Oct. 20, 2026 4:45p
(WGTD)---A recent spate of homicides in Racine figured prominently Monday night in city council debate on next year’s budget.
For one thing, alders beat back an attempt to reallocate $40,000 from the city’s Public Safety Department to the underfunded Racine Zoo.
The money was originally earmarked by the mayor to fund a city-run Neighborhood Watch-styled program to replace the work that was done for years by a mostly volunteer-based non-profit. In recent months, Neighborhood Watch, Inc. scaled back its activities because of money problems and is said to be in transition.
Alder Malik Frazier opposed the reallocation. “To pull money from public safety at a time where we have continuously experienced homicide after homicide…for the sake of the zoo is unconscionable. It’s insane,” he said.
Also Monday night, the council voted to move funds around to enable the city to contract with a license plate reader firm to replace its current agreement with the controversial Flock. Mayor Mason had urged the council to proceed with caution because of pending litigation.
The recent homicides were cited by supporters of moves to give non-city residents free admission to the city’s community centers, including the soon-to-open King Community Center.
Alder Olivia Davis first had wanted to remove non-resident fees for youth ages 6-17, including daily admission, monthly passes and 10-day passes. “A child’s opportunity should not depend on their zip code,” she argued.
That proposal, as well as a subsequent one to remove all daily admission, monthly passes and 10-day pass fees at the King Community Center, regardless of age or residency, was also defeated.
If both were enacted, the revenue loss would be around $30,000, city officials estimated. The reduction was to have been covered by cuts elsewhere in the budget.
Recent homicides in Racine have been tied to cases of domestic-violence, an altercation between two neighbors, a traffic-related dispute, a feud between teenagers and a drug deal gone bad.
The latest homicide followed an argument between housemates. 62 year-old Charlene House was charged with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide in the fatal shooting of 30 year-old Raymond Massie.
The incident played out in an open phone line to the county’s 911 dispatch center early Sunday morning.
According to a criminal complaint, House called 911 in a rage, asserting that she planned to kill Massie if she returned home before officers arrived.
The criminal complaint cites a second phone call that came in a short time later. House announced she was at the home with no officers in sight and that she planned to enter.
Yelling is heard, then a gunshot followed by two more shots. A person says, “he’s bleeding to death.”
By the time officers arrived, House was performing CPR on the man whom she allegedly had just shot in the head.
In court Monday, bond for House was set at a $500,000.
House has a long criminal record for mostly non-violent offenses.
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