MILWAUKEE – In her 1974 book “The Carnivores of West Africa”, author Donovan Reginald Rosevear writes of the honey badger: “Because of their strength and persistence, they are difficult to deter. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who exemplified that attitude in Milwaukee politics more than Jonathan Francis Brostoff, the man granted the nickname “Honey Badger” by his colleagues.
Friends, family, politicians, and community leaders gathered at the Helen Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts Friday to mourn Brostoff’s death, and also celebrate his many accomplishments both as an alderman at City Hall since 2022 and during his time in the Wisconsin Legislature from 2015 to 2022. Prior to serving as a performing arts center, the Zelazo Center was a synagogue. It served as the site of Brostoff’s bar mitzvah and he and Diana’s wedding party.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Milwaukee Alderman Jonathan Brostoff dies at age 41
“This has been a really hard last 18 months for us…we’ve been completely isolated…it’s been horrible.” said a visibly emotional Diana Vang-Brostoff, Jonathan’s wife. “Jonathan felt so alone at the end of his life. I see all the people in this room, and I’m devastated. It’s just unbelievable.” Vang-Brostoff also called for those in attendance and watching online to treat one another with kindness, and to remember the impact words can have.
“Thank you Jonathan for the light you brought into our lives, for the love and the laughter, for showing us what it means to live with purpose and with heart,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a long-time colleague and friend of Brostoff’s.
Brostoff is remembered by many as the man who went on a “hair strike” as an Assemblyman in 2018 in an effort to pass legislation aimed at improving the lives of deaf people and sign language interpreters. The bill passed the Legislature in June of 2019. Brostoff was also a passionate advocate for pedestrian safety, using his short time in the Milwaukee Common Council pushing for road re-works, building bike lane infrastructure, and combating reckless driving.
“One time he told me he was carjacked, and he just started talking to the guy…and drove him home,” recounted friend Viktor to laughter from the crowd. “He just let him out and [said] ‘Have a good day!'”
Brostoff was also incredibly passionate about the card game “Magic: The Gathering”. He was known as “JBro” in the community, and was one of the biggest advocates for a variant of the game known as “cube”, going so far as to help found CubeCon in 2022.
Brostoff was found dead in Milwaukee County’s Greenfield Park. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office later reported Brostoff’s cause of death was by suicide. Governor Tony Evers directed flags to fly at half-staff Friday in Brostoff’s honor.
Starting on November 21st, U Matter Friendship Circle will hold a series of four Safetalk Suicide Prevention Training sessions across Southeast Wisconsin in Brostoff’s memory.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “Hopeline” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
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