Bethesda Baptist Church held their Fourth Annual Community Cookout on Saturday, August 9, 2014, under a tent on the church grounds. Dignitaries invited to the picnic included: Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn, Rev. Robert Wilson, Rev. Willie Briscoe. Ald. Russell Stamper, County Supervisor David Bowen and others. Before sitting to dine, Rev. Sims introduced Chief Flynn and the mayor. The chief used the opportunity to talk briefly about the unrelenting violence in Milwaukee while Mayor Barrett used the occasion to share a familiar story that he has shared on numerous other occasions that when he goes to bed at night too often he has been awakened by telephone calls stating someone has been shot fatally, and that too often the individual who has been shot is a black male. The setting was an ideal opportunity for candidates seeking political office to shake hands with many potential voters only days before the August 12th primary elections. Pictured here are: First Lady Etharine Melton-Sims, Chief Flynn, Rev. Robert Sims, Rev. Robert Wilson and Mayor Tom Barrett.
