Milwaukee: Rumor of Free Food Vouchers Draws 2,500 People to Community Services Center, Fights Break Out, Cops Called, Barricades Established; No Food Vouchers Today

June 24th, 2008

Via: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

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.

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5 Responses to “Milwaukee: Rumor of Free Food Vouchers Draws 2,500 People to Community Services Center, Fights Break Out, Cops Called, Barricades Established; No Food Vouchers Today”

  1. Loveandlight says:

    /raises hand

    I live in Milwaukee. I suppose this story shouldn’t make me terribly proud of that, but I suppose this sort of thing will become common enough all over the place in the coming months and years.

  2. Eileen says:

    Holy crap.
    Well I guess you’re not going to hear of this story on CBS/NBC/Meglomania news casting conglomerate that is more worried about covering the opening of the movie ‘Get Smart’ than about thousands of people, who apparently, are in need of food. Whether it is free or not.
    @Loveandlight – this situation is not personal to Milwaukee. Here in Pittsburgh I was at a Shop and Save grocery store back in December. The Food Stamp card is electronic now. The person in front of me in the line was made to put back item after item from her cart, not “covered” by her Food Stamp card.
    It appeared this person was used to the public humiliation of being told, your card does not allow that food item in your cart. Item after item was “thrown” from her food cart.
    Appeared to me that “luxury” items like seafood, I dunno, it seemed like any food that might bring joy to the tastebuds and the enjoyment of food were thrown arbitrarily out of there.
    Sheesh, I don’t even know why I was shopping at that store. Only that they had non-chlorine cleansers and other hard to find eco products. My heart bled for this woman.
    Some years or months from now, I hope to report that I have opened a soup kitchen somewhere free of charge. No bureacrecy involved. I don’t get it yet that what is supposed to be the richest nation on earth can’t feed its own without humbling the masses yearning to be fed – good food.

  3. Loveandlight says:

    @Eileen:

    I work in a grocery store in the working-class southeast suburbs, so I see that all the time myself. (As an interesting sidenote, the CEO of the grocery-store corporation had his picture put on the store’s bags, both paper and plastic, in addition to initiating an advertising campaign orchestrated around himself as corporate CEO. Could he be any more narcissistic?)

  4. Eileen says:

    @Loveandlight,
    That must be an Interesting working situation. I used to work at a bakery and was a waitress and bartender for many years. Got burned out on too much contact with people.
    Now I sit behind a desk with a computer and wish to hell I could be a person in public again, although after a few weeks folks would probably have to restrain me after years of pent up singularity and solitariness.
    I dunno about the CEO putting his face on the store bags. Does ditwit know that this will make him a target of lack of food rage?
    Yup. I don’t think its going to be any easy time for anyone let alone a douche bag that prints his face on all bags. What an idiot.

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