We went out for ice cream. Then someone crashed their car in front of us. | Opinion
We need to consider the damage dangerous drivers cause and the trauma inflicted on the people in their path when determining their punishment.
MILWAUKEE — Forgive me if I repeat myself.
Over the past couple of years, I've written a number of times on the folly of Milwaukee investing millions to combat reckless driving by installing hundreds of bump-outs, roundabouts and speed bumps without increasing the penalties for the drivers creating chaos on our streets.
Along with calling for consequences, I've called out the mayor and even suggested that we enlist the help of the Wisconsin National Guard to help monitor our most dangerous streets and intersections after the deaths of innocent people who happened to be driving or crossing the street at the wrong time. Heck, even my uncle was hospitalized in 2024 by a reckless driver.
Well, my wife and I just had our near brush with disaster. Yes, a simple Saturday outing can make you feel lucky to be alive.
The day started innocently enough with ice cream at Kopp's
We started by grabbing ice cream at Kopp's, then went to Half Price Books, and finally stopped by Plato’s Closet near Southridge Mall to buy a pair of shoes. On our way home, I asked my wife if she would drive. Although she was tired, she took the keys, and we began our journey home.
We had only been on Greenfield Avenue for five minutes when my wife clenched the steering wheel while looking into her rearview mirror.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” she exclaimed as an SUV sped past us, being pursued by a car that was switching lanes recklessly.
“Alright, it’s time to get home,” she said. “They're driving crazy, and it’s not even late.”
About 15 minutes later after we passed Washington High School, we heard police sirens while traveling north on Sherman Boulevard. Seconds later, we found ourselves in the middle of a high-speed chase.
You know it's not good when you hear that many sirens
Authorities were pursuing a gray SUV that had run a red light, heading eastbound on Locust and crossing Sherman Boulevard. When we approached the intersection of Burleigh and Sherman, we noticed three squad cars in pursuit of the SUV, traveling parallel to us on the other side of Sherman Park. I urged my wife to drive faster, fearing that the chase might turn back toward us.
Damia said no because, if the chase came flying off a side street, she wanted to have time to see it and brake.
As she approached each block cautiously, some cars sped around her. I kept urging her to drive faster, but she insisted that she just wanted to get us home safely.
Suddenly, the sound of sirens grew louder. Just a few hundred feet ahead of us, an SUV ran through the intersection on Townsend, colliding with a white southbound Mercedes SUV. The speeding car struck the Mercedes on the right front driver's side, causing the Mercedes to spin around while the speeding SUV flipped over onto its side, coming to rest in a yard on the southbound side of Sherman.
We narrowly missed being hit by the speeding SUV by just a few seconds.
A video I posted has more than 90,000 views on Facebook
When you find yourself in a high-speed chase or surrounded by reckless drivers, it’s common to feel angry, helpless and scared. I often wonder if the traffic calming measures are truly effective or if they create the illusion of something being done to improve driving conditions.
After the collision, Damia pulled over, and I quickly ran to the median to capture video.
One young man, dressed in black, was lying face down in the grass with an officer standing over him. Two other young people were being pulled out of the speeding car: a taller boy wearing a mask and a girl. They all looked too young to be driving. All three were handcuffed and placed in separate squads.
The car they were driving was totaled. The engine was smoking, and the passenger side front tire was completely dislodged from the vehicle, smoking about a hundred feet from where the SUV had stopped.
The driver of the Mercedes, MeMe Lockett, was tagged on Facebook in a video showing the accident's aftermath. A day later, she thanked everyone for reaching out and checking on her.
“All praises to God I know he covered me," Lockett wrote May 4. "I can’t believe I walked away from this with just (a) swollen ankle. (I’m) thankful to still be alive and not being taken away from my son. ... I thank all my family and friends that came on the scene n thanks for all the calls n text ... I can always get another car ... but not another life.”
The video I posted from the scene garnered more than 90,000 views and received hundreds of shares and comments. Most comments expressed my frustration: Reckless driving continues to be a problem, and more needs to be done because driving in the city is unsafe.
Here is what some people had to say:
- “Yeah, I saw it too! It looked like a Final Destination movie. Unbelievable, I’m at a loss for words. God bless, glad you all weren’t hurt.” – Dennis.
- “Car theft… How about 2 years mandatory job corps if under age 18 and 4 years military if over 18? Mayor Johnson, TIME TO GET TOUGH!” – Troy.
- “Yikes! It's Thunderdome out there with 2,000-pound murder weapons... No one is safe." – Chris.
- “Speeding and/or chases are daily happenings on Sherman.” – Dorthy.
- “It's not safe to drive in Milwaukee anywhere.” – Kristie.
As a taxpayer, is this not what I'm paying for?
Although the city and county have invested millions to reduce reckless driving, there is still much more to be done. Too many young people are stealing cars and causing chaos on our roadways, leading to injuries, property damage and lost quality of life for those who happen to be in their way while they commit crimes.
Every week, I see someone running a red light, driving without tags, speeding past on the right or passing in the bike lane, a practice some refer to as the “Milwaukee Slide.”
Why do some individuals choose to drive recklessly? It often seems they act with a sense of invincibility, believing they can escape the consequences while only valuing their desires. Reckless driving is an act of selfishness, and it’s painfully clear that those who zoom by at 25 miles or more over the speed limit, blow through red lights, and whip past with such disregard that it sends chills down our spines – they don’t care about the safety of others.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said reckless driving isn’t confined to Milwaukee's streets – it's a widespread issue. He's right, to a point. Milwaukee is where I live, raise my family and navigate my daily life. It’s also where I pay my taxes, and as a taxpayer, I’m not seeing the changes come fast enough.
Safer streets start with harsher punishments for reckless driving and stealing cars
The thought of my loved ones and myself sharing the roads with dangerous drivers who don’t care about themselves or others is unsettling.
I yearn for the times when our streets were safer.
It may sound strange, but not too long ago, I used to drive at night with my friends, and we would take off our baseball caps so we wouldn’t draw attention from the police. Back then, if you didn’t have a license, you didn’t drive, and if you didn’t have a sticker on your tag, you were hesitant to get behind the wheel. Now, it seems people drive while smoking weed, without tags and without any fear of consequences.
What happened, and how do we return to some sense of normalcy?
We could start by making the laws more punitive, ensuring that people serve time for stealing cars and reckless driving instead of receiving just a slap on the wrist. I'm at the point where I believe cars should also be confiscated.
I don’t know what punishment the three kids will face for leading police on a high-speed chase, but we need to consider the damage they caused and the trauma inflicted on the people in their path when determining their punishment.
Unfortunately, this means that some individuals who are involved in stealing cars and driving recklessly need to go to jail to ensure the safety of those who follow traffic laws.
Those of us doing the right things should not continue to feel like prisoners because of the actions of those doing the wrong things. This started with a simple trip to Kopp's and a little shopping. It could have ended much worse.
James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared. Reach him at jcausey@jrn.com or follow him on Twitter: @jecausey