Milwaukee, WI
Cost of living, economy key issues in Milwaukee as Republicans try to court black voters
WATERTOWN, Wis. — With VP Kamala Harris as its presidential nominee, the Democrat Party is expected to lock up the black vote — just like it’s been doing for 60 plus years.
But in Wisconsin’s key urban centers that could make or break a Democrat, some black voters say the Biden-Harris economy has brought pain to their pocketbooks.
Milwaukee conservative activist Chris Lawrence told The Post that when dealing with black voters, Donald Trump and Republicans need to focus on how people are faring financially after four years of the Biden-Harris administration.
“Have their lives improved the last four years under Joe Biden? What will change from Harris to Biden in the next four years?” he asked.
“If nothing will materially change–why would you continue to support that?”
Lawrence also said he hasn’t seen any on the ground engagement or contact with voters from either campaign.
His advice for the GOP and Donald Trump?
“Highlight what the Democrats haven’t done — the promises they made to black voters that haven’t come through,” Lawrence said.
A CBS News/YouGov national poll of likely black voters at the end of July found Harris has picked up about 8% more of the black vote than Biden had in July before he stepped down, 81% to Trump’s 18%.
The same poll found 74% of black registered voters say they will “definitely vote” this November, compared to 58% in July, also before Biden backed out of the race.
A higher black voter turnout in the majority minority City of Milwaukee could have a major impact on which candidate wins Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes this fall.
While liberal Dane County’s turnout helped push the state into Biden territory in 2020, Milwaukee also saw an uptick in turnout.
Will Harris as the nominee change the calculus for black voters this November?
“That remains to be seen,” Lawrence said.
Will Martin, a Racine businessman and Republican leader, has lived in Milwaukee for 25 years.
He says families of color have been hit disproportionately by double-digit rent increases in Milwaukee, and wages have not kept up with that kind of increase.
Out-of-state investors are buying up housing in predominantly black neighborhoods and boarding up some of the units to artificially increase rents, Martin added.
Voters like Sharon Gray are still feeling the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced her to shutter her small business in Milwaukee.
She now works at a warehouse, and is supporting Donald Trump this November.
Kalan Haywood Sr., a Milwaukee businessman and developer, told The Post that having black outreach events is a good thing, but that what’s more important is coming back to follow up with folks rather than simply pandering in an election year.
Charlene Abughrin is a Republican and a small business owner in Milwaukee.
She told The Post that the black community “hasn’t been inspired to vote in a long time,” a sentiment reflected in a decline in turnout in black majority wards in the city.
Describing the crime in her neighborhood — a fact of life for Milwaukee residents — Abughrin said it’s “4th of July every day and night,” adding: “I hear so much gunfire I think I have gotten desensitized to it.”
Abughrin has not seen much Republican voter outreach in her community and says the complaint she hears often is that Republicans only show up during voting season.
She did, however, mention Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde’s visit to the Juneteenth celebration and several other events.
Black voter outreach has been a big priority for the Trump Campaign. Last month Martin took part in an RNC event with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, an experience he called “empowering.”
“So often the media portrays black conservatives as being few in number,” said Martin, a GOP Executive Committee member. “It was really exciting to see so many conservatives coming together.”
Republican state Senator Julian Bradley represents a district containing several Milwaukee suburbs, and he believes the Democrats may face a political reckoning from black voters.
“Democrats have taken the black vote for granted for decades,” Bradley told The Post.
“Their years of overpromising and under delivering for the black community is catching up to them.”
“Republicans are reaching out and showing that not only do we care, but we have solutions to the high cost for gas and groceries, we have solutions for crime and underperforming schools that have kept kids from achieving the American Dream, and we have solutions for securing our border and stopping the flow of fentanyl into our streets,” Bradley continued.
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a critically missing man, 33-year-old Nicolas Blakely.
Missing man
What we know:
Blakely was last seen around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, March 9 in the area of Teutonia and Good Hope.
Blakely is described as a male, black, 6’1″ tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue puffy jacket over a white hooded sweatshirt, with tan Nike sweatpants.
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Police tips
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department.
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A 23-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 44-year-old motorcyclist during the summer last year.
Jarvis L. Walker was charged March 7 with four counts: hit-and-run resulting in death, knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license causing death, fleeing an officer and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The crash occurred June 7, 2025, at the intersection of North 76th Street and West Florist Avenue. Walker crashed into Wyman Kemble on his 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and fled the scene, according to a criminal complaint.
Kemble suffered severe injuries in the crash and died at the scene.
Police said nearby security footage video shows Kemble was traveling northbound on 76th Street and had a green light when Walker, traveling southbound on 76th Street, crashed a rental car into Kemble while trying to make a left turn onto Florist Avenue.
Walker then exits the vehicle, grabs a backpack from the backseat and leaves the scene, the complaint said.
But a witness’ cellphone footage shows Walker return, yell something, and turn around and walk away before getting into another vehicle that just pulled over, according to the complaint.
The rental car came back to a person only identified in the complaint with the initials EW. The rental car customer told police that Walker had the vehicle during the time of the crash and Walker called him and told him that he had just been in a crash after a motorcycle ran a red light.
Ten months would pass before investigators zeroed in on Walker to arrest him.
On March 3, police had reason to believe that Walker was in the area of the 7200 block of West Marine Drive, the complaint said. Two undercover officers observed Walker get into an SUV, which exited a nearby parking lot and then immediately pulled over because the trunk was open, the complaint said.
Different officers in full uniform and an MPD squad moved in to try and arrest Walker, who was at the rear of the vehicle in the trunk, according to the complaint.
Walker then made his way back to his seat before one officer activated the squad lights and siren and exited the squad to say “Hey Jarvis, don’t do it” and “Jarvis get out of the car,” the complaint said.
But Walker fled the scene and led police on a nearly 10-mile pursuit in excess of 115 miles per hour, according to the complaint.
Police lost visual sight of Walker’s vehicle near North Teutonia Avenue and North Green Bay Avenue, but Glendale police observed the vehicle traveling southbound on West Green Bay Road and another short pursuit ensued before officers lost sight of Walker again, the complaint said.
Later that evening, Walker’s vehicle was observed unoccupied and running in the 4800 block of North 19th Place, according to the complaint. Police found Walker inside a nearby residence and arrested him.
Walker made his initial appearance in court on March 9, where bail was set at $25,000. If convicted on all counts, he faces decades behind bars.
Wyman Kemble remembered as mother’s rock
Leanne Kemble, Wyman Kemble’s mother, previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the time of the crash that Wyman was her oldest child and her “rock.”
She said her son loved the motorcycle he was riding at the time of his death. She described him as one of the most “kind, caring and fun-loving people you’d ever meet.”
Leanne Kemble said her son graduated from Riverside High School, where he played on the football team, and was a graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Volleyball was now his sport of choice, and he played year-round, she said.
“He was always helping people with their car repairs, or just doing odd jobs to help out our neighbors,” she said. “He was an all-around great person. Everybody loved him.”
MILWAUKEE – MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius proposed cutting more than 263 non-classroom positions to help bridge a $46 million structural budget deficit.
A special meeting of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is scheduled to take place on Monday night, March 9, to vote on this proposal.
Shifting resources
What we know:
The district said the reductions, which would take effect for the 2026–27 school year pending school board approval, would save about $30 million.
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“It is an extremely difficult day for us here in Milwaukee Public Schools, but in the end, I’m still hopeful. I’m hopeful for our students, I’m hopeful for all of the employees we have, and every single employee matters to us,” said Cassellius. “This is hard, and we’ll get through it.”
Officials said no classroom teacher positions are being cut to close the budget gap. That said, the district may need fewer teachers where there is lower enrollment. About 40 of the 263 positions being eliminated are already vacant, meaning that not all reductions will result in layoffs. Affected employees eligible for classroom-based roles will be encouraged to apply for available positions.
Cassellius stressed that MPS faces rising costs while receiving a $0 state increase in general aid for 2026-27 public school students. While the recent referendum has helped to support arts, physical education, mental health services, and career exploration, the superintendent indicated it does not make up for the lack of state-funded inflation increase
Proposed reductions
By the numbers:
The approximately 263 position reductions include the following, according to the school district:
- MPS Central Services: About 116 positions from the offices of Academics; Communications; Family, Community, and Partnership; Finance; Human Resources; Operations; Schools office; and the Superintendent’s office
- Non‑classroom school‑based roles: About 147 positions, including assistant principals, deans of students, and implementers.
The Source: Milwaukee Public Schools released information about its proposal.
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