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Milwaukee armed robberies; Cashun Drake sentenced, 18 years prison

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Milwaukee armed robberies; Cashun Drake sentenced, 18 years prison


A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Cashun Drake on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to 18 years in prison plus an additional ten years of extended supervision in connection with a series of armed robberies in October and November 2022.

Drake reached a plea deal in November 2023, agreeing to plead guilty to six felonies. Ten other charges were dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing. 

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Drake and his co-defendant in the case, Alphonso Reavis, were both 17 years old at the time the robberies took place in Milwaukee and West Allis. 

Case details

The first alleged armed robbery happened on Oct. 8. Prosecutors said the two stole an Amazon delivery van on the city’s north side. Prosecutors also accused Reavis and Drake of involvement in multiple cellphone store robberies, a Pick ‘n Save robbery, and a Greenhouse CBD robbery. Along the way, the two allegedly involved in crimes that unfolded outside St. Sebastian Catholic School, and of robbing two people who they planned to trade with via the “Offer Up” app.

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Amazon driver robbery | Oct. 8, 2022

Milwaukee police were called to an armed carjacking near 22nd and Concordia around 12:30 p.m. The vehicle – an Amazon delivery van – was soon recovered near 21st and Burleigh, a few blocks from where it was stolen. 

The Amazon driver told police that two masked suspects – one of whom was armed with a gun, pointing it at the Amazon driver – went through his pockets, took the keys to the van and got in.

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A criminal complaint states the suspects couldn’t get the van to move and asked the driver how to “get the van to work.” The driver said they needed to take the parking brake off, and the two then fled southbound in the van.

The Amazon van had a surveillance camera inside attached to the rearview mirror, but the suspects took it down, the complaint states. However, a different camera from inside showed the same man, who was driving, with his mask pulled down. Police later identified that man as Drake, and say he is the one who pointed the gun at the Amazon driver.

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‘Offer Up’ robbery | Oct. 24, 2022

Around 6:25 p.m., two victims went into Milwaukee Police District 3 and reported that two suspects robbed them at gunpoint near 27th and Burleigh. 

According to a criminal complaint, the victims said they met one of the suspects through the “Offer Up” app to trade some items. One of the suspects signaled to the other, and they both pulled out handguns and demanded items from the victims. The victims said the suspects took a backpack, Chromebook, two iPhones, Cartier glasses, and cash before running off. As they ran off, the victims said both suspects fired shots toward them.

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The next day, police were told that one of the victim’s debit cards was used to buy a drum-style handgun magazine online. That purchase was delivered to “Joe Baby” at a home near 24th and Chambers. That address belonged to Drake, the complaint states.

From a photo lineup, one of the victims identified Reavis and Drake as the people who robbed them.

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Pick ‘n Save robbery | Oct. 30, 2022

Milwaukee police responded to a Pick ‘n Save near 36th and Meinecke around 12:20 p.m. An employee said four people came in and tried to sell a tablet to someone; however, that person did not take the tablet, so the four left. A short time later, the employee said, two of the four people came back inside.

The complaint states the two people asked the employee to break a $20 bill. When the employee opened the register, the complaint states, one of the people pushed her and grabbed the money out of the register. The employee called for security, but the other person pulled out a handgun with a drum-style magazine and pointed it at the employee and the security guard. 

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Before the two people ran off, the complaint states, one of them grabbed the security guard’s sunglasses off his face. The security guard told police that the armed person told him “don’t (expletive) move.”

The entire robbery was captured on surveillance video.

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Boost Mobile, Greenhouse CBD robberies | Nov. 2, 2022

West Allis police were called to a Boost Mobile near 71st and Greenfield around 2:35 p.m. The owner told police, per the complaint, that two people came in and asked if Boost Mobile bought phones. One of them pulled out four iPhones, but the owner said he wasn’t interested – referring them to another location.

The complaint states the owner called another location and was writing down information when one of the people punched him in the face. The other person, armed with a handgun, said “I am going to kill you” and kept repeating something to that effect.

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The suspects took the owner’s car keys, the complaint states, and one of them ran out to where it was parked. That suspect then started running in and out of the store’s “back room” with items as the armed suspect continued to hold the owner at gunpoint. The suspects then put the owner in a restroom and blocked the door with a refrigerator. Once he heard it was quiet, the owner pushed his way out and hit the alarm to notify police.

Surveillance video from the store showed both men were wearing the same clothing as the people who robbed the Pick ‘n Save near 36th and Meinecke, the complaint states. The gun also had a drum-style magazine.

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While investigating, the complaint states, police noted the business next door to the Boost Mobile – Greenhouse CBD – “appeared to be ransacked.” The owner said several items were missing. In the Boost Mobile store owner’s car, police found several items that were apparently stolen from the CBD store.

St. Sebastian incident | Nov. 3, 2022

Around 5:10 p.m. Milwaukee police were called to St. Sebastian Catholic School near 55th and Washington for a reported battery.

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The complaint states officers spoke to a man at the scene who had been working to lay concrete. The worker said someone who identified himself as “Joe” came up to him and “wanted to talk to him about a job.” A few minutes later, the worker said “Joe” and another person – who had a “gold grill” and stepped in the wet concrete – came back.

The worker told police, per the complaint, that the two suspects got into his SUV and tried to drive of. When he confronted the suspects, one of them pushed and then hit him. As the SUV began rolling down 55th Street, the two suspects got out and ran. The worker was able to get into his SUV and drive it back to the school. There, he saw one of the suspects running from the school with a backpack. 

A school employee told police, per the complaint, that he was inside when he saw the struggle involving the worker and the two suspects outside. When the school employee went to help, the complaint states, one of suspects was apparently able to get inside the school and take the school employee’s backpack.

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During a struggle to get his backpack back, the complaint states the school employee said he was hit by the SUV and broke his leg. The backpack had a Nintendo Switch and prescription medications inside.

The incident was captured on surveillance video. 

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T-Mobile robbery | Nov. 3, 2022

Later the same day, just before 6 p.m., police were called to a T-Mobile near 57th and North for an armed robbery. An employee said roughly $20,000 worth of cellphones were stolen, including a tracker phone that was “pinging” near 23rd and Clarke. Other officers were then sent to that location.

The employee said, per the complaint, that he was doing an inventory count when three people came in and were asking about changing phones and service. Suddenly, the complaint states, one of them pointed a handgun with a drum-style magazine at him and pushed him to the back of the store.

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A second person then went into the storage area and asked “what’s the code for the door.” With the gun still pointed at him, the employee opened the door and the two suspects followed him inside where they ordered him to open the safe. The suspects ordered the employee to the ground and took his phone and car keys.

The armed suspect ordered another employee to “grab the register till keys out of the safe.” At this time, the complaint states, two other suspects were “clearing out” all the cellphones from the safe and removing other items from the shelves and emptying the cash register tills that were inside the safe. 

The complaint states, as the robbers left, one of them returned the employee’s cellphone and car keys but said, “We have your telephone number.” 

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The robbery was captured on surveillance video. Comparing that video to the video from St. Sebastian, police identified two of the people – Reavis and Drake – were involved in both incidents.

Arrests near 23rd and Clarke | Nov. 3, 2022

At the home near 23rd and Clarke where the tracker phone was pinging, responding officers spotted “two young Black males” who “appeared to be frantically running around the residence.” The complaint states one of them was quickly changing into different clothes and apparently looking for way to escape.

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After a woman answered the door to the lower unit, the complaint states officers saw Drake – who “appeared to be looking for a way to escape.” Officers went inside and took Drake and Reavis into custody.

The complaint states items including cellphones, tablets, smartwatches and a handgun with a drum-style magazine were found in plain view throughout the home. Shown pictures of the suspects in the West Allis Boost Mobile robbery, another woman identified the suspects as Drake and Reavis.

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Defendants’ statements

During a Mirandized interview, the complaint states Drake admitted to taking the Amazon delivery van because he “needed money” and to being involved in the Boost Mobile robbery – but nothing else.

However, in his own Mirandized interview with police, the complaint states Reavis admitted to being involved in each of the incidents and identified Drake as a “co-actor” in each of them as well. His descriptions of the crimes, per the complaint, are as follows:

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Amazon driver robbery

Reavis said he and Drake robbed the Amazon driver to pay someone back – identified in the complaint as “T” – who had given them the gun that was later used in the other incidents, though it did not have a drum-style magazine at the time. 

‘Offer up’ robbery

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The “Offer Up” incident began as a “legit trade,” Reavis said. However, he said some people he owed money to saw him on his way there, beat him up and demanded their money. He said they beat up Drake, too, and told them to rob the people they planned to trade with and fire a shot afterward to “scare” the victims.

Reavis admitted to firing a shot, but said it was “into the air.” He said they gave everything to the people who told them to do the robbery – except for the Cartier glasses. He said Drake was the one who used a stolen debit card to buy the drum-style magazine, and that it was the one thing he and Drake did “on their own, otherwise they were forced to do everything else.”

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Pick ‘n Save robbery

Reavis said he and Drake were “chilling” when a man armed with an AR-style rifle knocked on their door and told them “they were going to do a job and get him money that day.” They then picked up two other people and went to the store to sell phones. He said they sold three phones, got $80 and left. However, he and Drake went back in – Reavis armed with the gun – robbed the store and took the security guard’s sunglasses.

Boost Mobile, Greenhouse CBD robberies

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Again, Reavis said, “T” ordered him to get money. Reavis said he and Drake first went to a different store to sell phones that were stolen in a previous robbery, but the store did not want them. They then went to the Boost Mobile across the street.

Reavis identified himself as the one armed during the Boost Mobile robbery and Drake as the one who punched the owner. He said they put everything in the owner’s car because they “wanted to get away” but realized they couldn’t start it. While Reavis held the owner at gunpoint, he said Drake stole from the Greenhouse CBD next door.

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St. Sebastian incident

Reavis said “T” came by and “beat on” him and Drake, “demanding his money.” The three of them and a woman then started driving round “looking for a car to steal” because they needed a “better” getaway car. That’s when they tried to steal the worker’s SUV outside the school – but “it went bad.”

T-Mobile robbery

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Reavis said they went from to the T-Mobile after the St. Sebastian’s incident because “T” had demanded money. Reavis said he was armed with the handgun, and that he, Drake and a third person were dropped off in the back of the store. They then went in the front, robbed it and ran

Reavis said “T” was then “satisfied” and considered the debt cleared. They never delivered any of the stolen items to “T” because “there was not an arrangement” and he “thought they were good,” Reavis said.



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MPD officer accused of using Flock cameras to monitor dating partner resigns

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MPD officer accused of using Flock cameras to monitor dating partner resigns


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Josue Ayala has resigned from the Milwaukee Police Department days after he was charged with a crime over his alleged misuse of license plate-reading Flock technology.

Ayala, 33, pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted misconduct in public office during his initial court appearance on March 4.

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The charge is a misdemeanor that carries a potential maximum penalty of nine months in jail and $10,000 fine.

Milwaukee is one in a growing number of communities nationally that have started using Flock cameras to help locate stolen vehicles, identify vehicles used in violent crimes, and track vehicles associated with missing persons. The technology is controversial and been criticized by civil rights and privacy advocates.

Conducting searches for personal reasons is a violation of department policies.

Prosecutors say Ayala used the Flock camera system while on duty more than 120 times to look up the license plate of someone he was dating. They believe Flock technology also was used on a second license plate, one belonging to that person’s ex, 55 times, according to a criminal complaint, filed Feb. 24 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Ayala joined the Milwaukee Police Department in 2017, and his total gross pay was about $120,000 in 2024, according to the most recent city salary data available. 

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Milwaukee police confirmed in a March 4 email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Ayala has resigned from the department.

Ayala and his attorney Michael J. Steinle, of Milwaukee, would not speak to reporters as they left the courtroom.

Prosecutors say the department became aware of the allegations against Ayala after a driver saw that they were the subject of searches through the website, www.haveibeenflocked.com, which collects and publishes “audit logs” of searches of the Flock system by police agencies.

The driver saw that Ayala had searched the plate numerous times, which prompted the driver to file a complaint with the Milwaukee Police Department.

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Detectives then audited Ayala’s searches in the Flock system from March 26, 2025, through May 26, 2025.

Ayala is at least the second Wisconsin officer to face criminal charges for misuse of the Flock system. A Menasha police officer was charged in January for tracking an ex-girlfriend’s car. 

Milwaukee police began using Flock cameras in 2022. MPD has a $182,900 contract with Flock for the use of the technology. That contract is active through January 2027.

Court Commissioner Dewey B. Martin released Ayala on a $2,500 signature bond March 4.

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Signature bonds, sometimes referred to as a personal recognizance bond, allow a defendant to leave custody without paying cash as long as they sign a promise to appear for their upcoming court dates.

Martin also ordered Ayala not to contact the two victims in the case.

Ayala also must report to the Milwaukee County Jail to be booked on March 9. If he doesn’t show up, a bench warrant will be issued for his arrest.

Ayala is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial conference on April 17. 

David Clarey of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this story.

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Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.



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Why are Milwaukee-area students protesting ICE actions?

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Why are Milwaukee-area students protesting ICE actions?


Ever since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, there have been numerous student protests by high school students across the country – including several in Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area.

Students at Milwaukee Public Schools’ high schools including Milwaukee King, Ronald Reagan, and others; Wauwatosa East High School, Shorewood High School, Menomonee Falls High School, Nicolet High School, Whitefish Bay High School – even one student at Marquette University High School – have all walked out of school to protest Immigrations and Customs’ Enforcement actions in Minneapolis and nationwide.

What is it about ICE’s actions that have students walking out? How are school districts handling it, and what do students and parents think?

UW-Madison political science professor shares thoughts on what’s behind student walkouts

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Political science professor emeritus Howard Schweber of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said several factors play into why students are protesting.

One of those factors is that ICE raids have taken place near schools. In some school districts, teachers have been arrested and students have disappeared. In some areas of Minneapolis, schools have had to switch to remote learning because students feared ICE raids, Schweber said.

Second, Schweber said the walkouts tie in to past student protests over guns in schools; high school students are feeling unsafe in their schools.

“They’re feeling threatened by forces, you know, far beyond their control, and feeling like first, it was their government wouldn’t protect them. This time it’s their government that’s doing it to them. Of course I’m only speaking from the perspective of the students who are protesting. I don’t mean to suggest that all students feel this way, but the ones who are protesting, this is, I think, what is driving them,” he said.

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“Unlike some other issues, I think this one – like the guns in schools issues – hits very close to home, and makes them feel personally involved and threatened by the situation,” he said.

Schweber also talked about where the First Amendment applies during these situations.

He said students, particularly high school students, do have First Amendment rights. He said that schools may not punish students for expressing one viewpoint as opposed to another, and that any policy must be neutral. However, he said, students who walk out, and especially students who engage in conduct that disrupts school activities, can be disciplined.

“The legal background to this is students have a right to express themselves, but while they’re in school or while they’re supposed to be in school, that right is quite curtailed,” he said. “I noticed that in Madison, for example, there were some protests that were held after school ended in order to avoid this problem, which is certainly one way to avoid the issue, but then it’s not a walkout.”

How school districts deal with the walkouts

When it comes to walkouts, school districts typically approach them from several perspectives: attendance, neutrality, recognizing freedom of speech and safety.

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In general, school districts will mark students who participate in walkouts as absent and unexcused unless their parents call in to excuse them. Most districts surveyed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also stressed that walkouts are student-sponsored and not organized or sanctioned by the districts.

For example, Pewaukee High School principal Brian Sniff said in a letter to parents that a Feb. 4 walkout at that school was student-initiated and student-led. He said that while students planning the walkout consulted with administration for clarity on the school’s expectations and potential consequences so they could make an informed decision about their plans, the district did not endorse or encourage the activity.

At the same time, some districts have acknowledged that students have free speech rights, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

While reiterating that students who walk out are unexcused unless a parent excuses them, the Wauwatosa School District said in a letter to parents in advance of a Jan. 12 walkout that it values and encourages student self-expression and recognizes the “importance of civic engagement as part of a well-rounded education.”

“We view moments like this as opportunities for young people to explore their voices, deepen their understanding of social issues, and learn about the power of collective action in a safe and constructive way,” the letter said.

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Safety is also another factor that districts consider.

South Milwaukee School District Superintendent Deidre Roemer, Shorewood High School principal Tim Kenney and Franklin High School principal Michael Vuolo said in their letters to parents before planned walkouts that staff would not supervise students who left school grounds.

Sniff said that if students walked out, administrators and security would monitor the situation, ensure they remained in designated safe areas on campus and prevent conflict. But he added that supervision means ensuring safety, and does not equal support.

Parent, student perspective

Jamie Esser, a parent of a child attending Pewaukee High School, said she supported the walkout there. She said teens getting involved with politics and social issues was “heartwarming” to her.

“I think our children, ever since lockdown, have been isolated and stuck in their cell phones and stuck on social media and not really interacting with each other or looking at the world at large. So I think – especially with all the controversy around ICE and around the treatment of their fellow Americans or even fellow human beings – I think it’s great that kids are taking up concerns, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s very promising for the future that today’s generation sees the injustice and just wants to be heard that they don’t agree with it,” Esser said.

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Conversely, Joe Rivera, a parent and school board candidate for the Wisconsin Hudson School District in northwestern Wisconsin, said he was concerned about inconsistencies in how that district told parents it would handle a walkout v. what actually happened.

The walkout took place, even though the district told parents that students would not be allowed to leave campus and that classes would continue as scheduled, a Feb. 14 post on his campaign Facebook page said.

“Allowing a large, pre-planned demonstration during the school day – after communicating it would not be allowed – created confusion, undermined trust, and placed students in unnecessary danger, the post said. “We do not have to look far to see how similar situations, even nearby, have escalated quickly and turned tragic.”

“As a parent in this district, I find it unacceptable that families were told one thing and experienced another – especially when it involves student supervision and safety during the school day,” the post said.

Thomas Stilp, a Marquette University High School student, said he was among several students who were organizing a walkout at his school in February. Things looked ready to go until the night before the walkout. That’s when organizers heard concerns that the walkout might draw unwanted attention from ICE; those concerns led them to cancel the event.

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Stilp said he thinks students fear that what’s happening in Minnesota will eventually happen in Milwaukee.

“What we really want is the whole country to be doing this, and if people are leaving schools and people are shutting down their offices and are not showing up to work, like businesses are closed; if you can’t get your coffee in the morning because of these ICE raids that are happening and businesses are calling for that to be stopped, that’s when you’re going to notice,” he said.

However, not all students support the walkouts.

One of those students is Turner Dittrich, a senior at Arrowhead High School and a founder, former president and current member of the school’s chapter of the conservative organization Turning Point. He is also the son of Terry Dittrich, the Waukesha County Republican Party chairman.

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Turner Dittrich said that while people have the right to protest, they should not interfere with ICE, which is investigating criminal behavior.

“My whole take on it is, is why should undocumented illegal citizens get the same immunity as the ones who sacrifice to follow the law? We are America. We are a country of laws,” he said.

Dittrich said anti-ICE protests have been boosted by students who simply do not want to be in school. He also said he does not think it’s right for students to miss school for protests, out of respect for teachers.

“At Arrowhead especially, I’ve met some phenomenal teachers, some phenomenal individuals. They wake up tired and they’re really pouring out their energy into what they’re teaching students. For the ICE protests to not be done at 3:30 or 4 [after school] is just shocking to me because it’s like, what are these teachers possibly doing? Now, I understand freedom of speech. They can’t control kids necessarily, but at the end of the day, when teachers are getting paid to show up and work hard, it just unfortunately saddens me.

“It’s the same thing if there was a pro-ICE protest. I would think that during school hours, it’d be wrong, right? So I think on both sides of the aisle, the fact that we’re doing this during school hours, is wrong. It can’t be done that way,” Dittrich said.

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Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.





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Milwaukee Common Council opposes We Energies’ data center rate plan

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Milwaukee Common Council opposes We Energies’ data center rate plan


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The Milwaukee Common Council has called on state utility regulators to reject We Energies’ data center rate proposal in its current form.

The council unanimously adopted a resolution March 3 opposing We Energies’ proposal to create a separate energy rate for large-scale data centers, saying the plan does not go far enough to protect ratepayers.

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At the same time, a group of council members led by District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic is drafting a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city of Milwaukee.

We Energies’ plan “is not a good deal for Milwaukeeans,” Dimitrijevic said during a Common Council meeting March 3.

We Energies’ proposal would create a separate energy rate for “very large” customers with an expected load of 500 megawatts or more. These very large customers, which include data center developers like Microsoft and Vantage, would pay for the massive amount of new infrastructure being built to serve them.

In October, We Energies filed plans to build more than $5 billion in new solar projects and natural gas plants to meet electricity demand brought by hyperscale data centers.

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The utility says its rate plan protects customers from bearing costs associated with these projects, and hold data center companies responsible for costs through the life of the new assets.

“Our proposal is fair, transparent, and establishes strong safeguards — including binding agreements so data centers owners, not other customers, pay for the infrastructure they require,” We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said in a statement. “That means Wisconsin families are not subsidizing these projects.”

The resolution, introduced by Dimitrijevic, calls for stronger ratepayer protections, including binding service agreements that last the life of new infrastructure and include termination charges. It also wants the “very large” customer threshold lowered from 500 megawatts to prevent avoidance by data center companies.

In filings submitted to the Public Service Commission, We Energies said it would be willing to lower the threshold to 250 megawatts.

The resolution took particular issue with We Energies’ proposed cost split for the new natural gas plants. Under the current proposal, data center companies would pay for 75% of operating and maintenance, and other ratepayers would cover the remaining 25% as well as annual fuel costs.

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We Energies says the plants will serve all customers as demand for energy is projected to rise across rate classes.

“If data centers never existed, we would’ve had to have built other plants, other power generation to meet our customers’ increasing need,” Conway previously told the Journal Sentinel.

The resolution said data center companies should pay “100% of all incremental and fixed costs required to serve them, including generation capacity, operations and maintenance, and fuel costs attributable to serving the data center load.”

Council members’ concerns echo those brought by environmental and consumer advocacy groups during a public hearing Feb. 10. The Public Service Commission will rule on the proposal by May 1.

This is not the first time the City of Milwaukee has weighed in on We Energies cases brought before the Public Service Commission. It’s intervened in opposition to previous energy rate hikes proposed by the utility, arguing they disproportionately burden thousands of low-income Milwaukee households.

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In December, Dimitrijevic proposed a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city. The pause will give council members time to establish a regulatory framework for large-scale data center proposals, she told the Journal Sentinel.

“Sometimes the economy moves so quickly that we haven’t been able to catch up in licensing,” Dimitrijevic said. “We have to set up a careful way to regulate it and have public input.”

A group of aldermen want to require data center developers apply for a special use permit through the Milwaukee Zoning Appeals Board, a process they say creates more transparency. Should this pass, large data center proposals would be subject to public hearings, and the Zoning Appeals Board can reject a plan based on public health concerns.

The moratorium will receive a public hearing in the next few weeks.

This article was updated to include new information.

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Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.



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