Articles by Derek Johnson

Alex Kane is a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has a minor in Russian. He recently moved to Germany to attend graduate school, and when Russia’s so-called “special operation” in Ukraine started in early 2022, he was able to see how his friends from Ukraine and Russia were affected by misinformation, while […]

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old teen accused of killing two protesters in Kenosha in August, will proceed after a judge found probable cause for the case, rejecting a defense attorney’s argument that the state was violating Rittenhouse’s Second Amendment rights.  In a lengthy pretrial presided over by Judge Loren Keating of Kenosha, the […]

“Mainstream politicians, including Biden, represent a disgusting cabal who are only behold to corporations and not people,” said Sam Schrader, a 22-year-old poll worker from Green Bay, Wis. who politically sides with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.  “But I had to vote for the most viable candidate who could defeat Trump, so I voted […]

In World War Two, a Japanese general supposedly said that it would be impossible to invade the United States because there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass. Although the statement may not have had much validity when it was originally said, in 2020, this estimation has almost become statistic.  In March of […]

On most mornings, Maren Hawkins, a PhD student in UW-Milwaukee’s Department of Public Health, is eyes deep in coursework. However, on October 10, she and six other members of UW-Milwaukee’s Russian Club spent the afternoon doing a neighborhood cleanup around campus, and they’re not the only ones picking up after their communities.  “It’s a small […]

“No justice, no peace, no more racist a** police,” chanted protesters as they marched against inequality in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon. The roughly 50 participants in the Milwaukee protest march hiked from The Calling di Suvero art piece through Marquette University, past the Milwaukee Police Administration Building and back to the lakefront. They marched in […]

On April 3, Shaun Robinson started his day like he always does. He ate his breakfast, took his dog for a walk and put on his uniform for work. He kissed his girlfriend goodbye, grabbed his keys and started his daily commute. When he got to his workplace, Robinson walked in and washed his hands […]

Photojournalist Derek Johnson documented bleak public spaces in Greenfield, Greendale and Mitchell International Airport in late March after residents were urged to stay home.