By: Bob Donovan
I was recently invited to speak at a rally held in New Berlin in support of our Police and Law Enforcement.
Anyone who knows me or has followed my career over the years knows I have always been a big supporter of the Police and the rule of law.
The event had a number of great speakers and was well attended, with over 300 people proudly showing their support for Law Enforcement. One of the speakers was former Police Chief Al Morales. It was great to see Al again, and I wish him nothing but the best. He was treated poorly by Milwaukee's dysfunctional City Attorney's Office and Milwaukee's even more dysfunctional Fire and Police Commission. He deserves his job back; I hope he gets it.
Another speaker at the event was the man whose group put it all together. I'm speaking of Kevin Nicholson and his organization No Better Friend Corp. You may have heard of Kevin's name before.
He ran for U.S. Senate back in 2018. He lost that rave but didn't let that setback define him. He rolled up his sleeves and founded an organization that is making a difference. No Better Friend Corp. is a nonprofit that supports common-sense American Values like the right to life, Support for our Military and Law Enforcement, Support for small businesses, the lifeblood of our nation, and support for common-sense reforms in education.
Kevin is a Marine, and as we know, once a Marine, always a Marine. He's a sharp, impressive young man who, mark my words, is going places. His group is sponsoring an event across Wisconsin this summer in support of our Police. They deserve our support.
I'm looking forward to joining Kevin at each of those events. Maybe you can join us too.
Bob Donovan is a former Milwaukee Alderman who served the 8th District for twenty years. Bob will be writing opinion pieces about current issues facing Milwaukee. He welcomes your letters and thoughts.
New Children’s Book “Rusty And Me”
By Juan Miguel Martinez
Writing is a very difficult task,
but there are some subjects
that always prove to be more
delicate than others,
thus requiring a special set of
eyes and experience to
properly convey the message.
There is a book currently in circulation called "Rusty and Me." The book is written by Dago Benavidez, who grew up in Lockney, TX. "I lived in a family that moved all around the United States.
One of my earliest memories is how bright the strawberries were in Michigan. We would move from there to Utah to Colorado, to Ohio and Wisconsin. Our existence was somewhat nomadic, and we never really put down roots or got to be part of a community.
As soon as I would make friends, we left to the next place", Dago recalls. "In 1969, we settled in Salem, Oregon. I guess my parents really like the climate and the cool ocean breeze", he adds.
A companion that always joined Dago and his family in their travels was his dog, Rusty, who he had always seen as more of a sibling rather than a pet.
Traveling became rough on Rusty, and he passed away. "Another thing that never seemed to escape me, besides how lonely my childhood could be, was that as Latinos, we are taught to internalize our pain - it didn't matter if it was grief, loss or despair."
The book Dago has written recalls that painful bout of sadness and is written with a childlike spirit in an attempt to speak to children about the five stages of grief, without infantilizing or condescending to them.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, and author of the internationally best-selling book, "On Death and Dying," where she first discussed her theory of the five stages of grief, also known as the "Kübler-Ross model."
Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The stages of grief are something Dago is very familiar with, as he worked as a representative for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in the pacific northwest. It is an organization aimed at helping children going through the court system, where he also worked as a member on their Hispanic advisory committee.
He is now retired from this profession, and he also worked as an adjudicator for the state of Oregon. "I saw a lot of kids that had no answers and to their questions, no way to have their fear assuaged. It made me very sad, and those memories made me want to talk to all those kids all over again", he says.
One of his passions is painting, and the book features oil paintings made by Dago himself.
"I wanted to tell these kids it's ok to lose something, and it's important to learn how to process your emotions. I remember them, and I remember my dog, Rusty. They were the perfect stories that I knew they would find the most relatable. Right now, there is much turmoil in the world for kids.
There are detention camps at the border, grandparents dying of COVID, and fires all over California and the Pacific Northwest. They see the news. It is our job as adults to guide them", he says. "Latino kids are the ones that are the least spoken to and about, and the ones that are always forgotten in the system," he continues.
"It was also important that I write the piece in both English and Spanish, as I have grandkids who speak both languages. I read to them and enjoy the opportunity to reinforce their conversational and reading skills", he says. "I am proud that the Mexican consulate is involved.
There are other groups that promote Latino culture and multilingualism, such as the Instituto Cultural Oregonian (ICO) and Mismo Mundo, who are advocates for art, culture, and human voices", he says wistfully. The book is sold for 10 dollars a copy, and many are donated to nonprofits. It is keeping with the true sense of community.
Books can be ordered by emailing dagobenavidez@gmail.com or calling 503-339-7752.
Forward Latino Calls On Social Media Providers
To Permanently Suspend Accounts Of Women Who Falsely Accused Latino Couple Of Attempting To Kidnap Her Children
Forward Latino, a national non-profit, non-partisan advocacy and service organization with members in 29 states is calling on social media providers to permanently suspend the accounts of Katie Sorenson for creating and posting a knowingly false video accusing a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her children.
Petaluma Police Department who opened a kidnapping investigation following her report recently issued a statement saying their “investigation has produced no evidence or witnesses corroborating the account provided by the reporting party.”
The statement then adds “evidence gathered has served to support the account provided by the (Latino) couple from the store.”
Ms. Sorenson was charged Thursday with two counts of “making false reports” by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.
In response, Forward Latino National President Darryl Morin issued the following statement:
“This was in intentional, orchestrated racial attack against our nation’s Latino community. It was thought out and implemented by this individual to create fear, division and to illicit hate.
These are all catalysts for violence. Over the last four years we have seen hate crimes against Latinos grow significantly. And we all know far too well how false statements and innuendo can have the most catastrophic of consequences.
For these reasons Forward Latino is calling on all social media companies that have the racist video on their platforms to immediately remove it and replace it with a statement indicating it was false and fabricated and share a link to a copy of the Petaluma police report.
We also call on them to permanently suspend her existing accounts and ban her from future use of their platforms. And given the numerous false statements this individual made to the police, we request that the local child protective services agency review the current living situation of her children to ensure their safety and to verify they are not being put at risk as part of Ms. Sorenson’s personal crusade.”
Forward Latino will be sending letters to all major social media providers in the coming days with their formal written request.
Forward Latino is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy and service organization dedicated to assisting Latinos pursuing the American Dream. Forward Latino fulfills its mission through advocacy, civic
engagement, education and service delivery. Forward Latino currently has members in 29 states. Learn more at https://forwardlatino.org/
