Wisconsin Gov. Evers Receives "Safer Communities Champion Award"; Governor's Office Lists Violence Prevention Investments
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers received the "Safer Communities Champion Award" at the fourth annual Emergency Gun Violence Summit in Milwaukee, his office announced on October 13. The award, presented by Forward Latino President Darryl Morrin, recognized Evers' violence prevention work and last year's creation of the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention, the first statewide office of its kind. The summit was hosted by Forward Latino and the 80% Coalition.
Evers said that as a father and grandfather who is also a governor, he has never and will never accept violence, including gun violence, as a foregone reality, and pledged to keep investing in prevention.
The release also noted a statewide "Real Love is Respect" campaign launched earlier this month with the Milwaukee Bucks during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, backed by $200,000 from the administration, and last week's ribbon cutting for the new Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility in southeastern Wisconsin — housing the Milwaukee Crime Lab, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office and the county Office of Emergency Management — for which Evers secured $138 million, joined by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
According to the release, the administration has invested more than $100 million in federal ARPA funds in community safety and violence prevention, including $6.6 million for the Medical College of Wisconsin's Violence Prevention Project and $10.4 million in competitive grants through it (10 communities and organizations selected in June 2023), $8 million for the City of Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention, $20 million for VOCA grant recipients, $10 million under 2023 Wisconsin Act 241 for violence prevention and victim services, about $19 million in statewide law-enforcement grants, nearly $20 million for Milwaukee County and City criminal justice initiatives, and more than $16 million to reduce pandemic-era case backlogs.
The release also recalled that in his first year in office Evers called a special session on gun violence proposing universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, which the legislature did not pass.
(Source: Office of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers)
Source: Office of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 威斯康星州议会大厦，Warren LeMay摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0
