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It's taken a few years, but the ACLU of Wisconsin has filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department for its role in shutting down a play entitled "Naked Boys Singing," a musical with gay themes that has been produced around the country.
The cops shut down the play in 2005, contending that the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center didn't have a proper theater license.
City officials told the center it needed a theater license and police officers threatened that people would be ticketed or arrested if the production went on. The ACLU argues that the theater licensing ordinance is unconstitutional, because it allows authorities to suppress free speech by withholding a license indefinitely, and that the police were illegally acting to suppress the play because they disapproved of its content.
"'Naked Boys Singing' is mostly a light-hearted look at a part of the gay experience in America," said Paul Masterson, executive director of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center. "It may not be for everyone, but good theater sometimes challenges convention. And all kinds of audiences have enjoyed the humor and the poignancy of the songs and the situations in the play."
Masterson added that the group was suing to vindicate the rights of gay and lesbian artists to present theatrical works that express and celebrate gay identity.
"When a theater director or other performer has to get a license before expressing herself, it's too easy for the authorities to just delay giving the permit to performances they don't like," said ACLU counsel Steve Porter.
"In this case, the cast and crew were gearing up for a show when the police first brought up the need for a license, even though MGAC -- and other nonprofit theaters -- had done other shows without licenses for years. The only difference is those shows didn't have such provocative titles, so you have to suspect that disapproval of the content is what made the police act in this case."
Walker Makes it Automatic: Vetoes have become an annual tradition when the Milwaukee County Board passes a budget that spends a few extra dollars than County Exec Scott Walker wants.
"I regret that their final product will raise the property tax levy by almost $7.8 million. Our budget does not raise the tax levy while it protects and improves core county services," Walker said, after the board added its stamp of approval to next year's spending plan.
Walker's budget was laced with privatization gimmicks that would have eliminated county jobs. It created hours of debate over the concept of outsourcing county services.
One extensive discussion was over who answers phones at the county's 2-1-1 social services line, which people can call to ask for much-needed help navigating the labyrinth of county government. Supervisors heard horror stories of exceedingly long waits and dissatisfaction from residents over the call center.
"Now, more than ever, leaders must decide whether county government is an employment service or a provider of core services. I choose the latter," the exec said.
City Offers Shooting Settlement: The family of a man shot by police in 2003 will get $1.6 million if the Milwaukee Common Council approves the settlement proposed by City Attorney Grant Langley.
Justin Fields was shot by Milwaukee police as he was trying to drive away following an incident at King Drive and North Avenue. The officer said he was afraid Fields was trying to run him over. Langley's proposal came after the city and Fields family mediated a settlement.
First Coal Plant Rejected: The state's Public Service Commission rejected for the first time this week a coal-fired power plant that Alliant Energy planned for the shores of the Mississippi River near Cassville.
The PSC had no problems allowing We Energies to build a much more expensive plant expansion in Oak Creek, which also created controversy. That plant just cleared environmental concerns in a court settlement over its effects on Lake Michigan water, which would be used to cool the plant.
"Building coal plants has never made sense from an environmental perspective, and no longer makes sense from an economic perspective," said Charlie Higley, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board. "When cleaner alternatives would save ratepayers $800 million, the perception that dirty coal is cheap is nothing but hot air."
The $1.26 billion plant was rejected by the commission in the face of unprecedented opposition. Clearly, environmentalists and clean coal advocates had their strategy together this time, even though the Oak Creek plant will be a similar facility. The commission did not allow We Energies to build a coal gasification upgrade to the Oak Creek citing cost concerns and the relatively new technology.
Shifting away from coal and moving toward renewable energy sources and energy efficiency will help promote growth in Wisconsin's economy, argue several environmental groups. A recent national report demonstrated that Wisconsin could create 37,000 family-supporting jobs in the coming years by investing in clean energy technologies like wind, solar, biofuel and geothermal power as well as energy efficiency.
An avid outdoors person he regularly takes extended paddling trips in the wilderness, preferring the hinterlands of northern Canada and Alaska. After a bet with a bunch of sailors, he paddled across Lake Michigan in a canoe.
He lives in Bay View.
