Alex Ayala, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, cited concerns on Sept. 2 about staffing and the union’s inability to combat violence. The apprehension stems from an increase in “street takeovers” in Milwaukee which comes as a major concern for both officer and community safety as well as a lack of contract resolution.
However, Ayala’s proposed solution was not to advocate for more police funding, improving equipment, striking or providing officers with more employment benefits. Instead, he wants to call upon the Trump Administration to bring the National Guard to the streets of Milwaukee to set up security checkpoints across the city and have troops in uniform patrolling streets to deter crime.
This is an illogical decision, though, because as of Sept. 3, crime in Milwaukee is lower than it was at the start of the summer.
Since the beginning of August, only rape, burglary and non-fatal shootings have increased, with the rest seeing meaningful reductions.
Other than that, the Part I offenses saw decreases in occurrence ranging from 7% to upwards of 46%. These statistics do not appear to match the stories being told about Milwaukee. Even looking over the past week, crime has been at an extremely low rate, with reports maxing out at just 62 incidents across the entire city.
With crime being on the downturn in the city, why is Ayala calling for the National Guard to be brought into the city? It appears to be a political move.
Vice President JD Vance was in La Crosse, Wisconsin Aug. 28 to advocate for the Big Beautiful Bill and its promise to bring American steel manufacturing back to the state.
However, when questioned about whether the administration would consider bringing troops into the city – something of particular importance surrounding the potential of troop deployments in Chicago – Vance said he would want the troops to be welcomed into the city as opposed to sent.
It is not a surprise that a powerful individual in Milwaukee politics, such as Ayala, is now advocating for the deployment of National Guard troops in Milwaukee after Vance’s speech.
To put things bluntly, there is little that the National Guard would accomplish. From multiple perspectives, this is a horrible idea for Milwaukee, especially since crime is already decreasing in the city.
These “street takeovers” Ayala cited involved civilians setting off fireworks and performing burnouts in the middle of intersections while surrounded by large groups of people. In the end, only 15 calls were made alongside just three arrests, six towed vehicles and 26 traffic citations. While these actions are dangerous, they are far from worthy of National Guard deployment.
Additionally, advocating for using the National Guard to supplement officers during a union contract dispute is appalling. Keeping the National Guard in Milwaukee will cost taxpayers millions for however long they are here. For an issue that is already slowly resolving on its own, there is no reason to send in these troops for any other reason than to show power over citizens.
Authoritarian regimes have long been known to send federal troops, secret or not, onto their citizens to remind them of their subservience. This one is no different. By sending troops into Milwaukee, the Trump Administration would be proving the lengths they would go to consolidate federal power.
Fear and intimidation at the waste of taxpayer dollars is not a responsible use of federal funds nor the uniform of the United States military.
This article was written by Lexi Childers. She can be reached at [email protected]
