Milwaukee: Vigil Against Hate remembers victims of mass shootings

Milwaukee, WI – On August 5, a variety of non-profit and local religious organizations hosted a Vigil Against Hate, in remembrance of those killed in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; Gilroy, California; El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made an appearance, along with a few other local politicians. Around 100 people showed up to the vigil to express solidarity with victims of white supremacist violence, which is impressive given the fact that the event was organized in 24 hours.

Most notably, there was a large Sikh presence; many of them being previous victims of white supremacist violence in 2012. The solidarity of oppressed nationality groups who are often subject to white supremacist violence spoke far louder than the empty promises and slogans promoted by the non-profit organizations and aspiring politicians.

As election season is beginning to ramp up, it is no surprise that there was a large presence of newer non-profit organizations such as Forward Latino and Everytown running the show. While there was mention of the fight against white supremacy, most speakers glossed over this and chose to focus on gun control.

The shooting in El Paso is incredibly relevant to Milwaukee, as there is a Nazi student on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s campus who has threatened to shoot up the school.

“Per usual, UW-Milwaukee refuses to take action, even when the student paraded a poster with a swastika on it, advocating for gassing Jewish people,” said Ramone Santana, a student at UWM who attended the vigil.

“Instead, Grae Hosmanek, a student who decided to take the Nazi’s sign and rip it in half, is being charged with vandalism and threatened with suspension,” he continued.

Young People’s Resistance Committee, a student and community organization focusing primarily on issues involving immigrant rights, is hosting an event to support Grae and demand that the charges she’s facing be dropped. Young People’s Resistance Committee will be meeting outside of the Milwaukee County Courthouse by the fountain at 1:30 p.m. on September 27.