Crime Engulfs Milwaukee

The rash of armed robberies in Bay View and on the far south side of Milwaukee continues unabated.

And true to form, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel does a half-assed job of reporting.

Please excuse my language, but it's ridiculous that they don't provide descriptions of the suspects of these crimes.

Today's examples --

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Gas station clerk punched, robbed

A gas station clerk lost teeth when he was punched in the face by a suspect who grabbed cash from a register and fled from a strong-arm robbery on the city's south side yesterday.

Milwaukee police said the suspect had a scarf over his face when he asked for cigarettes at the Citgo Quik Pik, 1213 E. Howard Ave., about 12:50 p.m.

The suspect punched the clerk, 49, in the face when the victim opened the cash register.

Police are still seeking the suspect.


UPDATE: Clerk lost teeth escaping robbery

A clerk at the Citgo gas station at 1213 E. Howard Ave. who was fleeing from an armed robber, slipped, hit her face on the counter and knocked out some teeth, police said Monday.

The woman was treated at an area hospital, according to police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz. Initial reports were that the clerk was a male and had been injured by a punch from the suspect.

She said at 12:49 p.m. Sunday, a man armed with a screw driver or blunt object entered the station and asked for cigarettes. He then jumped over the counter. The employee ran and slipped, hitting her head and knocking out some teeth, Schwartz said.

The suspect fled the scene, she said.

Obviously, the initial report had some factual errors.

Was the correction due to JS reporting or Anne E. Schwartz calling The JS to clear up the confusion?

It doesn't matter.

The police spokeswoman spoke with a JS reporter about the robbery.

What about the facts regarding the suspect's appearance?

All we know is that he was male. The first inaccurate report says that he had a scarf covering his face.

That wouldn't hide the suspect's race, his weight, or his height.

Surely there must be more details that could be made available to the public.

Their reports are always short on specifics. It's a disservice to the community to keep their news briefs so inexcusably brief.

Within just seven days, The Journal Sentinel reported FOUR ARMED ROBBERIES in the same vicinity, an area of the city that had been relatively free of such crimes.

Bella's Fat Cat

Perkins Family Restaurant

Shell Station

Citgo Station

These armed robberies took place in the span of one week!

Go back a few more weeks and the list gets longer.

There is a serious outbreak of crime.

What's being done about it?

Has Police Chief Nan Hegerty deployed additional officers to patrol the area?

What's Mayor Tom Barrett doing? Whining about better gun legislation?

What's Governor Jim Doyle doing? I know he's preoccupied with his casino woes and Dennis Troha. I guess he's too busy to be bothered with the disintegration of his state's largest city.

Everyday it gets worse. The list grows.

It's a tragedy that formerly safe, peaceful, desirable neighborhoods to raise a family have become crime-ridden.

The good, law-abiding people will flee these areas and leave the city, putting their property tax dollars into the coffers of communities in the suburbs and the ex-burbs.

Milwaukee will continue its downward spiral into chaos.

It's a lost cause.

One can never completely escape the threat of crime while remaining in an area populated with more people than moose; but it's definitely time to abandon the city.

Given the situation at Mayfair Mall, I think it's time to abandon Milwaukee County.