Warrants deal draws hundreds to court
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, a couple of hundred people waited eagerly in line, in the rain, to enter Milwaukee Municipal Court as soon as it opened, largely because of their earlier reluctance to be there.
They were some of the approximately 60,000 people with 118,000 outstanding warrants from the court, warrants the court announced on Facebook last week would be withdrawn on the first three Wednesdays in November. Just show up and agree to a payment or service plan, and the immediate threat of arrest would disappear. The offer did not extend to those with warrants related to building and zoning violations.
The pilot program was intended to "help get people back on the right track," Judge Derek Mosley says in the Facebook video. He and fellow judges Phillip Chavez and Valerie Hill emphasize, "No one will be arrested."
By 9:30 a.m., the line stretched from the court's counter down two flights of stairs, out the door on Lovell St., around the corner and up State St.
Inside and out, harried court workers and volunteers passed out numbers, gave directions and answered questions while talking with other court officials on headsets. As defendants checked in, they were assigned to one of the court's three judges, plus a reserve judge, in small batches.
Chavez granted relief to a steady stream of people all morning. In addition to lifting the warrants, the court was also dismissing city-issued driver's license suspensions. Everyone who won that benefit got a bright green card with the number for the Department of Motor Vehicles, where they would still have to pay $60 to get their licenses reinstated if there are no suspensions from other agencies.
A few people faced warrants because they had never come to court on their violations, and some of them pleaded not guilty and got a future court date.
But most of the crowd was there because they hadn't paid prior fines and a wide range of citations. This wasn't amnesty — they still have to pay up eventually. Chavez explained the options: If you owe more than $300, make 24 monthly payments by mail or online, pay off some or all your fine in 90 days, or apply to do community service, where every hour counts as $10 against the outstanding fine.
On the 90 days option, offenders needed only to come up with $20 toward any single case to earn an extension — if they come back to court and ask.
"We'll definitely work with you every single time," Chavez promised.
But if they miss payment deadlines, he reminded, new warrants will be issued.
Court administrator Sheldyn Himle said she hoped the court could clear 1,000 to 1,200 warrants and suspensions on Wednesday.
"Our mantra has always been, 'Come to court. There's great benefit,' " because the court can connect violators with a vast array of services, from mental health to job training. "You get to talk to the judge and say, 'Here's my story.' "
Amy Watkins, who said she heard about the Wednesday Warrant Withdrawals on the news, was glad to ditch the warrant over nonregistration of a car she doesn't even own anymore. She picked community service to pay off her fine.
"I hope I can meet some cool people and give back," she said.
