Meet Milwaukee DA John Chisholm’s Opponent: Verona Swanigan

Concern for a better Milwaukee with equal opportunities for all and yearning for what she calls new, effective executive leaders led Verona Swanigan to run for Milwaukee County District Attorney.

Swanigan is a 39-year-old Milwaukee native who graduated from high school in three years while in an honor’s program at Marshall High School. She then went on to graduate from Winona State University in three years with a degree in Psychology and Spanish.

Swanigan said that she grew up on the north side of Milwaukee and was a member of one of the three African-American families, all of whom were associated with law enforcement, in her neighborhood (all others being Jewish).

Swanigan is running against incumbent DA John Chisholm in the primary election that’s being held Aug 9.

After attending a private Catholic school for most of her young life, Swanigan “personally” decided to enroll into a predominantlyAfrican-American public school, Marshall High, which she described as an “eye-opening and valuable experience.”

“One thing I learned is that our education system was, in many ways, intentionally lessened in public school than it was in private school,” Swanigan said. “Many of the things I’d learned in public high school, I’d already been taught by the sixth grade in private school.”

Swanigan said that after learning of the educational system’s imbalance between private and public school, she became interested in trying to figure out why the curriculum was so different. That, along with having a father who was a police officer, inspired her to pursue a career in law.

“It’s certain things that I’ve accomplished in life that if it wasn’t for my parents making sure I had that additional education, I wouldn’t have done,” Swanigan said.

At the age of nine, Swanigan said that during family trips to Arkansas, MS, her grandmother, who was one of the first teachers at a local school for pregnant girls, would make her read in Old English.

“When I got to law school, a good chunk of it was taught in Old English,” she said, “so if my grandmother hadn’t taught me that, I would’ve been lost because they weren’t teaching that at my high school.”

Swanigan questioned whether or not there were certain systems in place aiming to intentionally keep certain groups of people from achieving certain things.

“It holds you back and limits your ability to get jobs, raise your children and be a productive citizen,” she said.

Swanigan said that she’d like to be elected as District Attorney because she feels that her knowledge and experience will aid her in addressing and pushing people in all areas to live out their full potential, reveal the roots of crime from an individualistic perspective and ultimately, reduce the violence that has taken over Milwaukee.

“Until you get to the root of a problem,” Swanigan said, “you can’t fix the problem.”

If elected as DA, Swanigan said that she’d, firstly, be adherent to the law and then enforce more laws and order to reduce crime as well as police brutality.

“I tend to properly come up with training programs for police officers, and if they go through [my] constitutional-based training program and don’t comply, then I will have no problem holding them responsible.” In addition, Swanigan said that she’d like to re-integrate officers and the community by training officers to appreciate, respect and interact with the community and vice versa.

In reference to the current carry conceal law, Swanigan said she’d like to add in additional factors to ensure safety while also mandating the proper training involved in possessing and using a firearm in order to make the law “a wise law.”

Swanigan has acquired her license to practice law in five different states: WI, NV, IL, CA and TX and has served as an attorney at the law firm of Swanigan Legal Services for nearly 10 years. Over the years, she has practiced civil litigation and major personal injury claims.

Swanigan said that she was recently disappointed in finding out the plan of leaders to spend a $2 million grant given in order to implement the necessary steps in order to create more equality and justice within the government system. The plan was represented by a photograph placed on the cover of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in reference to creating justice and equality for all.

“[In the photograph] there was a group of African-American men, one white-faced and one pale-faced, inside a shopping cart as if they were shipping them off to the prison,” Swanigan said. “If that’s the mentality of the leaders, then we’re never going to be able to do anything about justice and equality.”

Swanigan has attended several local community meetings and marches where she has stood with the public in hopes of stopping violence and acquiring peace.

Shalonda Ezell, mentored by Swanigan, said that she first met Swanigan at a community meeting where she asked Swanigan for help with finding her disabled son health services and insurances, being as though Swanigan had previously worked as a social worker.

“My son was hit by a SUV and has TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). He has had 15 brain surgeries,” Ezell said. “He had a trust fund, so they cut him off SSI.”

Ezell said Swanigan helped her get insurance for her son for six months, so has supported her ever since.

“I’m blessed for her to help me,” Ezell said. “I am constantly doing things to help the community from collecting water, clothes, dresses, etc. Attorney Swanigan has made a donation to everything that I have done for the community.”

Ezell said that she has been inspired by Swanigan’s dedication to helping others through providing things like legal advice, social service referrals, counseling and clothing to others in need.

“Verona Swanigan is a great mentor to me,” Ezell said. “I call her for advice regularly, and she always has a scripture and/or moral position to send me that is beneficial.”

Swanigan was recently named one of the Top 40 attorneys in the country by the National Bar Association. In addition, she has worked in almost every aspect of the criminal justice field: Probation and Parole Officer, Social Worker, District Attorney, Public Defender, and Criminal Defense.

Media Milwaukee also reached out to DA John Chisholm through his campaign; however, he did not return calls for comment.

More about Swanigan can be found on her official webpage and her Facebook fan page. You can learn more about Chisholm at his Facebook page and DA page.