Renee Banot's Blog

We've had ongoing discussions about the issue of who has to clean up crime scenes.

Blogger Jazzbode mentioned that the Milwaukee Fire Department will only flush a scene after it's cleared by Milwaukee Police. He's got experience -- and he's absolutely right. His words are supported by one of the heads of the MFD, someone I spoke with back in October. He says they need clearance before touching any of that stuff, and they'll come back to a scene if need be, if they're called on by police.

When I blogged about this in the fall, I mentioned I hadn't heard yet from MPD. Well, this week I spoke with the police spokeswoman. She told me there is no guideline for crime scene cleanup... but they typically do call on the fire department to treat and flush the area when they're done surveying the scene. She says they've been pretty good about cleaning it up promtply... and the incident of the blood left behind at 24th and Chambers was most likely a rare slip.

I don't want to alarm anyone-- this isn't a widespread issue. I'm just casting a net out there to see if this type of incident has happened more than this one time.

I wrote two posts back in October regarding blood left behind in the street after the shooting death of a teenager at 24th and Chambers.

I need to know if you've noticed the same thing in your neighborhood. I'm calling on City of Milwaukee residents here. If you've had a violent crime happen on your street and there were medical items typically used by paramedics (ie: surgical gloves, gauze, alcohol pads, bloodied used paper toweling, etc.) along with blood or body fluids noticeably left on the street, let me know. Be specific. We're looking for instances where crews did NOT try to clean up the mess. I'm looking into whether this is a problem in the city of Milwaukee and possibly doing a story on it.

Here's what I need:

1.) Location

2.) Date of Incident

3.) Time of incident

4.) Nature of Incident

5.) Victim's name (if you know it and it is confirmed)

6..) Description of what was left behind.

I work WakeUp. You'd think I'd find a way to maximize my time before bedtime... But NOPE! Yesterday, I went to my sister's house and we watched youtue.

So anyhow-- you gotta check this guy out: Greg Pattillo. He's a beatboxking FLUTE PLAYER! It's actually quite mesmerizing to watch him. It literally leaves you breathless.

After watching him I attempted a similar feat (sans the flute) but I failed miserably and became the butt of my brother-in-law's jokes all day. Ah... if there is such as thing as reincarnation, I'd love to come back as a beatboxer! I think that's so cool! How do you think Blake Lewis got so far???

Being in the media comes with perks.

As one of our beloved photographers put it, "You get to the front row, behind the scenes and into places no one else gets to go"...

... Unless we go to Lambeau.

Every time I've been up to Green Bay for a game, I've been in the parking lot, I've been in the concession ring... I've even been down to the Media room where they serve delicious catering for us hard working crews. But I've never been able to sit out there during a game. To sit among the sea of green and gold and watch our boys play. (*Sigh*).

I did sneak out there to catch a play, though! It was glorious. Maybe if I save a couple dozen paychecks I'll be able to afford tickets of my own!

O-KAY... So I recently got engaged. It was beautiful, it was romantic and more I had ever hoped for! I'm still riding high on the excitement of being engaged!

BUT! I knew I was in for a treat second I started asking around for prices and such! The churches -THE CHURCHES! Holy places of worship!!!- have been asking for AT LEAST $500-- and that DOESN'T include the prices they tack on if I want a priest or if I want a wedding coordinator. I want to do something simple but wedding shows are telling me I HAVE to have tons of flowers or I HAVE to have 62 bridesmaids! I'm sorry- WHAT?

Please tell me there's an easy way to do this! I want to hear your stories-- I don't care if they're horror stories or fairytales! I need your help!!!

My last post prompted some great tips about keeping your skin hydrated during these cruel winter months AND keeping it looking young! (Thanks, Ladies, for the AWESOME tips!)

I'll never forget the conversation I had with a woman who used to do my nails. She was in her fifities but barely looked like she was pushing forty. I asked her what her secret was. You know what she said?

Bar soap.

She didn't use anything fancy. She said she always washes her face once in the morning and once at night with bar soap and that's all it takes.

I wonder if anyone else has great, inexpensive, easy ways to look and feel young. I'm all ears!

OKAY... I've had mild cases of winter itch before but this is RIDICULOUS!

For about a week now my arms and legs are constantly itchy. Some nights I have to knock myself out with Benadryl just to get rid of the torture! I thought there was something wrong with me! Then I discovered a handful of my co-workers are going through the same thing!

My good friend, Bob Moore, eventually explained to me that the dew points plummeted within the past 10 days. With no moisture in the air, our skin is revolting!!! And I'm miserable!!!

Okay. So I know what's causing this. Unfortunately, it doesn't make me feel any better (physically).

Maybe this isn't my place... seeing as how I'm a Missouri Tiger... but is Madison going about Halloween the wrong way this year?

You see, the university is celebrating Homecoming the same weekend as Halloween weekend. A friend of mine, an alum, says this is the university's way of "distracting" the crowd. Maybe, giving them something else to do. But, I don't know. If they're trying to clog the streets even more than usual: Mission accomplished. Stopping the mayhem? Well, who knows.

I just don't know if this is the greatest idea. Then again, I haven't been to a Madison Halloween in years.

Right now it seems the job of cleaning up after an incident or accident doesn't necessarily fall on any one department.

I called the Milwaukee Department of Public Works. They say they take on the job only when their services are requested by the police department. In the case of the homicide at 24th and Chambers, it was not.

The Fire Department say they typically do it (as Basher said they used to do it at his former job)-- but, at least for Milwaukee, it's only if they have the request or permission from Milwaukee Police. They told me they try not to tidy up a scene until detectives are done combing the area for clues. That often happens over several hours. Plus, I was told they're not always fully "in charge" of a scene. Usually police are. 

I put in a call to the public information officer for Milwaukee Police. She is out of the office until Monday. When I get more info, I'll pass it on.

A lot of people were outraged to hear there was a standing puddle of blood and EMT supplies laying out in the street the day after a shooting on 24th and Chambers. Unfortunately... it happens all the time.

When we're on location and need to find the vicinity of where a homicide happened, you can typically find it by following the trail of surgical gloves and blood.

The fact that it happens all the time doesn't mean it's acceptible. I'll dig around and try to figure out just whose job it is to clean it up and if there are regulations on when and how it should be done.

He must have been standing there for two minutes.

A little boy, about 7 or 8 years old, was staring at the grass. I was a couple feet away and ignored him as I was talking to a woman who lives on the block. All of a sudden, the boy uttered an angry cry and walked away. He was sobbing.

"I think that was his cousin," The woman told me.

The boy had been staring into a large puddle of blood.

"That's why I'm glad I don't have kids, " The woman went on. "I'd never want to raise them in this environment."

Less than twelve hours earlier, someone drove by this block near 24th and Chambers and shot a 16-year-old Milwaukee boy in the head several times. He died right there in that puddle.

People walking to work and small children walking to the school bus stop couldn't keep their eyes off it. Cars drove slowly, some stopped alongside it just to take it in. Next to the puddle were alcohol pads, ointment, latex gloves and a blood-soaked paper towel: All signs of the medics' struggle to keep him alive. Neighbors said it worked... once. They revived him. But his fight didn't last long.

Friday morning, the woman I spoke with joined another neighbor in gathering up a broom, a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush. Together, they cleaned up that teenager's blood. They wanted to wash away the reminder that their neighborhood is in big trouble. Another woman told me this was the third shooting in the past two weeks. The people here are tired. Not everyone has nothing to lose. And they want you to know that. They're hard working. After a hard day at work, they spend some nights struggling to stay alive.

As for the boy, I wonder if I witnessed his life change forever. He didn't walk away sad. He was LIVID. He lost his innocence in that pool of blood. I am haunted by the possibility that his rage will rest in his heart as revenge. I pray it's not true. I pray he takes this and vows never to become a part of this nightmare. I would have paid anything to take a big eraser and wipe that image from his mind. But I can't. So all I can do is brace myself and hope I can do a positive story on this boy... instead of another that ends just like so many others do.

So... I'm bad with car rides.

I've noticed lately that I can't quite stay awake in the passenger seat of a car. We can be running to the grocery store for 10 minutes. It doesn't matter. The lids start falling and I can't pick them up.

Hm... maybe it's because of this early morning shift...

But anyway, on long road trips I try to be supportive of the poor driver designated to handle the twists and turns of the road. But sometimes no matter what I do, I can't even begin to fight it... and all of a sudden... 50 miles have gone by.

So, for whoever I may have ridden in a car with in the past few months... it's not you. It's me.

I feel for the people of Crandon... on several levels.

For one, it's tough to lose one young person. Losing seven in a town of 2,000 brings them to their knees. Having to accept the fact that your son, cousin, classmate or best friend is a killer throws your emotions on a sickening roller coaster.

Throw in the fact that before this weekend, many of them may not have ever seen a television camera... and all of a sudden, overnight, media outlets from five different markets (including the network) have swarmed their streets.

They're on overload. I don't know how much more they can take.

Waiting is the hardest part.

For eight families, whose loved ones are still missing, everything is moving in slow motion. Fear has clearly turned to frustration here in the Twin Cities. People are desperate to hear about those missing in the mess from the bridge collapse and search crews are desperate to find them. But it's not as easy as it sounds.

Divers have several factors in their favor. They have advanced technology to aid in the search: sonar, GPS, etc. Plus, the Army Corps of Engineers lowered the Mississippi River by about two feet. But mother nature makes their job difficult and dangerous.

Debris continues to fall into the River, making it hard for divers to get through to victims trapped underneath. The River's current has a dangerous pull. The debris makes that current even more dangerous, creating pockets where the water is swirling. They can't help the victims if they get swept under, too. Also, pieces of the bridge still hanging overhead threaten to fall at any moment. This is why the search has gone excruciatingly slow. At this point, the chance victims trapped in the River have survived is slim. Reasonably, the city wants to avoid putting anybody else's lives in danger.

I applaud Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department for their overwhelming effort to inform the public. When loved ones are missing, and every minute counts, it helps to know exactly why the process is moving at a slow pace. It's a little bit of comfort, if there's any to be had in this situation.

They look like toys.

The cars and concrete and twisted chunks of steel sticking out of the Mississippi River look like a child's playthings strewn everywhere... only blown up to horrific proportions.

Seeing the damage of the 35W collapse on television is awful. Seeing it in person, and facing the family members whose loved ones are still missing... is heartbreaking.

As one emergency crew put it-- it's a complete mess down there. That's putting it lightly.

The freeway is buckled right before where the start of the bridge used to be. At each end, the road slopes down in a sharp angle and several cars and trucks still cling to the concrete.

For someone who's driven on that bridge maybe a handful of times, it's shocking.

For people who drive on it several times a day, every day, they're constantly thinking, "It could have been me."

It's hard to explain the emotion, the anxiety and the sorrow here in Minneapolis. Luckily, the city is blessed enough to have a giant network of support here, across the country and throughout the world.