Prominent Miller Brewing exec robbed then killed in MKE (Milwaukee: employment, crime)

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by quijote

Someone on another message board says that, according to witnesses at the scene, the victim reached inside his coat after handing over his wallet. If this is credible, the perps may have thought the victim was reaching for a gun, but it seems that he was reaching for a cell phone instead.

Indeed, I would imagine we'd all react so much differently if after a fun evening we were hopping to our car and then had the intense trauma of being attacked by thugs and robbed at gunpoint. Probably not advisable to reach for anything at all in that situation including something as harmless as a cell phone, but I can't blame him at all...I am sure he was scared beyond belief.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

This murder is sad, not only because it happened at all, but because this could cost Milwaukee dearly. Someone from Miller, a high-ranking official, isn't safe. The poorer you are, the more likely you are to be the victim of crime. Also, if this happens to a high ranking official of a major company, Miller Brewery(even in its bought-out state) might consider leaving Milwaukee. MKE has already lost other beer companies. It doesn't need to lose anymore jobs.

I agree with this pirate.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

A prominent, high-ranking Miller Brewing Co. executive was going to his car in Walker's Point at approximately 1am after hitting a local bar (for those that are not familiar, Walker's Point is a very popular nightlife spot for bars and restaurants in the trendy, growing 5th Ward area) and was robbed.

Reports are that he appears to have been cooperative in handing over his money, however, the robbers decided that the robbing wasn't enough, and shot and killed him.

Un-friggin-believable.

Un-friggin-believable is right.

On the other hand, look at how bad this problem has become everywhere. That said, Milwaukee seems to have escalated farther and faster. The statistics between Denver and Milwaukee were particularly unimpressive: Denver seems to have a significantly lower violent crime rate.

The incident in Milwaukee was labeled an "isolated incident". There was another "isolated incident" near UWM late last year, a shooting I believe. The fact that these are isolated incidents is more disturbing than if they were calculated or expected, because calculated or expected events are at least explainable and/or somewhat predictable. But anyone could be a victim of an "isolated incident". Therefore, one "isolated incident" is enough to suggest a trend in the minds of many people. Why? Because we already know that staying out of bad areas is a good way to stay safer. That means that I--and other well-heeled diners and entertainment seekers--may reconsider going to Walker's Point to enjoy some of the dining and entertainment opportunities available in that area. Why? Because we don't want to get rolled and/or killed in an "isolated incident".

I'm sure this won't kill the city. Never has, never will. But to lure business and economic stability, the city has to show not just "intent to improve", but actual improvement. So far, I haven't seen improvement, which is a shame, because the decent people of the area (majority) are going to lose because the bad people of the area (who are in the minority) are going to stand out like the proverbial sore thumb, when it comes to comparing statistics.

As a former Milwaukee resident, a now-outsider, and a future-hopeful-resident (part time at least), I am sincerely hopeful that Milwaukee wakes up and puts a lid on its obvious crime problems. Thereafter, Milwaukee can move on to recruiting business (read: money) to the area.

[mikki]

Originally Posted by quijote

Someone on another message board says that, according to witnesses at the scene, the victim reached inside his coat after handing over his wallet. If this is credible, the perps may have thought the victim was reaching for a gun, but it seems that he was reaching for a cell phone instead.

Interesting that you should mention this. My brother, who was in his early
20's at the time, was approached by a man with a gun on the streets of Columbus, OH in the mid 80's. The "buddy" he was with took off running. My bro had on a leather jacket and as he reached into it to get his wallet, the guy shot him in the foot and took off. It is possible that this guy freaked in the same way.
We'll never know, but I agree that these things can happen anywhere. Milwaukee has an awesome nightlife so maybe more people are out later than in other boring cities. Also, much of the violent crime isn't random and is drug related which means that as long as you aren't dealing or doing, you shold be fairly safe!

[Softtail_Honey]

Well, I live just outside Milwaukee and I have not read ANYTHING about reaching into his coat. This is the latest article written on The Milwaukee Channel website as posted here: Moderator cut: copyrighted article and advertisement removed

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

Un-friggin-believable is right.

On the other hand, look at how bad this problem has become everywhere. That said, Milwaukee seems to have escalated farther and faster. The statistics between Denver and Milwaukee were particularly unimpressive: Denver seems to have a significantly lower violent crime rate.

The incident in Milwaukee was labeled an "isolated incident". There was another "isolated incident" near UWM late last year, a shooting I believe. The fact that these are isolated incidents is more disturbing than if they were calculated or expected, because calculated or expected events are at least explainable and/or somewhat predictable. But anyone could be a victim of an "isolated incident". Therefore, one "isolated incident" is enough to suggest a trend in the minds of many people. Why? Because we already know that staying out of bad areas is a good way to stay safer. That means that I--and other well-heeled diners and entertainment seekers--may reconsider going to Walker's Point to enjoy some of the dining and entertainment opportunities available in that area. Why? Because we don't want to get rolled and/or killed in an "isolated incident".

I'm sure this won't kill the city. Never has, never will. But to lure business and economic stability, the city has to show not just "intent to improve", but actual improvement. So far, I haven't seen improvement, which is a shame, because the decent people of the area (majority) are going to lose because the bad people of the area (who are in the minority) are going to stand out like the proverbial sore thumb, when it comes to comparing statistics.

As a former Milwaukee resident, a now-outsider, and a future-hopeful-resident (part time at least), I am sincerely hopeful that Milwaukee wakes up and puts a lid on its obvious crime problems. Thereafter, Milwaukee can move on to recruiting business (read: money) to the area.

Agreed. Atlanta and Milwaukee have similar crime rates. Milwaukee, however, has a colder climate and the migrations are going south and west. Most businesses will not settle in colder regions nowadays unless the business is started there or if that region has a good business climate and low crime rate. Omaha has a similar climate but the low crime rate brings businesses and people. Atlanta has a mild climate(it was in the 70's today and it is
5 February, not 5 April), and a way of promoting itself. Milwaukee needs to promote itself and get its crime rate down quickly because if a prominent member of a big company gets murdered, who would want to move there?

[ministers]

It is a really tragic situation. My heart and prayers go out to all the victims families and friends. It is sad when you always have to look over your shoulder. Wherever you are, you should always be careful. Crime can occur anywhere in Wisconsin.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Crime is a major concern. It's obviously of huge concern to those who are victimized and their families. It's of concern to all of us, whether we live in the city or not. Crime cuts into the basic social contract that our society is built upon: namely, the simple notion of "live and let live." If there are people out there who will harm us through no fault of our own, then it feels like the very underpinnings of society are shaky. Crime is a subtle form of terrorism. Whether or not we're affected by it directly, we're all affected by it indirectly. We're affected by it everytime we walk to our car in the middle of the night and the thought crosses our minds that someone might be lurking there looking to rob us. We're affected by it everytime we visit a school and it feels like we're visiting a prison, complete with guards and metal detectors.

I for one refuse to be scared into submission. I live my life and go where I please whenever I please. I put my guard up a little bit more in some situations than in others. I use all five senses at all times, being aware of what's going on around me, behind me and ahead of me.

The fact of the matter is that the random, heinous crimes that happened, tragically, to the Miller executive are rare. That's why they get so much news coverage. If they happened every day, they wouldn't be news. In any big city, the vast majority of victims of crime know their perpetrators. Most murders in any city have a long backstory that is rarely reported to the police or in the press. Someone may shoot up a bar supposedly because there was a fight "over a spilt drink," but that's just the story the victims told the cops. What really happened is that they were gambling, selling drugs, or some other nefarious activity, there was a disagreement over money, and someone pulled a gun. But when the cops show up no one is going to tell the cops the real reason why the shooting broke out. They're going to tell the cops it was "random."

The point is that truly random crime happens a lot less frequently than you would imagine from just reading the papers or watching local TV "news." Most major crimes happen in a different world than most of us live in. A world of drugs, prostitution, "dirty money" and rampant illegality. If you stay out of that world, your chances of being a victim are infinitely reduced.

Here's how I look at it. The number of people who are a murdered in in this city in a truly random manner is about two or three per year. Several times that number are killed every year by getting hit by a car on the streets of this city. But we don't hear as much about those deaths. So we don't fear crossing a busy street. Rather, we stay alert, look both ways before crossing. We take common sense precautions. Same with crime.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Agreed. Atlanta and Milwaukee have similar crime rates. Milwaukee, however, has a colder climate and the migrations are going south and west. Most businesses will not settle in colder regions nowadays unless the business is started there or if that region has a good business climate and low crime rate. Omaha has a similar climate but the low crime rate brings businesses and people. Atlanta has a mild climate(it was in the 70's today and it is
5 February, not 5 April), and a way of promoting itself. Milwaukee needs to promote itself and get its crime rate down quickly because if a prominent member of a big company gets murdered, who would want to move there?

I couldn't have said it better myself. Milwaukee seems to have a problem promoting itself for what it is. It needs some good press, and some people to promote the city well.

Omaha is a nice city. Although I wouldn't necessarily move there on my own, if transferred there, I am certain I would enjoy it. I've spent enough time there to know that. Others I have recommended Omaha to, have echoed that opinion.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

I couldn't have said it better myself. Milwaukee seems to have a problem promoting itself for what it is. It needs some good press, and some people to promote the city well.

Omaha is a nice city. Although I wouldn't necessarily move there on my own, if transferred there, I am certain I would enjoy it. I've spent enough time there to know that. Others I have recommended Omaha to, have echoed that opinion.

I sincerely hope that Milwaukee gets its crime problem together because Milwaukee has already dealt one blow from the Rust Belt and has done some things economically to get it back together. It would be sad to see it all go to waste because of some low-lifer who decided to kill. Milwaukee hasn't gotten to Detroit's magnitude of despair, but it's time the city gets its act together. In many ways, Milwaukee mirrors Cincinnati, a city with blue collar roots that made a transition into the white collar sector, but is kept down by crime.