Milwaukee, WI
UW-Milwaukee Protesters BAN Cops From Campus Lawn Owned By Taxpayers
UW-Milwaukee’s pro-Palestinian protesters have erected a sign outside their fenced-in encampment on a prominent campus lawn that declares that police are not allowed on the state taxpayer-owned property.
They are now calling it the “Falasteen Lawn,” which means Palestine Lawn. “Free Palestine. No cops allowed,” the sign declared on May 6.
And yet the inaction from city, state and campus officials continued Monday as the protesters get bolder and finals week approaches (how nice of them to create “focus hours” for student studying in between the press conference and speakers!).
First, the protesters started camping on a prominent patch of campus lawn in front of a prominent building. Then, they erected a makeshift wall around it, and placed security-vest-wearing guards at the entrances. Then, they planted MORE Palestinian flags. They’ve given it another name too: “UWM Liberated Zone.” At least one professor held a “teach-in” there.
Think this isn’t politicized? Politico just reported that some of President Joe Biden’s biggest donors are helping fund pro Palestinian protests across the country (it’s tempting to point out that they aren’t doing him any favors).
One group involved in the UWM Protest has referred to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation as “a morally bankrupt, unscrupulous mouthpiece of the Israeli government.” They appear to have also renamed UWM, a major state university, the “UWM Popular University for Palestine.” What was the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s offense?
Their CEO released a statement about the encampments, saying, “As Jewish students are taunted on campus, as protesters shamelessly call for peace while chanting for intifada, as protesters harass students with visible Jewish clothing and symbols, I can no longer remain silent about what our students have been experiencing on Milwaukee’s campuses, and I can no longer accept the silence of university administrations. Students shouldn’t have to stage a sit-in or storm a chancellor’s residence to be heard.”
The statement said that “this escalation comes just weeks after a group of protesters encircled and harassed Jewish students on UWM’s campus…The Jewish community expects Milwaukee’s largest public university to be a place where Jewish students and community members are welcome and accepted.”
A pro encampment page posted a screenshot they said was from a UWM professor cancelling the remainder of classes so students can attend the protest. In the screenshot, the professor, who was not named, directs student to websites and a petition in support of the pro-Palestinian cause and refers to “the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people by the nation of Israel.” The statement makes no reference to Oct. 7.
None of this is remotely acceptable. Students pay tuition for classes; they expect them to be held. Taxpayers pay professors’ salaries. One “teach-in” at the encampment instructed students about “the struggle against U.S. imperialism in Yemen.”
If the protesters were a group of MAGA kids or anti-abortion protesters, their tents would be removed within an hour.
Now they says cops aren’t allowed. Not that it matters much. There was no sign of police at the encampment Monday, at least at that moment.
UWM’s PR office has refused to respond to questions about the inaction and why the encampment is being allowed to stand.
“Welcome to the Milwaukee autonomous zone,” reads a sign outside the encampment.
Hey, it’s not an autonomous zone. It’s state property. And university officials have an obligation to make ALL students and faculty feel safe on campus. That includes Jewish students and faculty.
As other universities, from UW-Madison to Columbia, have taken lurching steps to remove the encampments, UW-Milwaukee has done…nothing to remove theirs. That’s even though the Dean of Students, Adam Jussel, admitted in a public statement on Friday that some students “say they don’t feel safe walking past the encampment or hearing chants. Other students have said that if they speak out, they will be shouted down. And others say they just want to go to class and work and hope our campus is safe for everyone.”
Here’s why they feel intimidated. In addition to the signage, some mentioning “Jews,” there are people standing at the openings to the fenced-in area. One man was wearing a keffiyeh scarf at the entrance on Monday.
Although the scarf has complex historical meaning, it’s also been donned by a Hamas leader and a woman involved in plane hijackings, according to NPR.
To be clear, though, people can wear such scarfs on campus and protest all they want. UW-Milwaukee has a history of controversial protesters. It’s a public university and a free country. HOWEVER, no one else got to camp for days on university property, fence off a prominent piece of it, post guards, and then declare that cops aren’t welcome on state property.
Enough. Who is going to stand up and LEAD? Or is everyone cowering in fear?
So the dean of students admits that some students don’t feel safe because of the encampment, but the university doesn’t feel compelled to act? Where is Gov. Tony Evers? Mayor Cavalier Johnson? Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman?
On May 3, Jussel wrote, “The camping restriction (which is part of state law) represents one of those limitations. This law has nothing to do with the content of the speech or the act of protesting itself. In fact, there have been more than a dozen protests on campus in recent months that did not break the law. So, the encampment must end, safely.”
And yet on May 6, it remained.
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam talks greater involvement, Giannis future
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says that he will have a greater involvement with the team and that includes the decision on if to re-sign Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks know their placement in the 2026 NBA Draft, slotted No. 10 for their first lottery pick in a decade. Who are some of the possible selections at that spot when June 23 rolls around?
Check out what the first post-lottery wave of mock drafts has to say, most of them pointing to same prospect, that being Nate Ament of Tennessee, a 6-10 freshman small forward.
Nate Ament, forward, Tennessee
From Spencer Woo of ESPN: “While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star potential or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around Ament in the lottery. As a tall skill player with shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. As Milwaukee considers a post-Antetokounmpo future, a malleable upside swing such as Ament could be a fit.”
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports: “The Bucks should take a swing to jump-start their new era, whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo is part of it. Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively. But over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. Then he dealt with an ankle injury that ruined his momentum entering March and he severely struggled during the tournament. Bucks general manager Jon Horst has never been afraid to take risks though. If Ament pans out, it could look like a stroke of genius.”
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports: “Ament had an up-and-down freshman season for the Vols – but the upside isn’t hard to spot. Less than a year ago, the 2025 McDonald’s All-American was considered a possible top-five pick. So getting Ament here would be nice for a Bucks franchise that seems on the verge of rebuilding after presumably trading Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.”
The Ringer: “Barring some transactional magic, this could be Milwaukee’s best bite at the talent apple in the draft for a while. The Bucks don’t currently have control over a first-round pick until 2031. If Giannis Antetokounmpo decides it’s time to move on, this roster will be rudderless and talent-deprived. If Giannis decides not to move on, it’ll have a rudder but still won’t go anywhere. Less than ideal, but that makes this a ‘best player available’ scenario, or rather ‘best wager available.’ There are definitely more stable options in this range, but Ament’s higher possible outcomes justify this pick. Ament fell short of expectations this past season, and he slid from top-five consideration as a result, but the jumbo-sized, smooth-moving ball handler is still a worthy bet here. Handling the ball at 6-foot-10 is an intriguing enough skill to instill some belief that he could develop into a quality asset. And the Bucks can take the risk given their circumstances.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports: “Ament is a polarizing prospect with a wide range of outcomes on draft night. A late-blooming 6-foot-10 combo-forward who is fluid, has touch, and skill, he’s also inconsistent and needs to get stronger. While his freshman year was up and down, Ament’s overall arc has been linear, and there’s still glaring potential. That upside makes him a logical choice for a Milwaukee team that has a very uncertain future ahead of them.”
Brian Lewis of New York Post: “After the run on guards, taking an upside swing on a gifted developmental player here seems like a worthy gamble for a Bucks team that could be in full-on rebuild in a post-Giannis era.”
Two other names mentioned
From Eric Nehm of The Athletic: “This was an incredibly difficult pick to make without knowing what the Bucks are going to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the 10-time All-Star forward remains in Milwaukee, it might make more sense to look at someone like Yaxel Lendeborg, who could make an impact right away and give the Bucks more size and skill. Instead, though, I went with Philon, who has a lot of offensive upside and could be protected on the defensive end by Ryan Rollins. Philon is an electrifying offensive player who shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3 while averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists per game last season.”
From Kurt Helin of NBC Sports: “The Bucks need all the backcourt help they can get, and Burries may not be flashy, but he does a lot of things well — he can play on and off the ball, can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers but also attack closeouts, and he gets downhill off screens and has a midrange pull-up game.”
Brad Paisley (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – Brad Paisley is scheduled to perform at the BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee on Sept. 4.
Ticket information
What we know:
The ticket pre-sale for Brad’s fan club members, Paisley Nation, begins on Tuesday, May 12 at 10 am. All tickets available at BradPaisley.com.
The tour will also offer a variety of VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Packages vary but include premium seats, a guided backstage tour, VIP-exclusive gift item, early entry & more. VIP package contents vary depending on the selected offer. For more information, visit VIPnation.com.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Live Nation.
Billionaire Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA club, is shown at Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9, 2015. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday identified Edens as the victim of a billion-dollar extortion plot allegedly hatched by an ex-lover. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
May 10 (UPI) — Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and an owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, was the target of a billion-dollar extortion scheme allegedly perpetrated by an ex-lover, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
A spokesman for Edens, 64, confirmed to the newspaper that the financier is the unnamed alleged victim in a federal indictment brought against Changli “Sophia” Luo of New York City.
Edens, one of world’s most successful global investment management firm leaders with Fortress, has developed and owned businesses in real estate, transportation, infrastructure, health care, financial services, media and entertainment.
He is also a high-profile sports team owner, including the Bucks and soccer club Aston Villa of the English Premier League. He is credited turning the Bucks from a perennial cellar dweller into a champion squad over a five-year span, culminating in the 2021 NBA championship.
But he also fell victim to a lurid alleged “sextortion” scheme, his spokesman confirmed to the WSJ, admitting the Edens is the unnamed “Victim 1” cited an indictment filed last year in Manhattan federal court against Luo.
The indictment reportedly accuses her of trying to extort Victim 1 of more than $1 billion by threatening to release videos and photos of them engaged in sex. Prosecutors alleged Luo also threatened to contact the victim’s family members and business partners in a threat to destroy his fortune if he did not pay up.
According to the indictment, Luo was arrested June 14 at JFK International Airport as she tried to board a flight to China, the New York Post reported.
“Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” his spokesman told the Journal. “Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
-
New York1 hour agoAirbnb Turns to Black Leaders in Its Bid to Make a Comeback in New York
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoMetro Detroit braces for Frost Advisory, Freeze Warning overnight before rain arrives
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours ago50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
-
Dallas, TX2 hours ago
Former Cowboys QB Craig Morton passes away at age 83
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoBrickell Avenue Bridge openings spark rush hour gridlock concerns in downtown Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoWhat we know about accused Memorial Drive gunman Tyler Brown
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoBroncos Ring of Famer Craig Morton, who led Denver to first Super Bowl, dies at 83
-
Seattle, WA3 hours agoVictim identified in deadly Seattle beer garden shooting on Lake City Way; suspect sought