Dreshawn L. Lewis

Two-month-old Dreshawn L. Lewis can be added to the growing list of fatal child abuse cases in Milwaukee County.

Zully Jasmine Antonio-Velazquez
Lamour Caesar-Burnley
Jaiden Eiland
Lola Lieb
Christopher Thomas Jr.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A 2-month-old boy who was shaken last weekend died Wednesday, according to Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.

Dreshawn L. Lewis' death is being investigated as a homicide, Schwartz said in an e-mail. The police department is preparing to send the case to the district attorney's office for possible charges against a female, Schwartz said.

Schwartz did not release the female's age or explain her relationship to Dreshawn.

Another baby is dead at the hands of his caregiver.

Whose fault is it? Is the economy to blame?

Police Chief Ed Flynn and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett held a news conference on Thursday to draw attention to the dramatic rise in domestic violence and the jump in homicides.

Milwaukee police say the declining economy has had a direct impact on homicide numbers, which show an increase in domestic violence and child abuse deaths.

..."We have families in crisis," police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said today. "Chief Flynn wants to let people know this is occurring and there are resources to help."

Milwaukee has reported 17 homicides so far in 2009, compared with 14 by this date in 2008. Exactly how many are related to domestic issues is expected to be presented at the afternoon news conference, according to Schwartz.

In November, Flynn spoke at a meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police about how the impact of the recession would first be seen in stressed families, in the form of increased domestic violence and child abuse.

Police officials note that the city's first quarter homicide numbers bear that out and Flynn adds, "We are sounding the alarm."

Flynn also recently noted in a public service announcement on local radio stations, "We all have a role to play as models and protectors of our children. Act like a child's life depends on you. Because it does."

From the Associated Press:

Forty percent of the homicides in Milwaukee so far this year have been related to domestic violence. That's compared to 21 percent last year and not more than 10 percent in the decade before.

Police Chief Edward Flynn and Mayor Tom Barrett are urging community members to be alert to signs of abuse and proactive in preventing it.

Flynn says putting more police on the street can't change what happens in homes. And once police get involved, the damage is already done. He urged families to get parental coaching.

...Flynn couldn't say for sure whether the increase was caused by the recession but believes they're related, since at-risk families feel economic pressures first.

So Flynn and Barrett are blaming the jump in domestic violence on the economy, but Flynn says he can't say for sure that's the cause, meaning he has no empirical data to back up his theory. Nonetheless, Flynn believes there's a relation between the violence and the economic turmoil. Barrett is on board with the explanation.

I think it's irresponsible to cite a cause for something without being able to verify that it is, in fact, the cause.

While it would make sense that economic pressures could lead to stress that might manifest itself in domestic violence and a rise in homicides, I think Flynn and Barrett and the media need to be careful about putting too much emphasis on the economy and not enough on the individual.

There's no excuse for shaking a baby to death. NONE.

No economic pressure is great enough to push good parents so far over the edge that they kill their children.

No excuses.