Posted on 06/23/2008 9:08:31 AM PDT by Jean S
Milwaukee police said they have restored order this morning but will remain outside of the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center after a crowd awaiting free food vouchers - which never were to be distributed - became unruly this morning.
Police Department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said Vliet St., between N. 12th and N. 13th streets, is blocked, and barricades have been installed so people are able to line up around the block of the building at 1220 W. Vliet St.
"That line is pretty huge," Schwartz said. "We are going to be here for the duration."
Police responded to the building about 7 a.m. after 2,500 people lined up on the sidewalk and eventually began to block traffic in the street. A number of people had rushed the door, and some people became caught in the crush; however, there were no serious injuries, according to Schwartz.
She did not think police had made any arrests, nor were people being asked to leave.
"We want to make sure people stay here in an orderly fashion so they can get what they came to get," she said. "We're still trying to figure out why so many people showed up."
People had begun lining up at about 5 a.m.
As of 9:20 a.m., a large crowd of frustrated people remained.
Some said they heard of the reports while visiting food pantries over the weekend. Others said the word came through friends or others they know.
"It's a mess down there," said Lillie William, who arrived at 6:45 a.m. and already found a long line.
William said she lost about $150 of frozen meat when her power went out during the storms.
Residents in line said they were expecting to receive immediate help, but several said they were told it would be 30 to 60 days before they received any money or credits to their FoodShare debit cards.
Yvonne Love, a mother of three children, said she heard there would be immediate help while at a food pantry Saturday. She left the scene frustrated, talking briefly to a reporter before running to catch a bus to P.A. Staffing Service, a temporary employment agency.
"Now I have to try and get (to) a food pantry," said Love, whose children are 8, 10 and 14. "I've got to feed my kids."
At one point, 34 squad cars had been sent to the scene, according to police Lt. Anthony Boylan.
"It's bad over there, apparently," Boylan said. "They've got a lot of squads over there. Fights have been breaking out."
Information was given out that the office was giving out free food vouchers, but it was only taking applications through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for food vouchers, Boylan said.
Told of the incident in Milwaukee, a FEMA spokeswoman said the agency would not be involved with food stamp distribution and was unaware of any media reports about it in the Milwaukee area.
Eileen Force, a spokeswoman for Mayor Tom Barrett, said her understanding is that applications for general flood assistance were to be taken at the location, but somehow a rumor developed related to food stamps.
Sherrie Tussler, executive director of the Hunger Task Force, said she believed that a news release issued by Gov. Jim Doyle's office may have suggested to people that they could get food stamp aid immediately.
A news release on the governor's Web site makes clear that people who need food assistance should go to their local county to "fill out the simple, two-page application to see if they are eligible for emergency food assistance."
"The food stamp program is just not that fast," Tussler said of the application process. "Your average Joe ends up in a flood situation and thinks the help will be immediate."
Tussler said each applicant has to undergo a one-hour interview. The entire process can take as long as 30 days.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 19 counties in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee County, have been designated for the Disaster Food Stamp Program.
All told, 92 flood-struck counties in Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana have been made eligible for the program.
According to the <a href= http://www.fns.usda.gov/Disasters/response/midwest.htm>Department of Agriculture's Web site</a>: "Through (the program) people who might not ordinarily qualify for food stamps may be eligible if they have had disaster damage to their homes or expenses related to protecting their homes, or if they have lost income as a result of the disaster, or have no access to bank accounts or other resources."
Linda Spice and Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
How about spending the time in line WORKING instead?
Sounds like the local media wanted to jin up some Food Riots. Arrest them.
I can't afford to keep more than, say, $8 of chicken in my freezer.
Pretty sad. Disorderly mob demands dole.
Guess it was just a matter of time.
I'm sure that the Baptist Brotherhood has food areas set up to feed the hungry,
Ahh! you have to have a kitchen to get food stamps.
I’m sure that the Baptist Brotherhood has food areas set up to feed the hungry,
30 - 60 days can be a very long wait for a food voucher if you have lost everything to a flood, especially if the person did not have flood ins.
Why couldn’t the government just have some people truck food in? Well, that would be too easy, of course.
How about spending the time in line WORKING instead?
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I hope that is sarcasm.
This is what happens when you have free lunches.
There is no way in the world that frozen meat would go bad, or even begin to thaw out in that amount of time.
In 2000, my area was out of power, due to a storm, for 6 days. Because I also had extensive hail damage, and appliances that broke down during lightning strikes (before the power went out for good) we filed my one and only insurance claim. My insurance company also had me include the food in my refrigerator and freezer that went bad. They covered it, but that was after 6 days of no electricity, and then I think I only claimed $100.00. I had to replace the food, and submit the receipts. I wish that I would have know that the "government" would have replaced it right away, without proof!!!
Entitlement mentality run amok. I also wish the newspaper would have actually asked people (besides the $150.00 meat lady) what damages they actually endured. I bet that 98% of them didn't even live in the area of the city that did flood.
Time to open the government storehouses of Soylent Green.
It’s really too bad if people made the decision not to buy flood insurance.
Sounds like these people don’t work.
Why do you hope that comment about working is sarcasm?
Look at the pictures. A lot of people standing in line are overweight. It doesn’t look like they’ve been missing any meals. A job might help them lose weight.
After I looked at the pictures I doubt these people were affected by the floods.
Why do you hope that comment about working is sarcasm?
Look at the pictures. A lot of people standing in line are overweight. It doesn’t look like they’ve been missing any meals. A job might help them lose weight.
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WHAT?
I’m fat, and guess what, I work.
And if a storm came and wiped out your ability to go to the Walmart and buy food, or COOK it, or even get to your job because of FLOODS, you mean you would think it’s ok for people to say ‘Get a job’?
I’m astounded. I mean absolutely astounded by you and the other person who said ‘get a job’ while standing in line for FOOD FOR THEIR KIDS from a natural disaster.
Um, please don’t tell me this is FR’s stance on this. I might have to rethink my party affiliation.
Seriously.
God help you if you are ever in this situation. I mean that, I will pray you don’t have the same response you are giving others.
Missing a few meals because they are fat?
Hunger is hunger.
This is beyond pathetic.
Noone ever better quote scripture to me around here again.
30 - 60 days can be a very long wait for a food voucher if you have lost everything to a flood, especially if the person did not have flood ins.
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Flood insurance isn’t going to give your 6 month old access to formula when the stores are closed.
But maybe they should just get a job or work while standing in line. Or maybe their babies should go hungry because they are fat.
(Sorry, not directed at you, just astonishment at this thread)
Flood insurance isn’t going to give your 6 month old access to formula when the stores are closed.
But maybe they should just get a job or work while standing in line. Or maybe their babies should go hungry because they are fat.
After I looked at the pictures I doubt these people were affected by the floods.
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Why would think that?
Most of the people here on FR are conservatives and will never be in that situation so you don't have to worry about us.
Most of us are self reliant. We keep supplies on hand in case there is just such an emergency - especially those of us with children to care for. We keep bottled water, canned food, and medical supplies on hand. Those of us who live near rivers buy flood insurance. We have jobs and we don't stand around for 5 hours waiting for handouts.
These people do not look like they have been missing any meals. Where are the Food Police or Weight Police?
What a breath of fresh air you are. I have never seen so many superior, smug people in one place as I’ve seen here on Free Republic lately. It’s easy to criticize and belittle people when you’re not the one being affected by circumstances beyond your control. And all of these judgements of people are made with no knowledge whatsoever of the facts involved. Thanks for posting.
Um, please don’t tell me this is FR’s stance on this. I might have to rethink my party affiliation.
Most of the people here on FR are conservatives and will never be in that situation so you don’t have to worry about us.
Most of us are self reliant. We keep supplies on hand in case there is just such an emergency - especially those of us with children to care for. We keep bottled water, canned food, and medical supplies on hand. Those of us who live near rivers buy flood insurance. We have jobs and we don’t stand around for 5 hours waiting for handouts.
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That’s nice. I hope this is true.
There was limited flooding in Milwaukee. Some homes along the Lincoln Creek were damaged, but that doesn’t account for the flood of people at the welfare office. Most of the damage was basement flooding.
The more severe flooding was in suburban areas and there hasn’t been any rioting in the burbs.
Thank you.
Were you going to make a Chicken McNugget out of that?
The flooding in Milwaukee was relatively minor. No stores were closed and only a few homes had more than a few feet of water in the basement.
There are areas with severe flooding that is causing real hardship, but that didn’t happen in the inner city of Milwaukee.
Thank you.
Not only am I shocked by my fellow consertatives who spout scripture and judge people who are gay based on SCRIPTURE, but I am also sad because I am a human and these are humans. And the attitude is totally NONCHRISTIAN. Would Jesus stand behind someone who is hungry, or has hungry kids and say “Get a job” while they are in the middle of a crisis? Yes, teach a man to fish, but charity is the heart of it. Not “You could stand to miss a few meals”. The callousness is what saddens me more than anything. And not just one goober, but a whole thread full!
I am not for a welfare state, but this is a natural disaster for God sake. And even if these people’s homes weren’t destroyed, the areas are. Trucks can’t easily get in and out of some areas delivering food to stores to buy.
Even the richy riches on FR might find themselves in a pickle and their money won’t help a damn bit.
As an insurance agent, I hope you are relying on Flood insurance to help you eat anytime after a natural disaster.
Your kids are going to be hungry by the time the funds roll around.
Why aren’t they down by the river with those 70 year old ladies filling sand bags?
The more severe flooding was in suburban areas and there hasn’t been any rioting in the burbs.
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Have you ever been near a flood? Roads into and out of towns are closed, BLOCKING DELIVERY TRUCKS.
Stores are closed because electricity, if it is even on, is preventing businesses from allowing entry due to insurance/shock risk. STORES ARE CLOSED.
We had flooding for 2 days here in Georgia in 1993, it took WEEKS for some areas to open up. That was rurally where there were outside routes around the roads. Inner cities would have it much tougher.
Your probably off by 2 percent.
In 1998, in the dead of winter, Maine experienced an ice storm of biblical proportions. Some people were without power for six weeks. In cold, cold Maine.
No riots ensued, Mainers helped one another out and got through it.
I hate to say this.....but I agree with you. Wisconsin is a welfare state. The article even stated that they would have to wait for the extra to be added to their usual FoodShare debit cards. This means that most.....if not all are already "in the system".
I've worked with quite a few welfare Moms who hit just about every food pantry within a 100 mi radius. One house I visited had dry/canned foods stacked to the ceiling and in every square inch of the place. I was astonished. There was no way her family could have eaten even a fourth of the food she stocked. The 12 yr old daughter explained that "Mom sells the extras to her brothers/sisters for half price so we can have spending money". She was running a mini-mart out of her living room/kitchen.
You want to know what makes me sadder, is I have a sneaky suspicion most of these comments are due to the race of the people standing in line.
I can’t be sure of someone’s heart, and I’m sure I’ll get denials, but I really wonder.
Wow, did anyone happen to notice those little signy thingy’s???? Could it be ROAD CLOSINGS?????
Holy Cow! No kidding.
Another Socialist run city.
Se my post #41. I don’t think I saw any of the people standing in line in the video.
In 1996 we lost power for a few days due to a Hurricane. After the first 24 hours, it was obvious the power would be out for awhile. Rather than let all the refrigerated/frozen food go to waste, we got together with some of the neighbors and had an amazing cookout!
Wow! Did not a single white person’s home get damaged? How lucky for them, or maybe it’s just that Milwaukee doesn’t have any white people?
“I have a sneaky suspicion most of these comments are due to the race of the people standing in line.”
See those two cops to the right? White, right?
That’s `the man’ keeping them down!
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