Kenosha announces steps of action to rebuild a stronger, brighter future
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The city of Kenosha has set a course toward rebuilding in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kenosha's mayor announced Monday, Sept. 14, an action plan for moving his city forward.
Kenosha Mayor John Antaraniam admits this plan won’t fix things overnight. While he takes responsibility for its success, he says it also comes down to the community effort.
"The outcomes are going to be the responsibility of us as a community to make sure change occurs, but the person responsible is me,” said Mayor Antaraniam.
Antaraniam announced a series of listening sessions that will provide the city with thoughts and suggestions on how to move forward.
“If we are not listening to what the people have to say, we are doomed to fail,” says Antaraniam.
Beginning on Sunday, Sept. 20, there will be four listening sessions, each for two hours.
Outside the news conference Monday were a number of residents and business owners, some of whom simply say they want to see transparency.
“Including the neighborhood, including the community,” said a business owner. “A lot of mental health stuff needs to be done, and fixing the area. Making sure that Kenosha is a loving area. It looks like a war zone, but it never was like that.”
“I need safety,” said Alvin Owens, longtime Kenosha resident and business owner. “I need to know that we can trust our Kenosha Police Department to do the right thing and make great decisions on behalf of our people and themselves.”
While the police department didn’t have a representative at the news conference, Mayor Antaraniam said they too will be attending the meetings, along with clergy members, local leaders, and Dr. Dominique Pritchett, a clinical psychologist.
“At those listening sessions, it is our utter goal to have fair and equal representation because no one is better than anyone when we talk about healing,” says Dr. Pritchett. “We cannot talk about healing unless we zero in on mental wellness and mental health.”
Mayor Antanariam also said he will be including funding for body cameras for the police department in his 2021 budget, as well as allocating funds for police training.
Watch the full news conference below: