A deep look at the Proud Boys, hate and bias in Wisconsin, and more
Welcome to our selective roundup of news stories we think Wisconsin residents, or people who care about the state, need to know about.
Of note: We offer a series of stories that are particularly resonant today. Our latest Documenting Hate story, reported for the Center and Wisconsin Public Radio by Alexandra Hall, traces the rise of a new, anti-feminism, pro-’Western values’ group, the Proud Boys. And the Center’s former reporting fellow, Mukhtar Ibrahim, discusses his story on the rise in hate and bias incidents in Wisconsin on WPR’s Central Time.
WisconsinWeekly is produced by us, Andy and Dee J. Hall, a couple who founded the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Andy is the executive director and Dee is the managing editor.
Controversial Proud Boys embrace ‘Western values,’ reject feminism and political correctness
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism – Nov. 26, 2017
Our latest report with Wisconsin Public Radio explores the controversial Proud Boys men’s group and its new chapter in Wisconsin. The pro-Trump, anti-feminist group believes there are 10 ways to “save America,” including venerating the housewife, closing down borders to illegal immigrants and declaring “the West is the best.” Listen to reporter Alexandra Hall tell the story on WPR.
Rise in hate and bias incidents in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio: Central Time – Nov. 15, 2017
Our former reporting fellow, Mukhtar Ibrahim, speaks on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time about his recent story for our Documenting Hate series, which found a rise in hate and bias incidents across Wisconsin.
Hmong women told to ‘speak the language’ by customer at Appleton Walmart on Black Friday
Post-Crescent – Nov. 27, 2017
In another bias-related incident, a woman speaking to her mother in Hmong was approached by a stranger at an Appleton Walmart and told: “If you live here in America, speak the language.” A video of the verbal altercation was shared on Facebook about 3,800 times and viewed over 300,000 times.
Impact of childhood trauma reaches rural Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Nov. 30, 2017
ACE scores, a way of measuring adverse childhood experiences, are much higher in Wisconsin’s rural counties than in other counties. An ACE score of 4 or above is correlated with a higher likelihood of depression, drug abuse and other health problems, which are all growing epidemics for Wisconsin’s rural working poor. Earlier, from WCIJ: Focus on traumatic childhood helps victims heal and succeed
Trade worries led Wisconsin mill town to Trump. It’s still uneasy.
The New York Times – Nov. 24, 2017
In Neenah and other blue-collar areas across the Midwest, Donald Trump’s campaign promise to bring back jobs from overseas helped swing the typically Democratic regions to Republican in the presidential election. Now, concerns over the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the possibility of a trade war loom as factory and mills continue to shrink or shut down.
Flight risk
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Nov. 24, 2017
In a special report, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveals that the United States lacks a national plan to deal with infectious diseases on airplanes, despite several incidents over the past 15 years that link air travel to the spread of communicable disease.