3291
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Jamakaya
Jul 14, 2011
When Milwaukee police arrested Jeffrey Dahmer late on July 22, 1991, the revelation of his crimes hit like a shock wave, especially in the city’s gay community.
I covered the story for Wisconsin Light and national gay papers from July 1991 through Dahmer’s trial, which ended in February 1992. My reporting encompassed stories about Dahmer, the victims and the trial, as well as police negligence, racism in the LGBT and wider community, and the intense wave of homophobic reaction that followed the crimes. To read some of the Dahmer case stories, go to www.jamakaya.com.
Dahmer’s Milwaukee victims were mostly men of color, ages 14 to 36. We know that at least two were estranged from their families due to their homosexuality (one was active in Gay Youth Milwaukee), but in five other cases family members had repeated contact with police after their sons or brothers disappeared, asking for investigations.
Police had several contacts with Dahmer during the course of his murder spree that should have alerted them to suspicious behavior. The most notorious incident was the return of 14-year old Konerak Sinthasomphone into the hands of Dahmer by police officers Joseph Gabrish and John Balcerzak, despite the pleadings of citizens concerned for his welfare. Dahmer killed the boy. Konerak’s family got a settlement from the city. Balcerzak was reinstated and headed the police union for several years.
During the months when young men were disappearing, Milwaukee police were busy raiding strip shows at gay bars, rousting and harassing patrons, rather than looking for missing persons. My interviews with African-American gays revealed they were sometimes hit with extra cover charges or other pretexts to keep them out of those same bars.
At the trial, I was taken aback by the color divide. The judge, attorneys, bailiffs, clerical personnel, media reps and all but one juror were white. The victims’ families who came every day were mostly African American, Latino and Laotian.
Homophobic reaction involved crank calls, threatening letters and hate crimes against gay people and groups, blaming “you perverts” for Dahmer. WISN-TV aired an exploitive “sweeps week” series called “Flirting with Danger” that purveyed false stereotypes about gays and blamed victims.
When a mild set of reforms regarding services for gay teens came before the Milwaukee School Board that fall, up to a thousand alleged Christians, organized by TV preacher Vic Eliason, packed a school board meeting, hurling abuse at proponents. Signs cited Dahmer as “the logical consequence of homosexuality.”
Gay community leaders rose to the challenge. Kitty Barber of the Lesbian Alliance and Scott Gunkel, current president of PrideFest, put in many hours of organizing and media work. Queer Nation activists got arrested slapping painted hands on the police administration building while chanting, “Blood on Your Hands!” A very moving vigil was held in memory of the victims in Juneau Park.
A Blue Ribbon Commission on Police-Community Rela-tions recommended policing reforms. The persistence of policing problems has led to additional investigations since that time. Police Chief Ed Flynn would have everyone believe that the belated arrest of Walter E. Ellis in the killings of seven north side women (five of them found within blocks of the killer’s home) was a triumph of police work. But, in fact, it was a muddled disgrace. The recent incident in Riverwest, in which victims got the heave-ho from police along with their attackers, is not encouraging either.
Beyond that, the continued economic stagnation and hyper-segregation of Milwaukee fuels hopelessness, crime and division.
Twenty years after Dahmer, there may be more services and social outlets for LGBTs. But other than that, Milwaukee doesn’t seem terribly changed.
