A Wisconsin state lawmaker released a statement on Wednesday titled “Murder, Mayhem and Jobs,” in which he essentially blames Milwaukee’s Black residents for the state’s woes.
Amidst the recent news that Wisconsin’s workforce development agency said it received notices of more than 10,100 layoffs in 2015, the highest amount since Gov. Scott Walker took office five years ago, Republican Rep. Bob Gannon penned a press releasing addressing Democrats. He said Milwaukee is “the anchor holding back the ship of state as far as jobs [are] concerned.” Of last year’s layoff notices, 37 percent came out of the Milwaukee area.
He attributes the layoffs to the surge in gun violence in the city, which has a Democratic mayor, and unemployed Black residents, instead of anything having to do with the state government.
