beaten, shot or killed.Milwaukee residents were outraged when they learned, about three months after the fact, that a biracial man at a party had been severely beaten by several white off-duty police officers also in attendance. The man, Frank Jude, was left with a broken nose, bruises and severe bleeding in his ears, a result of having pens pushed into them.
The attack, which took place in October 2004 and came to light after an article in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, prompted protests. In the fallout, nine officers were fired by the Milwaukee Police Department; three were eventually convicted on federal charges of violating Mr. Jude’s civil rights.
It also, according to new research, led to a drop in 911 calls in Milwaukee notifying the police of crimes.