A group from FLAC outside of District Attorney John Chisholm's office Wednesday morning.
Milwaukee advocacy group FLAC is calling for a formal investigation into Milwaukee’s lead prevention program. This comes after a recent state report found that the program, ran by the City of Milwaukee Health Department, had massive “program deficiencies.”
Robert Miranda, leader of the Freshwater For Life Action Coalition, met with District Attorney John Chisholm Wednesday morning to ask him to open an investigation regarding the matter.
“There’s a lot of questions here and we feel that there's an onion that needs to be peeled,” said Miranda. “We are hoping that the onion gets peeled soon and fast, because we feel that any further delay continues to harm our families due to the continued lack of transparency by this administration.”
Robert Miranda
The State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services released a report in late May that reviewed the Milwaukee Health Department’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The report analyzed 108 randomly selected cases of children with higher levels of lead from 2012-2017.
The report found that 91% of cases were closed improperly by city officials. The report said that documents regarding these cases often resulted in “poor or no documented support.” The 14-page report also said that on June 1, 2016, children who had high levels of lead in their blood were “no longer being provided the environmental investigations.”
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“We need to make every effort to hold those people who have failed us accountable,” said Miranda.
Former Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker resigned from his post last January after others learned of the department’s mismanagement of children who tested positive for lead. Miranda began to push for Mayor Barrett's resignation last January. He said at a press conference following his meeting with the DA that these findings “stop at the mayor’s desk.”
FLAC leader Robert Miranda talking to reporters outside of DA Chisholm's office.
State Sen. Lena Taylor was also present at the meeting. She praised Miranda and FLAC for their continued work. “Someone knowingly closed those cases knowing that things were not done that needed to be done,” she said. “We aren't talking about a papercut, we are talking about lead and it has a permanent effect.”
Miranda said that the DA promised he will be “looking into it.” Miranda said that although it’s not a promise of a formal investigation, he is excited that he acknowledged it. Miranda also said that he will be demanding prosecution if he finds out that laws were broken.
The importance of an investigation was not taken lightly during the press conference. “Milwaukee was Flint, before Flint was Flint,” said Taylor.
A member of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office said that DA Chisholm has no comment regarding the meeting. Both Mayor Barrett’s office and the Milwaukee Health Department were contacted for comment for this story.
