msdfWATCH

What is msdfWATCH?
It’s a project of the #CLOSEmsdf Coalition designed to provide much needed oversight of the officials in charge of revocations in Milwaukee. We are systematically collecting stories of revocations and linking them back to the specific Parole and Probation Officers and Administrative Law Judges responsible for them. If you would like to add to the archive, please email us at MKErevocations@gmail.com or call (262) 320-7729.

Participant’s identities will be protected.
If contributing a story please choose one of these options:

1. Coded response: we will listen to your story and convert it to general statements such as “frivolous revocation”, “disrespectful treatment”, “lost job”, “missed important family event”, etc. This way the officials cannot track it back to individuals.
2. Detailed story: we will transcribe or copy/paste your story and tell it in the words you tell us, but not include your name. Use caution if you’re on supervision. Too much detail might allow your PO to determine your identity and retaliate.
3. Full disclosure: we can include your name with your detailed story, this has more credibility and allows us and reporters to follow up with you, but also puts you at high risk for retaliation. Not recommended for people currently on supervision or likely to be targeted by police.

We will not share any information without your permission. The email service we use (google) has given information to the police on request so please do not include anything legally incriminating about yourself or others, as we can only guarantee our respect for your privacy, not google’s.

Please let us know which of the three above-mentioned methods you prefer. If you do not specify we will choose the most secure “coded response” option. Also, please include  the name of your Administrative Law Judge and/or Parole/Probation officer. The goal of this project is individualized oversight of these officials. For your story, feel free to speak off the cuff, or use these questions as a guide:

1. Who revoked you?
2. What reason did they give?
3. Do you suspect they have ulterior motives?
4. How did officials treat you or talk to you during the proceedings?
5. Were there any extra consequences negatively impacting your job, your family, your property, etc?
6. Did you spend time at MSDF? If so, what did you experience there?

Why are we doing this?
Wisconsin has a crimeless revocation problem. Tax payers spend over $36,000 a year re-incarcerating people in atrocious conditions at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF). Tearing people out of their communities and traumatizing them at MSDF does not make communities safer, in fact, it has the opposite effect. Adding stress, disruption and state violence to a struggling community will only drive up the desperation of community members, increasing the number of people who resort to harmful acts. MSDF and crimeless revocations make Milwaukee less safe.

We want to combat this harmful trend by collecting stories of why people are revoked, the consequences of their revocations and connecting them back to the officials doing the revoking. We believe that this practice will deter frivolous revocations and protect our community members.

How are we doing it?
Contributors can email us at MKErevocations@gmail.com or by calling (262) 320-7729. Please name the PO and / or Admin Law Judge involved in your revocation and clearly choose one of the above reporting options: “coded response”, “detailed story” or “full disclosure”. Send us written accounts, video and audio files, or just call and leave a voice mail. Give us your contact information so we can follow up if we have questions. We will not share your name unless you explicitly tell us to.

We will solicit stories at our monthly pickets, through the CLOSEmsdf.org website and Facebook group, and at other community events.

What will we do with the stories?

We will compile and archive them on the msdfWATCH page on the CLOSEmsdf.org site, we might quote from them on the Expo Radio show or at press conferences and events. We might also confront POs and Admin Law Judges directly, demanding that they explain and justify their harmful behavior.