Did you know that the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) plans to acquire licenses for Facial Recognition Technology (FRT)? Facial recognition uses AI technology and biometric data to identify human faces against a database of faces. The MPD plans to trade 2.5 million mugshots for “free” licenses from the software company Biometrica. FRT threatens everyone’s personal privacy and civil liberties. It is a racially biased technology that has a high percentage of misidentifying Black, AAPI, and nonbinary people. 

If you reside in the City of Milwaukee, we encourage you to contact your alderperson and Mayor Johnson and urge them to ban the Milwaukee Police Department’s current and future use of Facial Recognition Technology. With the permission of the Milwaukee Turners, we are sharing sample call and email scripts that can be used to contact your alderperson and the Mayor. 

To learn more about the Mass Incarceration Committee, contact Emily Sterk at e.sterk@lwvmilwaukee.org

Local Action - Our League supports the installation of EV charging stations in County Parks. Contact your County Supervisor to support installation in our County Parks.

Addressing climate change is an all-on-board approach. EV charging stations will not only help address climate change but also help protect both our County Parks and Lake Michigan from the devastating impacts of climate change. 

On Sept 9, the Lakefront Development Advisory Commission passed a measure in support of installing 4 EV charging stations in an existing parking lot of Veterans Park. The measure will go to a Milwaukee County Committee and, if supported, will go on to the County Board of Supervisors. Some are concerned about the installation in Veterans Park; the LWVMC believes those concerns should be carefully considered yet remain subordinate to addressing climate change. There is no planet B!

Federal Action - 2009 Endangerment Finding - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine submitted a comment regarding the EPA’s proposed changes to the Endangerment Finding. They state that the wealth of studies amassed by the scientific community since the Endangerment Finding was released conclude that the evidence that emissions endanger human health is “beyond scientific dispute” and “has only grown stronger.” The comment submission deadline was September 22nd. 

LGBTQ+  Fact of the Week: Why is the “L” first?

The "L" in LGBTQ+ comes first to honor lesbians' historical activism, particularly their significant role as caregivers during the AIDS crisis, and to ensure their visibility within the movement. This ordering was a deliberate choice for recognition and inclusivity, continuing as the acronym expanded.

LGBTQ+ Update on legislation:

Legislation targeting pride flags was introduced and passed in the Wisconsin State Assembly on September 12. To learn the status of relevant bills, go to the Fair Wisconsin Bill Tracker. Here is a link to an article on this legislation: urbanmilwaukee.com/2025/09/12

To stay informed about legislation affecting LGBTQ+ rights, Fair Wisconsin’s website has a Bill Tracker:  fairwisconsin.com/bills-to-watch

To learn more about the LGBTQ+ Rights Committee, contact Kaye Vance at k.vance@lwvmilwaukee.org

Money, Politics and the First Amendment

Friday, October 3, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

UW-Madison Law School

975 Bascom Mall, Room 2260 Madison, WI 53706

In-Person and Virtual Register here.

The State Democracy Research Initiative invites you to attend “Money, Politics, and the First Amendment” with a reception to follow. This event will take place in-person in room 2260 in the UW Law School, with the option to attend virtually. The panel will focus on the impacts of increasingly expensive elections, and the tension between campaign finance regulation and free speech. There will be an in-person reception to follow. Our panelists will include Attorney Benjamin Ginsberg (Hoover Institution), Attorney Saurav Ghosh (Campaign Legal Center), Professor Raymond La Raja (UMass Amherst, Political Science), and Professor Abby Wood (USC Gould School of Law), with Professor Barry Burden (UW-Madison, Political Science) moderating.

Waukesha County Volunteer Coordinator for VOTE411 Needed

VOTE411 is a nonpartisan online voter guide provided by the League of Women Voters Education Fund. In order to produce this guide for all voters, LWV needs lots of help! Community volunteers contact municipal or school board clerks to get candidate information.

Community Volunteer Coordinators for Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties work with volunteers and with clerks to collect this information and to relay it to tech team volunteers who post candidates and their contact information to the system. The League invites the candidates to participate in the online voter guide and answer questions important to their constituents. The candidates respond to our questions on the VOTE411 site.

We need a Waukesha County Volunteer Coordinator for VOTE411!  Experience with VOTE411 is helpful, whether as a community volunteer or otherwise, but not essential. If you are interested or want more information, please contact Beth Lueck at b.lueck@lwvmilwaukee.org

Date:  Wednesday, October 1

Time:  4:30 - 6:00 pm

Location: Near Main St & W. Bluemound Rd

Trump’s attack on dissent is escalating. He’s suing media organizations, bullying networks into taking comedians off the air, deploying troops to cities, extorting law firms, and weaponizing the government against Trump’s political enemies.

But we’re not giving up! Regardless of news cycle distractions, we will be there to remind all passersby, Donald Trump, and his administration that we will NEVER accept the authoritarian takeover of our government.

By demonstrating we not only affirm our own values, but we also build solidarity, give supporters who pass by hope, and let everyone else know we aren’t going away.

Resistance is not much without persistence and the impression we make does matter. Stand with us again on October 1.

The Milwaukee Turners are excited to announce that Alec Karakatsanis, author of Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News, will be joining us for a Vel Phillips Forum on Wednesday, October 8. Registration is now open here.