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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Violence prompted by an officer fatally shooting a black man in Milwaukee proves the U.S. government's efforts to curb poverty have failed, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Thursday.
Johnson, a Republican locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Russ Feingold, appeared at a downtown Milwaukee luncheon as Wisconsin's largest city grapples with the aftermath of two nights of unrest this past weekend.
The violence began Saturday after an officer shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith during a foot chase on the city's impoverished, predominantly black northwest side. Police Chief Ed Flynn said the officer fired after Smith turned toward him with a gun in his hand. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has identified Dominique Heaggan as the black officer who shot Smith.
Violence broke out hours after the shooting, with demonstrators burning six businesses, hurling rocks at police and firing gunshots. The next evening saw protesters again throw rocks and other objects at officers. More than 30 people were arrested and multiple officers were injured over the weekend.
Johnson said the shooting sparked anger among inner city residents who have grown tired of living in poverty for decades. That shows costly government programs to help lift up poor people have failed, trapping people in "a cycle of poverty, dependency and despair" and making them dependent on government, he said.
"(The riots have been) literally decades in the making," Johnson said. "It's the fact that well-intentioned programs didn't work. The war on poverty didn't work. ... We didn't alleviate poverty. We've exacerbated it."
He condemned the violence, saying it could deter businesses from moving into Milwaukee. Johnson said people should support police officers, who are forced to deal with "social pathologies" and "erupting hopelessness."
The solution lies in faith-based community programs that connect people with jobs one person at a time, he said, pointing to Project Joseph, a program his aides helped develop that transports Milwaukee residents to jobs in Sheboygan County.
Johnson's appearance came two days after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump accused Democrats of exacerbating crime and failing blacks during a visit to West Bend, a predominantly Republican city west of Milwaukee. Johnson, who didn't attend a Trump appearance in Green Bay earlier this month citing scheduling conflicts, didn't address Trump's remarks in West Bend and went on to pivot between a host of other issues.
Johnson said he agrees with Trump on the big things such as growing the economy and appointing Supreme Court justices who will uphold gun rights.
Feingold spokesman Michael Tyler said in an email that Johnson's remarks show he's in lockstep with Trump and he wants only to protect multimillionaires and billionaires.
Asked whether he agreed with Trump's call for extreme vetting of immigrants, Johnson said he doesn't want a blanket ban on anyone. However, immigrants should be fully vetted and they should pledge loyalty to the U.S. Constitution to ensure they don't try to impose Sharia law, he said.
He also decried what he called the "higher education cartel," saying colleges need to embrace the internet as a way to deliver instruction to more students cheaply, reducing their costs and student debt. He also said he prefers job certifications to diplomas.
Johnson ousted Feingold from the Senate in 2010, ending Feingold's 18-year career in Washington. A Marquette University Law School poll released last week showed Feingold ahead by 6 points among registered voters and 11 points among likely voters.
Johnson said Thursday that Feingold has accomplished nothing during his tenure in Washington and blasted him for not being aware of rampant prescription drug abuse at the Tomah VA Medical Center. The issue has been a hot one in their race, with each candidate accusing the other of not doing enough to stop the abuses.
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