Blogging Blue

Meg Jones of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported yesterday that in December 2006, Deputy Thomas Hutchins was ordered by a Milwaukee County circuit judge not to phone or threaten his former wife, Mary Hutchins, and to stay at least 200 feet away from her and her home. While the fact that Deputy Hutchins is the subject of a Harassment Restraining Order is certainly newsworthy, I’d just like to note I reported that fact a day earlier than Meg Jones.

This is the first time I’ve “broken” something newsworthy, and while it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it still makes me feel good to know I broke part of a story before the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputy is being held this afternoon on a possible charge of attempted homicide in connection with a double shooting last night that wounded a 31 year-old woman and her 12 year-old neighbor, according to police reports. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting Thomas D. Hutchins, a 12-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, remains in police custody and is expected to be booked into the Milwaukee County Jail this afternoon. Arrest logs from the Milwaukee Police Department indicate Hutchins allegedly shot the woman and her neighbor during - or immediately after - a domestic dispute.

What I’d like to know is whether Deputy Hutchins used his service weapon to shoot the two victims, and I’d also be curious to know if Deputy Hutchins has a history of domestic violence. A quick search on CCAP shows a Harassment Restraining Order was issued against a Thomas Hutchins, and curiously enough, the HRO was issued without a firearms restriction, which seems more than a little odd to me, unless the Thomas Hutchins in question is in fact the same Thomas Hutchins involved in this shooting.

Further, if the Thomas Hutchins of the HRO is the same individual involved in this shooting, then I’d love to hear what action, if any, was taken by the Deputy’s superiors in response to the HRO. After all, logic would dictate a Sheriff’s Deputy would come under scrutiny if a Harassment Restraining Order were issued against said deputy. Obviously I hope the victims are going to be okay, and while Deputy Hutchins is innocent until proven guilty, I hope that if he is found guilty he’s punished to the fullest extent of the law.

It’s been a bad couple of days for the Milwaukee Police Department. First came reports that a Barack Obama poster was found defaced in a Milwaukee Police district station, reports that are disturbing on many levels:

Police chief Edward Flynn launched an internal investigation and issued a strong rebuke after a Barack Obama poster with a bullet drawn near his head turned up on a table in the District 5 police station.

Flynn learned of the defaced poster on Thursday, according to a release issued late Friday afternoon.

The Professional Performance Division within the department has been directed to investigate and the department also notified the U.S. Secret Service about what could be construed as a threat against the president-elect.

Unclear from the police statement is the location of the table, and whether the area is accessible to the general public or restricted to police only.

The release also does not state directly that a police officer or commander is suspected of drawing the bullet, but Flynn’s statement suggests that belief.

Obviously I can’t speak to what message the individual who defaced the Obama poster was seeking to convey, but it seems to me the message is one of obvious dislike of Obama and perhaps even a threat against Obama. I’m not necessarily disappointed that someone chose to exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech to express their political beliefs - after all, that is their right - but I’m disappointed a police officer working in Milwaukee’s Fifth District would choose to exercise their right to free speech in a manner that would paint the Milwaukee Police Department in a bad light. It shows a stunning lack of good judgment and common sense on the part of whomever chose to deface the Obama poster, and I can only hope it turns out the individual in question isn’t a Milwaukee Police officer.

Also making news are reports a Milwaukee Police officer has been formally charged with beating his wife:

A criminal complaint issued Thursday charges Patrick M. Fuhrman, 33, with substantial battery, a felony with a maximum penalty of up to a $10,000 fine and imprisonment for 3 ½ years.

According to the complaint, Fuhrman assaulted the 38-year-old woman Monday at their home. She told investigators Fuhrman grabbed her by the neck with both hands and threw her to the ground, where she struck her head and cut her lip, the complaint says. Fuhrman then beat her several times on her head, according to the complaint. She was treated at a hospital.

This isn’t the first instance of a Milwaukee Police officer being involved in a domestic violence related incident, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but it seems pretty clear more needs to be done on the part of the Milwaukee Police Department to address this issue, because I know of a good number of Milwaukee Police officers who’ve been convicted of domestic violence-related charges that never made the news.

I’d like to take a moment to get off my political soapbox to voice my support for a cause near and dear to my heart. Men We Love is a photojournal book presented by the Alma Center, a community based non-profit agency in Milwaukee providing education and mentorship to men who have a history of perpetrating violence or abuse toward their intimate partner. Proceeds from sales and sponsorship of pages within the book support the mission of the Alma Center.

Men We Love celebrates “the many good men who inspire us and make us better people.” Pages in the book are purchased by family and friends as a dedication to an important man in their life, and if you know a man you love that you’d like to honor, think about sponsoring a dedication page.

On July 19, 2008, Eric Tavulares strangled his childhood sweetheart, Lauren Aljubouri. According to Milwaukee Police, Tavulares stated he and Aljubouri had been watching Natural Born Killers, and about halfway through the movie they stopped and went to bed:

“He stated he does not recall exactly what happened next,” the complaint says, “but something caused him to switch mentally and he rolled over on Lauren Aljubouri and he began strangling her.”

Within three or four minutes, Tavulares said, Aljubouri was dead.

Lauren Aljubouri’s murder is a terrible tragedy, but what struck me most about this story are reports that Eric Tavulares grew up in a house where domestic violence had become a pattern:

Early in 2005, Kathy Tavulares was back at the county courthouse asking for a temporary restraining order against Richard, whom she described as her husband. This time, she related an incident in which he had threatened to beat Eric because the boy behaved rudely.

“When stressed, he becomes violent and combative,” she wrote of Richard. “I am very concerned that he will harm me and/or my children.”

Studies have found that 30% of male child witnesses of domestic abuse become abusers as adults, and it’s unfortunate that Eric Tavulares ended up as one of those 30%. Tavulares is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 60 years in prison if convicted.

WARNING!!! The YouTube video I’ve linked to in this entry is graphically violent and includes bad language, so please don’t watch if you’re easily offended. It’s also worth noting the video I’ve embedded is approximately 21 minutes long, but it’s well worth watching every minute.

Having said that, if you’re ready, come inside for more…
Read the rest of this entry »

So says James T. Harris, one of those right-wing talking heads from over at WTMJ620. In a recent blog entry, Harris seems to equate fatherhood with slavery, with himself as slave master. Here’s what he has to say:

As some of you know, I’ve got a little girl. She is the baby of three kids and the only girl I have. That’s right, I said “have”; she is mine. My child. My girl. I own her.

She is not free to do as she pleases.

Not now, not ten years form now, not until the day that she leaves my house as a married woman, will she be “free” of me.

Do you know what that means? That means that I have a say in what she wears, eats, plays with, watches, listens to and sings along with. Every aspect of her life is and will be controlled by me. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t happen. If I don’t desire it, it will not be done. If I don’t choose him, he will not be chosen.

I am her father.

Evidently, Harris isn’t content to simply “own” his daughter; he wants to control every aspect of her life as well, including dictating who she’ll marry. Now I’m the parent of a little girl, and while I certainly worry about the decisions she’ll make when she gets older, I’m also confident that my wife and I raised her to make good decisions, as opposed to ingraining in her the belief that a man should make her decisions for her. As someone who works with domestic violence offenders and their victims, I’ve come to understand that it’s the kind of misogynistic viewpoint James T. Harris supports that allowed women to be treated as property by their husbands for so many years, even in the face of brutal abuse at the hands of their husbands, because outsiders believed women belonged to their men, and thus, had no room to complain.

As a father, I know I don’t own my daughter, but I am confident I raised her to be an independent, smart young woman who will no doubt be able to make good decisions both on her own and with the guidance and support of her parents. Evidently, James T. Harris doesn’t seem to have the same confidence in his daughter or in his abilities as a parent.

capper over at Whallah! is talking about it, and I think his entry is worth taking a look at.

And for those who are interested, here’s a link to the original entry on James T. Harris’ blog.

October is national Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As someone who’s experienced domestic violence first hand - both on a personal and professional level - I find myself thinking a lot about domestic violence in all its forms, and I challenge all six of you who read this blog to take a moment to think about domestic violence.

The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence has issued a report on a study that explores the stories behind each of the 46 domestic violence-related deaths (including 6 suicides) in the state of Wisconsin in 2005, and I’d encourage you all to take a moment to read one or two of the accounts of 34 people became domestic-violence homicide victims in Wisconsin in 2005. The accounts aren’t long, but they are both brutal and tragic, and they give readers a snapshot of what domestic violence really is.

So take a moment, click the link I’ve provided, and read the report - you’ll be glad you did.