Sade Robinson memorial vote delayed after ‘flurry of racist emails’
By Kristin Pierce
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MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wisconsin (WISN) — In a unanimous decision, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Parks and Culture committee voted Tuesday to postpone a decision on whether to create a memorial for Sade Robinson at Warnimont Park.
Sade’s severed leg was discovered at the Cudahy park in April 2024, the day after the 19-year-old woman went on a first date.
Tuesday, committee members said racist emails and comments delayed their vote.
“A flurry of racist emails saying why should Black folk get this when white folk don’t get this and turned it into this issue where it didn’t really belong,” said Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez.
“I also received several of those emails that I thought were pretty despicable,” said Jack Eckblad, another supervisor. “There were plenty of folks who just had honest, empathetic things to say, but there were others who really crossed several lines.”
The proposed memorial is to honor Sade’s memory, who police say was dismembered. Her body parts were discovered in Cudahy, Milwaukee and Waukegan, Illinois.
Supervisor Martinez said Sade’s death ties into a big issue.
“Gender violence is something that’s not really talked about as much, especially violence against women of color and Black women specifically,” said Supervisor Martinez. “We need to honor victims of gender violence, women of color.”
“I believe we were talking about a bench, and so the public reaction was so disproportionate to what this really would have been,” said Supervisor Anne O’Connor. “It’s incredibly unfortunate. It is a reflection of the darker element of humanity.”
Maxwell Anderson, the man police say Sade went on a first date with, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson. He’s being held in the Milwaukee County jail on a $5 million cash bond. Anderson is scheduled to go on trial in May.
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