MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Executive and gubernatorial candidate David Crowley releases an open letter regarding the murder of Makayla Plaza, who was allegedly killed by her estranged ex-husband after being denied a restraining order in Kenosha County. Crowley calls domestic violence a public health emergency and outlines it as one of five immediate priorities in his 30-Day Plan as Governor.

An Open Letter to Wisconsin: Makayla Plaza Asked for Help. Wisconsin Said No.

In February, Makayla Plaza went to court and asked for a restraining order against her estranged husband. She told them she was afraid for her life and afraid for her young children.

A judge denied her request.

And just days ago, Makayla was allegedly murdered by that same man — the man a judge decided didn’t warrant a restraining order. 

I have been sitting with this since I heard the news because I am also grieving. My close friend Nancy Metayer Bowen was the Vice Mayor of Coral Springs, Florida. A rising star who was days away from announcing her run for Congress. She was allegedly killed by her husband just days ago, too.

Two women. Two states. The same devastating, preventable outcome.

How many more?

I need Wisconsin to understand that this was not a fluke. This was not an isolated failure. This is what happens when we underfund shelters. When we understaff courts. When we set the bar for protection so impossibly high that a woman has to prove she is already in danger before we will act to prevent it. 

When we treat domestic violence as a private matter instead of the public health emergency it is.

Because here is what I know: we have the tools. We have the research. We have advocates and survivors and social workers who have been telling us for years exactly what needs to change. 

What we have lacked — what Wisconsin has lacked for too long — is the political will to act.

I am done waiting.

As the next Governor of Wisconsin, I am making this a promise and immediate priority. It’s why I outlined domestic violence response and prevention as one of my immediate priorities for my first 30 days as governor in my 30 Day Plan. 

So to the women of Wisconsin who are living this right now — I see you.

If you are afraid, if you are trying to find a way out, if you have asked for help and been turned away or doubted or made to feel like what is happening to you isn’t serious enough — I want you to hear this directly from me:

You are believed. What is happening to you is real. You deserve a system that fights for your life the way you are fighting for it every single day.

You should not have to prove your danger to a standard that is impossible to meet while you are living inside it. You should not have to navigate family court alone against someone who has already shown you what they are capable of. You should not have to drive an hour to reach a shelter, a crisis line, or someone who can help.

That is the Wisconsin that exists right now. It is not the Wisconsin I am fighting to build.

As the next Governor of Wisconsin, I am making these commitments as someone who refuses to accept that this is just the way things are.

I will invest in domestic violence prevention and crisis support in all 72 counties. No more gaps. No more survivors in rural communities with nowhere to turn.

I will fight to reform how restraining orders are processed in this state. When a woman comes forward with documented fear and evidence of control, she will be taken seriously and she will not be turned away.

I will ensure every survivor who walks into family court has access to legal assistance  because the courtroom cannot be another place where they are failed.

I will pair every investment with mental health and substance use resources, because these crises do not exist in isolation and our response cannot either.

Makayla Plaza asked for help. The system turned her away. Her children are growing up without their mother because of it. That is the Wisconsin that exists right now, and it is a Wisconsin I refuse to accept.

We have failed too many women for too long. That ends with my administration.

County Executive Crowley’s video on this issue can be viewed here.