Milwaukee alderman will draft a resolution to keep guns out of subcontractors' hands on work sites

In the aftermath of a controversial photo posted on social media, Milwaukee Ald. Russell Stamper II said Wednesday he will offer a resolution that will ensure that subcontractors will not carry guns on work sites.

He said the resolution would also make it easier for the city to terminate contracts with companies that violate that policy; ensure that subcontractors wear their own clearly identifiable uniforms; and give aldermen the right to refuse to do business with certain subcontractors.

Stamper’s resolution comes after three white, city-hired subcontractors with American Sewer Services out of Hartford were shown in a photo brandishing guns while on a work site near N. 19th St. and W. Meinecke Ave. The photo was shared on Facebook over the weekend.

The incident occurred within a block of Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School, Stamper said.

The photo, which went viral, showed two of the workers had holstered weapons on their belts, while a third had a gun in his hand. The worker in the photo who had the gun out was fired. The other two workers seen in the photo were suspended. No discipline was issued against the employee who took the photo, said Ghassan Korban, the city commissioner of public works.

Korban said the photo was taken Nov, 30. The workers did not have any confrontations with residents in the neighborhood, and he believes that the photo was placed on social media to be funny.

When Ald. Milele Coggs saw the photo on Facebook Sunday, she was outraged.

“I had to see if it was real first,” she said.

The comments under the photo were divided among three different groups: Those who feel that the city is not safe; those who say workers have the right to carry guns under the Second Amendment; and those citing racial tensions, saying white workers are afraid when working in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.

Assistant City Attorney Kathryn Block said while Milwaukee has a “zero tolerance policy” for firearms and dangerous weapons in the workplace, it may not have been made totally clear when it comes to subcontractors.

“The policy is there, but it’s not easy to find,” she said.

The meeting got heated when Ald. Bob Donovan said officials were ignoring the issue of violence in the city.

Donovan said the area where the subcontractors were doing work has reported eight homicides and 37 non-fatal shootings this year.

“People are afraid … Things are worse than they were 20 years ago,” he said. “I know that there are some city employees who carry guns as well.”

When Ald. Nik Kovac asked Donovan how he knew there were some city workers who had carried guns, Donovan said: “Because they told me.”

Kovac disputed Donovan's characterization of the city, noting homicides and other violent crimes were down.

He also said that perpetuating false stereotypes was dangerous and leads to fear.

Coggs agreed, saying that the area where the subcontractors were working is on the rebound. She said the area is near the “Juice Kitchen,” a black-owned business that is booming in the area.

After the meeting, Stamper said city employees should be fired if they are violating city ordinances by carrying guns at work.

Ald. Robert Bauman asked that those in the gun photo be referred to the district attorney's office for possible disorderly conduct charges.