'Just choked a lady:' Milwaukee County candidate's Facebook posts called into question, again
Sparkle Ashley
MILWAUKEE -- Sparkle Ashley, a candidate for the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, once bragged about having choked a woman in a bathroom, according to a screenshot of a Facebook post provided by her opponent.
Incumbent Deanna Alexander says Ashley's online comments are all that voters in her northwest Milwaukee need to know before the April 3 election. Ashley has previously said she "regretted" other Facebook posts, including one that encouraged police officers to jump off tall buildings downtown.
"Just choked a lady in the bathroom and I don't feel bad at all!!!" Ashley posted on April 1, 2012.
Alexander said the comment was "not acceptable" even though it was posted years ago. She called on the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association to withdraw its support of Ashley.
Sparkle Ashley's Facebok post
"Who does that and talks about it and doesn’t regret it and brags about it, and then runs for public office?" Alexander said in an interview. "This doesn’t make any sense."
Ashley did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but the teachers' union pushed back against Alexander. The group's president criticized Alexander for holding a fundraiser at a gun range shortly after the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert, and said she does not support public schools.
“Deanna Alexander is part of the problem and has no place in our county government," MTEA President Kim Schroeder said in an email. "We know which agenda she’s fighting for and it’s not one for MPS students."
Ashley's campaign finance report shows MTEA has contributed $1,045 to her campaign this year.
Sparkle Ashley's Facebok post
In another 2012 post Alexander provided Tuesday, Ashley wrote that a police officer had pulled her over "for rolling down my window and waving my middle finger to all the people who would not let me over!"
"He said he is the law, so I snapped on his (expletive). #(expletive) the police," Ashley posted.
Sparkle Ashley's Facebok post
Ashley has used the "#(expletive) the police" line multiple times. In a 2014 post FOX6 News covered in February, Ashley said cops should "jump off the highest building in downtown Milwaukee. No one will miss you I promise."
Sparkle Ashley's Facebok post
In a campaign statement in February, Ashley said she regretted using the language about police in the 2014 post. She said the problems of police bias against black Milwaukee residents persists.
Deanna Alexander
She has not commented about the 2012 posts that Alexander provided Tuesday.
"This is a pattern that she has repeated. It may have been a few years ago, but it repeated over and over again in her attitude for our community," Alexander said. "We’re talking about a post where she admitted assaulting someone."
The campaign between Ashley and Alexander is one of several competitive county board races.