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Wisconsin Black Historical Society mural brings ‘joy’ and ‘light’ to Sherman Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Steines
October 11, 2016
Wisconsin Black Historical Society founder and director Clayborn Benson (left) and artist George Gist stand in front of the nearly completed mural. (Photo by Allison Steines)
Artist George Gist stood on top of a red and grey Skyjack lift. His hands and clothes were speckled with dried paint, as if he himself were an art piece. Gallons of paint and an assortment of brushes surrounded him. He pressed a lever and the lift rumbled, groaned and heaved him high into the air to reach the top of the building.
“I don’t like to get up off the ground,” said Gist, laughing. “This machine has made it a lot easier though.”
When Gist first started painting murals Skyjacks did not exist yet so he had to use scaffolds. He explained that if he had to go to the bathroom or grab some more paint he would have to climb down and climb back up again.
Gist slopped paint onto his brush and stroked it across the Wisconsin Black Historical Society’s brick building at 2620 W. Center St. Cars whizzed through the nearby intersection at Center and 26th streets, sending soundbites of music out of their open windows.
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George Gist holds up his original drawing for the mural, which spans 125 by 50 feet, making it the largest mural he has ever done. (Photo by Allison Steines)
Wisconsin Black Historical Society museum founder and director Clayborn Benson asked Gist to replace the building’s mural, which was originally done in the 1990s by artist Ammar Nsoroma.
“The old mural was sort of dark. In color and in meaning,” said Gist. “It was all about slavery and Clayborn wanted me to paint something that showed black contribution to Wisconsin in a more positive way.”
“The wall is a celebration,” explained UW-Milwaukee student and volunteer Christina Theobald. “Although it is more focused on the African-American community I think everyone can find a part of themselves in it.”
The continent of Africa is positioned at the far left of the mural, and the state of Wisconsin at the far right. Figures of women fill the middle space, connecting the history of the two places.
Women are “the cushion, the creators and the comforters,” explained Gist, so it is fitting that they bond the cultures and values of Africa and Wisconsin together.
A young black boy is illustrated setting an eagle free near the outline of the state of Wisconsin. Gist explains that although it is his favorite part of the project, creating the eagle has been a process.
“At first it looked like a dove and now it looks sort of like a parrot,” said Gist, shaking his head.
Gist has created approximately 300 murals during his lifetime, including a mural with more than 18 panels inside the Wisconsin Black Historical Society. Gist’s artwork is displayed in all but four or five states throughout the country.
When Gist was 6 years old his mother passed away and he turned to art as his outlet, explaining that if art were a drug he would have overdosed a long time ago. Gist now resides in Pittsburgh, but lived in Sherman Park about 20 years ago. He still has family in the area, which makes him all the more eager to create an inspiring mural, he said.
“I’ll be out here painting and a car will drive by…kids yelling out the window ‘Hey, Grandad!’” Gist recalls, smiling so wide his eyes turn into slits behind his glasses.
A young black boy is illustrated setting an eagle free. (Photo by Allison Steines)
Over the course of six to eight weeks, Gist has spent many long days painting the mural. He started working on it about five hours a day and now after 12-hour days he still finds he needs more time.
“Art is kind of like eating ice cream,” said Gist. “The more you have, the more you want it. That’s how it has been with this wall.”
The wall spans 125 by 50 feet and took more than 40 gallons of paint just to prime, making it the largest mural Gist has ever worked on. He has received help from his assistant Stephanie Sow, who said the mural adds spice to the corner and people’s spirits. Sherman Park community members also contributed by painting the mural during a “volunteer day” on Sept. 24. Children painted hearts in the left-hand corner.
“Over 60 people showed. We didn’t have enough paint brushes,” said Benson.
“I was so proud to see handsome black fathers show up with their families to contribute,” added Gist. “I think that meant the most to me out of any mural I have ever made. To see those black men show up.”
The Wisconsin Black Historical Society will host a celebration on Oct. 14 to thank both artistic and financial contributors to the mural. Gist and Sow are working to finish the mural, which they hope will serve as a conversation piece, adding spice to the corner of 26 and Center streets while heightening people’s spirits.
“It’s a light for people in the community,” said Benson, “and that’s my job as the museum director to give people that joy and that light.”
“All the bright colors, the design, the culture… It symbolizes hope, a lot of hope for Milwaukee,” added volunteer and community member Tsai Robinson.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 10, 2016

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: October 10, 2016

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Adam Carr


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Common Council survey seeks public safety solutions from the community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton
October 12, 2016
Jay Holmes, a Sherman Park resident, addresses the Public Safety Committee. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
In response to concerns about public safety in the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton and Public Safety Committee Chair Alderman Bob Donovan said the council is asking members of the public to participate in a brief survey to help guide the efforts of elected officials and shape city policies that will make Milwaukee a safer place to live and work.
Members of the public are asked to visit milwaukee.gov/publicsafetysurvey to take the survey and register their opinion with council members. President Hamilton said paper versions of the survey will also be mailed out to a random sampling of Milwaukee residents distributed evenly throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
“As elected officials, we want to make sure that our actions are guided directly by the will of the people of Milwaukee,” President Hamilton said. “Addressing Milwaukee’s public safety issues and the systemic disparities that drive them will be a massive undertaking that will take every Milwaukee resident pulling together. Accordingly, we want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to help shape our strategy.”
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President Hamilton said the council will be sharing the results of the survey with the Mayor’s office, the Fire and Police Commission, the Office of Violence Prevention, the Milwaukee Community Justice Council and other community stakeholders, and working together with those entities to shape the new policies.
Alderman Donovan said that, in order to gather further input, the Public Safety Committee continues its series of special public hearings throughout the community on Saturdays in the month of October, and that the meetings have been productive so far.

created: October 12, 2016

author: Ald. Ashanti Hamilton


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 12, 2016


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How to keep kids safe in the car | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nick Jarmusz, AAA
October 12, 2016
Buckle up and ride safe with tips from AAA’s Auto Club Group and Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation.
The Auto Club Group and its Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation have joined organizations nationwide to encourage parents and caregivers to make sure their children are riding safe and secure.
AAA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend all infants and toddlers ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 years old or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.
Parents and caregivers are often anxious to turn their young children forward-facing in their car seats too soon. However, due to their underdeveloped bodies, children below the age of 2 who ride forward-facing are at a greater risk of head, neck and spinal cord injuries if involved in a collision.
Older children may also be at risk of injury if riding in the front seat before they are ready. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that nearly 60 percent of vehicle crashes are frontal impacts and 20 percent are side impacts.
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Children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat because they are typically not large enough to safely ride in the front seat and can be seriously injured by front passenger air bags in the event of a crash. This is especially significant since a recent AAA Consumer Pulse survey of Wisconsin parents revealed that 84 percent have allowed, or plan to allow, their child to sit in the front seat prior to that age.  Almost half (47 percent) reported that they either have or will do so at age 10 or younger.
AAA and the Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation encourage adults to set a good example for children by buckling up every trip regardless of seat location.

author: Nick Jarmusz, AAA


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 11, 2016

created: October 11, 2016


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MPS is improving and no longer required to participate in OSPP | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
October 12, 2016
Milwaukee Public Schools is no longer required to participate in the Opportunity Schools and Partnership program, according to a letter released today by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The letter issued today informed MPS it will not have to participate in the program because the district is no longer in the bottom category in the state school report card. Only school districts in the lowest category of the state report card for two consecutive years are required to participate in OSPP.
MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver, Milwaukee Board of School Directors President Mark Sain and Vice President Larry Miller, will be available to speak to the media at 2 p.m. today, Wednesday, Oct. 12 at MPS Central Services, 5225 W. Vliet St., Room 103.
“While we are energized by the progress we’re making, we still have significant work to do,” said Dr. Driver. “We are working with students, staff and dozens of community partners to better prepare all of our young people for success, particularly at the secondary school level.”
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MPS has committed to rethinking high schools by expanding college-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes as well as career and technical education offerings. This year, 21 percent of all MPS high school students are taking a college-level class. The district also added more than 350 students to a culinary arts program as it expands career and technical education options.
While the details of the state report card will not be released until next month, MPS’ local STAR assessment data shows growth in student achievement and signs that the district is closing achievement gaps:
“We are heading in the right direction. Our collective focus as a community must be on working together to support our young people,” said MPS Board President Mark Sain. “If we continue to do the right thing for our students, we will not fail.”
Last year, the Wisconsin Legislature made changes to the school report card to improve transparency and authenticity. That included weighting school performance to account for student poverty rates, student disabilities and the length of time a school has had to influence a student’s academic progress.

author: Milwaukee Public Schools


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Summit for local fathers focuses on access to employment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 12, 2016
Diana Simmons, job recruiter for Goodwill Industries, invites Jerry Beamon to participate in one of her organization’s job training workshops. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Speaking before hundreds of fathers and other gathered for the 11th annual Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative (MFI) Summit, Mayor Tom Barrett spoke of August as perhaps his most challenging month since taking office in 2004.
“The water is not boiling anymore, but it’s still hot,” said Barrett, referring to violent protests in Sherman Park and Milwaukee’s deadliest month in 25 years, both of which occurred in August.
One of the root causes of the violence, said Barrett, is joblessness in Milwaukee’s central city. Unless that and other issues are addressed, he said, the issues will come to a head again. African-Americans in Wisconsin, most of whom reside in Milwaukee, have the highest unemployment rate in the country at nearly 20 percent, according to a recent study by the Economics Policy Institute in Washington D.C., though in some Milwaukee neighborhoods the jobless rate is closer to 50 percent. This is perhaps why there was even more of a focus this year on providing employment opportunities and resources at the summit, co-hosted by the mayor and the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative.
Dennis Walton, co-director of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, said the organization’s mission is to inspire men to become more committed, involved and responsible for the lives of their children and families. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
During the two-day event, dozens of employers, including Briggs & Stratton, WalMart, Time Warner Cable, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, filed into the sanctuary area at Greater New Birth Church, 8237 W. Silver Spring Drive, offering job opportunities to the more than 1,000 attendees.
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Among the recruiters was Dionna Simmons, who staffed the Goodwill Workforce Connection Center table. Simmons provided visitors with job leads at Goodwill, including retail supervisor and team member positions, distributed a schedule of employer recruitment events and invited people to participate in computer and soft skills workshops.
“Aside from barriers such as criminal records, and childcare issues, a lot of people need to learn basic skills that help you get a job, like how to dress for and speak during an interview,” Simmons said.
Some of those issues were fresh on the mind of Romale Thomas, who attended the summit to access child support and record expungement services, and was looking for a new job.
“I’m working but I’m looking to get into a career like HVAC, or something like that. It’s hard though when you’re dealing with the system and fighting for rights to your child,” Thomas said.
The main function of the MFI and the summit, which organizers said is the largest annual gathering of men in the state, is to connect fathers to a variety of crucial services. The summit has provided services to more than 11,000 local men.
Kendrick Moore graduated from Riverside High School in 2013, but has struggled to find steady employment. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative has consistently and consecutively shown that you can’t only talk about the problems; you have to bring forth practical solutions to help people with their problems. It is important that we never forget, fathers are the foundation and strong fathers equal strong families and stronger communities,” said Dennis Walton, co-director of MFI.
Randy McCarthy, recruitment and retention specialist at Outpost Natural Foods, said this summer’s unrest added a sense of urgency for him and other employers he spoke to, to work even harder to reach those needing jobs.
“We’re out here struggling to find workers and we have a huge population in our city who are in desperate need of sustainable jobs. It’s important that we all work together to fill those needs,” said McCarthy, who was recruiting for full- and part-time positions at all Outpost stores.
Among those in need of a job was Kendrick Moore, who graduated from Riverside High School in 2013 and has struggled to find stable employment.
“I’ve had a few jobs but nothing steady. I want to go to college eventually, but right now I just need to make some money,” said Moore, as he made his rounds to different employers.
George Hinton, CEO of the Social Development Commission, urged the men in attendance to take charge of their lives by taking advantage of resources available at the summit, which included child support, financial literacy and skill-building workshops, in addition to free health screenings.
“Part of the solutions to our community’s illnesses is that it be inclusive of men and that men include themselves. Whatever you are today doesn’t say anything about who you are going to be,” Hinton said.

author: Edgar Mendez


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NNS on Lake Effect Radio: More police is not the answer for Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
October 13, 2016
Read the original story here.

created: October 13, 2016

author: Dwayne Burtin


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On the Block: ‘A blessing and a curse’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
October 13, 2016
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/287395037″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Chris Sims, who lives in Sherman Park, is an only child, raised by a single mother not far from Center Street. Now Sims is trying to figure out what he wants to be. While not having a father around as a role model may have stunted that process, he said the results might not be all bad.
Read more about Chris Sims at milwaukeestories.org.
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author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 13, 2016


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Supervisor Sequanna Taylor calls for action on domestic violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Supervisor Sequanna Taylor
October 13, 2016
Supervisor Sequanna Taylor announced a resolution recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month today and urged the community to get involved and take action to reduce domestic violence and intimate partner violence as part of a new initiative called “Keep Us Safe.”
“Everyone should be alarmed that in Wisconsin, domestic violence claimed the lives of 58 women, men, and children last year and that in the first six months of this year, there was a 100 percent increase in homicides involving intimate partner violence and a 700 percent increase in non-fatal shootings involving intimate partner violence.
“The importance of shining a light on the problem of domestic violence is why I’ll be introducing a resolution calling on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and to recognize October 20, 2016, as National #PurpleThursday.
“We need to talk with our friends and family about the devastating effects of domestic violence and intimate partner violence and what could happen if we don’t speak up. Wearing purple clothing on October 20 is an easy way to start that conversation,” said Supervisor Taylor.
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Supervisor Sequanna Taylor was joined by domestic violence survivor-advocates Cyrena Martin of Mahogany C.A.R.E.S.; Alice Belcher of Impact Coalition for Families; Shelley Janowski, a survivor-advocate; Captain Amy O’Brien of the MPD’s Sensitive Crimes Unit; Martha Love of the Human Trafficking Task Force of Greater Milwaukee; Mark Johnson of Sojourner Truth House; Imani, the child of a survivor and activist with Urban Underground; Supervisor Steve F. Taylor; and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
Nationwide, more than one in three women and one in four men have experienced rape, sexual violence, physical violence, psychological violence, and or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Children who witness domestic violence and intimate partner violence are six times more likely to die before the age of five, and six times more likely to commit suicide.
The National Network to End Domestic Violence has declared October 16 – 22 a week of action to end domestic violence and intimate partner violence.

author: Supervisor Sequanna Taylor


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From Milwaukee to Kabul: Motley litigates on six continents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 14, 2016
Kimberley Motley and her husband Claudiare Motley (second from left) greet “On The Issues” attendees following the program at Marquette Law School. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Who is Kimberley Motley? The international litigation attorney, former Mrs. Wisconsin and subject of “Motley’s Law,” a documentary screened at the recent Milwaukee Film Festival, defies simple labels.
Motley’s complex mixture of intellect, courage and creativity captivated audiences at two recent appearances in Milwaukee. The 41-year-old North Side native who opened a law firm in Afghanistan and is representing clients on every continent except Antarctica spoke about her work and her life after the screening of the documentary and at Mike Gousha’s “On The Issues” forum at Marquette University Law School.
Motley’s path from her childhood home in the Berryland public housing project to her status as the only foreign attorney practicing in Afghanistan seems, to one former colleague, like a natural progression.
“I really liked her approach to work,” said Deja Vishny, homicide practice coordinator at the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office (SPD). Vishny worked with Motley in a trial skills program and as her supervisor when Motley joined SPD after graduating from Marquette Law School in 2003.
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Vishny was impressed by Motley’s care for her clients and her pursuit of a concept Motley calls ”justness.”
“To me justness means using laws for their intended purpose, which is to protect,” Motley said. “It’s the legal reality that I fight for on behalf of my clients,” she added. “Justice is the poetry and justness is the prose.”
Kimberley Motley chats with Mike Gousha before her “On The Issues” interview. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Vishny also pointed to Motley’s tenacity in fighting for her clients’ best interests. She recalled a case in which Motley observed that a prosecutor was relying on an inaccurate interpretation of words spoken by an African-American client. According to Vishny, Motley searched for an expert witness knowledgeable about African-American Vernacular English.
Motley said that exposure to social issues such as substance abuse and teen pregnancy in her poor neighborhood were beneficial for her and her siblings growing up. The tough situations they saw around them helped them learn early about the real world, she added.
Motley and her siblings were raised by their Korean mother and African-American father and attended predominantly white schools. This led them to feel comfortable interacting with all kinds of people, she said. And like other children of immigrants, the experience of speaking to adults on behalf of their mother helped them develop strong speaking skills at an early age.
In an appearance following the documentary screening, she noted that her father was heavily invested in his children’s education. The second child of four, Motley attended St. Albert Elementary School, a private Catholic school, and Whitefish Bay High School through the recently discontinued Chapter 220 voluntary integration program. In addition to her law degree, Motley earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from UW-Milwaukee.
Though he is thankful for the educational opportunities their father provided him and his siblings, Motley’s younger brother, Jay-Sun Bowman, said his father’s harsh rules and discipline created a tense atmosphere in their home.
“(Our father) was very hard on Kimberley and protective because (she) was a girl.” Her freedom was more restricted and she wasn’t allowed to go to prom, talk to boys or any of that,” Bowman said.
“A lot of people look at Kimberley now and say ‘How could you (work in Afghanistan)? You’re in harm’s way,’” Bowman said. In response to a question about safety she said, “I know it’s unsafe. I know I can get on a plane and leave whenever I want to.”
Motley said she joined the U.S. Department of State as a legal trainer in Afghanistan in 2008 to make money. “It was a family financial decision.”
After a year, she decided to open a private litigation firm to represent foreigners in jail there. Since then, her client base has grown to include diplomats, news agencies and corporations from many nations. Though she spends about 70 percent of her time working on private criminal and corporate cases and some civil litigation, she spends the other 30 percent representing Afghani and other clients suffering human rights violations, who cannot pay for her legal services.
Motley researches Islamic and Afghan law. Calling herself a “legal archaeologist,” she described several cases in which she succeeded in bringing relief to young women sold into marriages that effectively enslaved them. Motley argued one of those cases before the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. Currently, she is one of a number of lawyers working to free Malaysian political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister. Modest about her pro bono work, Motley said, “I consider myself to be a global investor in human rights.”
Motley, her husband Claudiare Motley and their three children, ages 20, 15 and 10, reside in North Carolina. Claudiare Motley, a finance expert and recent law school graduate, also works in the family business, Motley Law. He was injured by a gunshot to the face while visiting Milwaukee for a high school reunion in 2014. Now recovered, he and Kimberley are working to help the perpetrator, a teenager who was paralyzed during a later gun crime.
The Motleys still have many family members and friends in the city and Kimberley says she would return to work here if she had a case. “My focus has always been litigation,” Kimberley said. “I go to different countries and I litigate cases in court. I am a court person.”

created: October 14, 2016

author: Andrea Waxman


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Capuchin Community Services’ holiday food box drive | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Phillip Gardner
October 15, 2016
When: November 6-10, 2016
Location: Capuchin Community Services’ House of Peace site: 1702 W. Walnut Street Milwaukee, WI 53205
Partner with Capuchin Community Services and help Milwaukee’s poor this holiday season. Capuchin Community Services provides central city families in need with food baskets that contain all the fixings for a holiday meal, complete with a turkey so they are able to prepare a festive meal in their home for their families. We are always looking for partners who can assist us with this community-building ministry. Businesses, organizations, parishes, and schools are welcome to team an effort for a holiday food drive. To learn more about partnering with Capuchin Community Services and workplace giving, call 414.374.8841, ext. 41. CapHolidayDrives@thecapuchins.org
Learn more: http://www.capuchincommunityservices.org/ways-to-help/special-drives/holiday-food-box-program
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created: October 15, 2016

author: Phillip Gardner


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box_pix2b | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
October 13, 2016

author: Name *


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After OSPP victory, MTEA sets sights on increased funding | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
October 17, 2016
MPS Board President Mark Sain speaks before the school “walk-in” at Neeskara Elementary School. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Despite the recent news that the Milwaukee Public Schools district is not subject to the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program in 2016-17, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Kim Schroeder said the work is not done, calling on the state to fairly fund public schools.
“We’re going to continue pushing what’s best for our students and our community. We know the battles aren’t done — we’re not naive to that — but, right now, we’re kind of happy,” he said, crediting Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) teachers, students and parents for the victory. “Something actually went our way.”
The controversial legislation, a Republican-led effort to turn failing schools over to charter and private school operators, was met with intense resistance from MPS parents and teachers. Former OSPP Commissioner Demond Means, who pledged to work with MPS, resigned in June after the district rejected a partnership proposal. In the wake of that decision, Republican legislators threatened to sue the district and reduce its funding unless it agreed to comply with the law.
But, due to preliminary information from district report cards, MPS is no longer in the lowest performance category and therefore not subject to OSPP. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) sent a letter to that effect to MPS before the Oct. 15 deadline set by OSPP, according to DPI spokesperson Tom McCarthy. He said no districts in the state met the criteria for OSPP.
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MPS parents and students hold signs, advocating for more public school funding. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
A statement by MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver and MPS board President Mark Sain said, “MPS is headed in the right direction.” It cited assessment data from last year that shows student literacy is improving across all grade levels and the number of students on target for reading proficiency has increased.
State Rep. Dale Kooyenga and Sen. Alberta Darling, the legislators who authored the OSPP, did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.
Fair Funding
Milwaukee parents, teachers and elected officials recently called for more public school funding by walking into 117 MPS schools with students as they arrived. Milwaukee-area participants joined more than 2,000 schools in 232 cities across Wisconsin and the nation in the demonstration, which was organized by The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.
Individuals who attended a walk-in at Neeskara Elementary School, 1601 N. Hawley Road, said MPS needs more resources to provide children, many of whom live in poverty, with a higher quality of education. They said smaller class sizes, fully staffed libraries, out-of-school learning opportunities, up-to-date technology, sufficient learning materials for students, and art, music and gym classes can only be achieved through increased funding.
“We want the same thing for our kids that other parents want for their kids — it’s that simple,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “It’s about equity, and making sure that every kid has a fair chance.”
Public school districts in Wisconsin are funded with a combination of state, federal and local dollars; in most districts, the vast majority of those dollars come from property taxes. Only 31 percent of funding for MPS comes from property taxes. In 2014-15, MPS received a total of $11,821 per student from state funds and property taxes; the Elmbrook (Brookfield) school district, which Kooyenga represents, received $12,447. Milwaukee’s median household income is more than $17,000 less than the statewide figure of $52,622. MPS receives additional state funding because more than 50 percent of the district’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Sheena Simmons, a mother of three, said she chose Neeskara because it caters to children with moderate hearing loss, a condition that affects her oldest. Once her daughter was there, it just made sense to send the other two.
“What makes one child different than the other? They’re all children,” Simmons said. “What’s the difference? Money makes a difference? I think they need the same education.”
In 2011, when Republicans gained control of the state legislature, state funding for public schools was cut by more than $430 million. Between 2011 and 2015, state aid to MPS decreased by $258 per student, a difference of more than $20.7 million overall.
“The children of this city have been egregiously and purposefully underfunded by GOP legislators in this state,” said Amy Mizialko, vice president of MTEA. “Our students’ lives matter … and we are demanding investment in their lives and in this community.”
Earlier this year in the Milwaukee area, voters in the Grafton, Mukwonago, Menomonee Falls, Muskego-Norway and Nicolet school districts approved five of eight proposed referenda to fund building improvements and raise district revenue caps — which limit how much districts can receive in state aid and property taxes. The total cost of the five referenda exceeds $170 million. In 2015, 62 of 90 similar referenda passed statewide, according to DPI.
MPS has not sought a referendum since losing one in 1993. According to Wisconsin law, if a district-proposed referendum fails to pass, that district cannot attempt another one or borrow money for two years. State legislators have proposed further limiting when districts can hold referenda as recently as late last year.
According to DPI, students who attend charter schools or get vouchers to attend private schools receive, on average, at least $1,200 more from the state than those who attend traditional public schools in Wisconsin. Public school students have been found to perform better on standardized tests than those who get vouchers to attend private schools.
“Our public schools are here to educate all children,” Sain said in an interview. “They don’t pick and choose which children they want to serve or which families they want to … work with.”
He added, “Equity in funding should be there for public schools.”
Republican state legislators have said OSPP was necessary because they are concerned about raising performance. But Democratic State Senator Nikiya Harris-Dodd, who represents much of Milwaukee’s central city and near west side, called their actions “a concerted effort to dismantle public education in its entirety.”
Schools and Communities United Co-Chair Ingrid Walker-Henry called the issue of whether or not to provide more funding a “no-brainer,” saying, “When we’re talking about our children, when we’re talking about our future … it really shouldn’t be a contentious issue.”
Schroeder urged GOP legislators to recognize the progress MPS has made and to fix “funding flaws” to provide public school districts with more resources. Fair Funding for Our Future, a funding plan DPI first proposed in 2011, would provide more money for students who are economically disadvantaged and simplify the funding formula. The plan would cost about $570 million more than the state budgeted in 2015; Schroeder said wealthy individuals and corporations should foot the bill.
“We talk about being a nation of people who care about each other,” Walker-Henry said, “This is our future. This is the future of our city; this is the future of our state. Do you care enough to invest in it?”

created: October 17, 2016


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2016

created: October 16, 2016


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30229453932_ca950278dc_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2016


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City’s 2017 budget marked by familiar challenges | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Public Policy Forum
October 17, 2016
The City of Milwaukee’s budget continues to be threatened by flat intergovernmental revenues and growing Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) expenditure needs, according to the Public Policy Forum’s annual review of the Mayor’s proposed budget. Those were the two “glaring red lights” identified by the Forum in Making Ends Meet, its recently released assessment of the City’s overall financial condition.
“With intergovernmental revenue up by only 0.9%, the budget uses a 2.75% property tax increase – the largest in seven years – to generate an extra $7 million to help balance the budget,” says the 2017 City of Milwaukee budget brief. “Meanwhile, MPD receives a $25 million expenditure increase – which is linked in part to retroactive salary increases tied to new labor agreements – but which nonetheless chews up most new expenditure capacity while providing no increase in police staffing.”
Despite those challenges, the analysis finds that the budget maintains service levels and makes reasonable demands on taxpayers.
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“The proposed budget is able to meet the City’s most pressing financial needs, including increased salaries and wages for Police and Fire department union members produced by new labor agreements, a $4.1 million spike in levy-supported debt service, and continued financing of the City Hall repair project,” says the report. “It also is able to use grant funds to enhance spending on a variety of initiatives related to the City’s big challenges, ranging from violence prevention to lead water line remediation to foreclosures.”
This year’s budget brief focuses on six “keys” to understanding the proposed 2017 City budget. In addition to the two issues cited above, those include developments in the City’s employee health care budget, growth in its property tax levy-supported debt, the continued prioritization of street and bridge repairs, and investments in Milwaukee neighborhoods.
With regard to neighborhood investments, the report cites the importance of several initiatives included in the 2017 proposed budget, but also notes the City’s limited capacity to make such investments with its constricted local resources.
“The City’s ability to pursue these initiatives is predicated largely on its ability to secure resources from other levels of government,” says the report. “This demonstrates again that City leaders have limited wherewithal to embark on their own upon the types of bold new spending initiatives that many feel are needed to address Milwaukee’s most pressing challenges.”
As in previous years, the budget brief analyzes 2017 budget decision-making with an eye toward future budgets. It warns that while the 2017 budget is fiscally sound and lacks workforce reductions or service cuts, 2018 could be a much more challenging year.
“With health care costs poised to rise and Tax Stabilization Fund withdrawals poised to diminish, two of the primary tools used in 2017 to provide resources for expenditure demands may be exhausted,” says the report. “Meanwhile, the City’s employer contribution to its pension fund will be re-set in 2018, which may create a substantial added demand for expenditures if the fund’s interest rate assumption is lowered.”
The report concludes by noting that while these factors by no means portend a fiscal “crisis” looming for 2018, “they do suggest that the City’s ability to address the needs of MPD and its aging infrastructure without negatively impacting service levels in other departments is growing short.”
The City of Milwaukee budget brief can be downloaded at www.publicpolicyforum.org. The Forum’s 2017 Milwaukee County budget brief was released on Friday and also is available on the website.
Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum, established in 1913 as a local government watchdog, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of government and the development of southeastern Wisconsin through objective research of public policy issues.

author: Public Policy Forum


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Refugee children visit installation at Haggerty Art Museum | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 17, 2016
Students from the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language’s International Newcomer Center visited Marquette University’s Haggerty Museum of Art recently. The students, who are refugee children from Burma, Somalia, Zambia, Malaysia, Sudan and other countries, are participants in the school’s two-year program for recently arrived middle school students learning English.
The students viewed an art project captured on video that students from the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language and the Highland Community School participated in with artist Kirsten Leenaars during the summer.
Kirsten Leenaars: (Re)Housing the American Dream, a three-channel video installation, is the result of the artist’s year-long exploration of the relationship between home and happiness in Milwaukee’s Near West Side neighborhoods.
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Call for transparency in Wauwatosa police shooting | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Isiah Holmes
October 18, 2016
(Photo courtesy of Isiah Holmes)
Isiah Holmes, a writer and videographer, is calling for transparency in the Wauwatosa police shooting of Jay Anderson, as well as a federal review of the Wauwatosa Police Department. You can read more from Holmes about the case in The Fifth Column News, Cop Block and the Pontiac Tribune.
Today’s push for police accountability has emboldened civilians to unapologetically speak out. The proposals range from filming the police, to Chicago’s civilian-operated accountability boards. Milwaukee struggles with many similar issues. A recent shooting in Wauwatosa by its police department has highlighted another grievance — lack of transparency.
In three months, little has been released regarding the killing of 25-year-old Jay Anderson. A Wauwatosa officer shot Anderson at 3 a.m. after deeming his parked car suspicious. Since then, his family has called for answers through peaceful protest. Wauwatosa Police Department Chief Barry Weber, the family reports, hasn’t met them in person.
As a writer and concerned citizen, I’ve written numerous articles on the killing. I also attended a protest, where I met the Anderson family. At the protest, Mrs. Anderson said on camera, “I want his name out there, no one is putting his name out.” Protesters distributed fliers warning residents about Joseph Mensah, the officer the Anderson family claims was the shooter. The police department has not officially confirmed his involvement.
Police resistance to protests has escalated although no arrests have been made to date. The family says the police department commanded them not to march in the Mayfair mall. During a recent protest, to which WPD brought dogs for unclear reasons, Mrs. Anderson was told either she or Jay’s fiancée would be arrested if they protested out loud. The family has also experienced harassment and surveillance by local police.
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Other Cop Block contributors have filed Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests with WPD. The department, by its own admission, has denied numerous requests regarding Jay’s death. Cop Block’s FOIAs did lead to the release of Tosa’s annual reports several months ago. The department ceased publication of the annual reports in 2011, and removed the reports from its website in 2015 without notice.
Take a moment to compare this with the shooting of Sylville K. Smith in Sherman Park that ultimately sparked Milwaukee’s riots. It took days for information to come out regarding the officer. Now, we know both his name and bits about his personal life. In Tosa, a frustrating wall stands between the citizens and the department.
As more time passes, it seems more residents have become suspicious of WPD’s handling of the Anderson killing. They wonder what happened that night, and especially why no information has been released. WPD hasn’t even held a press conference, unlike a shooting last year allegedly involving the same officer. Does the department not owe the family and the rest of Tosa transparency? More profoundly, will residents trust WPD to the same level as before? Will the department care one way or the other?
Only 20 seconds of footage is known to have been captured that night. It reputedly shows Anderson with his hands up, before getting shot in the head multiple times. Although it was likely captured via a police body camera, this remains to be confirmed. Interestingly, Chief Weber denounced body cams in 2014.
Weber struggled to repair WPD’s reputation of racial bigotry after taking power in the 90s. That reputation hasn’t gone away, despite his sanitization efforts spanning that decade. Weber went as far as to directly comment on a Tosa high school student’s comic depicting an officer pulling over a black driver. Although Weber called the comic unfair, the student, Dan Moore, said it’s what happens in Tosa. Thus, WPD treads the double-edged dagger of restricting transparency, and quelling dissent. It happened with Moore, and now the Andersons.
Even once the investigation ends, what’s keeping something like this from happening again? Perhaps it starts with Tosa residents paying attention to WPD’s actions, and speaking up when they don’t agree.
Many departments nationwide are currently under Department Of Justice review, including the Milwaukee Police Department. Tosa’s department, however, isn’t on that list. The Wauwatosa Police Department needs to undergo an immediate, top-down review of its practices and behavior. The Andersons agree with this.
“They’re at the point now where they’re sick of us,” says Mr. Anderson “We’ve messed with them enough. They want to arrest us, and sic dogs on us now.” Mr. Anderson also spoke of Tosa’s ongoing reputation for racial discrimination.
Full transparency is needed. The people in Wauwatosa, especially those —regardless of race — who’ve experienced misconduct by WPD, deserve a say. Whether it’s suggesting reforms or describing personal experiences before an audience, they must speak. We’ve tried allowing WPD to reform itself and things haven’t changed. Thus, we must now move towards including civilians in how we review and reform our police. Let’s start with the Wauwatosa Police Department, and let’s start now.

created: October 18, 2016

author: Isiah Holmes


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 18, 2016


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Co-founders of Black Lives Matter movement urge students to ‘get engaged’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Steines
October 18, 2016
Co-founders of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors (left) and Alicia Garza answered questions from the audience and moderator Charmaine Lang (center). (Photo by Adam Carr)
Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has been an activist since she was 12 years old. Garza, 35, was raised by a single mother, who encouraged her to become involved in social issues at a young age.
Another co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, 32, faced a multitude of struggles during her life: coming out as queer, her brother’s incarceration and her father’s death.
“I had a lot of rage. I had a lot of sadness,” Cullors said. “Entering activist work gave me clarity.”
“Rage and love… I don’t see them as mutually exclusive,” added Garza. “I see them as two halves to a whole. We have to transform rage that motivates us into deep profound love.”
Speaking at the UW-Milwaukee Union to a sold-out crowd of more than 700 people, Garza and Cullors explained that their personal traumas led them to activism.
Moderator and UWM doctoral student Charmaine Lang announced Black Lives Matter speakers Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors. (Photo by Allison Steines)
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The two women started the Black Lives Matter movement with Opal Tometi in 2013 as a response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Florida death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who died after Zimmerman shot him in the chest. Garza wrote what she described as a love note and posted it on social media; then the three of them tagged it with #BlackLivesMatter.
According to its website, “#BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.” During the last three years, the Black Lives Matter movement has shifted from an Internet hashtag to an in-person call to action.
Moderator and doctoral student Charmaine Lang sat with Garza and Cullors on stage, reading question after question submitted by the audience. One common theme echoed throughout the attendees’ questions: they all wanted more. More education; more involvement; more action.
Explaining why they think white people should get involved in the movement, Cullors said, “We need all hands on deck.” Both mentioned the importance of action, not talk.
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Every seat in the UWM Union Wisconsin room was filled for the presentation. (Photo by Allison Steines)
“Get engaged, ask questions and don’t be afraid to mess up, because you will,” Cullors advised. “Just keep showing up.”
Acknowledging that some people have been critical of the movement because they feel it is not inclusive, Garza noted, “We are not trying to build black supremacy. We are trying to transform the world we live in by fighting back against the tide of amnesia that this country is powered by.”
“#AllLivesMatter is really a secret way of saying #WhiteLivesMatter,” added Cullors.
One audience member raised a question about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: “How do we hold the university accountable for creating a safe space for people of color? For example, allowing Donald Trump on campus?” More than 400 people watched Trump tape a town hall interview with a FOX News Channel reporter in April, two days before Wisconsin’s presidential primaries, according to the UWM Report.
Cullors acknowledged that “Trump on campus opens up a pretty big sore,” adding, “It allows for marginalized people to not be safe.”
Cullors then addressed how to make sure the needs of minority groups are met at UWM: “hold a meeting, express your needs, push your needs and if your needs still don’t get met, pursue them harder.”

author: Allison Steines


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 17, 2016


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Enter if you dare: Milwaukee Public Library gets haunted | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Library
October 18, 2016
Shriek freely and pardon the screams.  Milwaukee Public Library is inviting visitors to leave their inside voices at the front door once again and continuing to dispel the notion that libraries are silent establishments that collect books with the next Library Loud Days event: Haunted Central.
For two days, starting October 22 at sundown (5:57 p.m.) Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Avenue, will be one giant haunted house for all ages.    There will be haunted-themed activities throughout the building and the main attraction, the truly haunted part, is an actual part of the library no one ever sets foot in.  And, it’s for good reason; it’s the Forbidden Fourth Floor.  Enter if you dare.
Library Loud Days is part of an ongoing campaign to engage the Milwaukee community and make Milwaukee Public Library locations modern and culturally relevant destinations full of energy and excitement. The goal is to make noise, even by shrieking and screaming, in the community and showcase all of the resources the libraries have to offer while helping local families learn, grow and succeed.
In addition to launching Library Loud Days, Milwaukee Public Library has also extended hours at several branches to provide greater access to residents and extended a fine forgiveness program to reconnect patrons and their families to all the great opportunities at MPL.
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“We are thrilled to build on the excitement from our Library Loud Days launch this summer with the first ever Haunted Central,” said Library Director Paula Kiely. “Being loud in the library is a new way of thinking, but it’s resonating.  Changing the way people think about their libraries has brought new patrons to the many offerings of MPL, which have been enhanced by expanded access through forgiving fines and increasing service hours.”
Further details about Library Loud Days and other Milwaukee Public Library initiatives and events can be found on Milwaukee Public Library’s Facebook page and website at www.mpl.org. For specific event information, visit any Milwaukee Public Library branch or www.mpl.org/librarylouddays.

author: Milwaukee Public Library


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City, residents group at odds over handling of lead water service lines | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 19, 2016
More than 70,000 lead water service lines provide water to residents of Milwaukee homes built before 1951. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Editor’s note: This is one of an occasional series of stories highlighting the health risk — particularly to children — of lead services lines, which deliver water from city water mains to about 70,000 homes in Milwaukee.
Despite continued pressure from the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition, a resident group that has been hosting meetings across the city to warn people about the dangerous levels of lead in their drinking water, the city is taking a deliberate approach to addressing the issue.
Alderman Jim Bohl Jr., who represents the 5 District and chairs the Water Quality Task Force, said the group is moving in a timely manner to make recommendations on what to do with the city’s 70,000 lead service lines. “Our effort is to be deliberate and thorough—to overturn stones others may not be looking at to ensure maximum safety is foremost in city policy decisions of this issue,” wrote Bohl in a statement to NNS.
In his 2017 proposed city budget, Mayor Tom Barrett presented the first year of what the city describes as a long-term multi-million-dollar plan to address lead water service line removal.
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The plan calls for funding the full replacement of lead service lines at 385 licensed day care centers, using a combination of funds from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which will fund the private line work, and Milwaukee Water Works (MWW) covering the city-owned portion. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, which licenses day care centers, does not require the center to test their water supply for lead contamination unless the water is supplied from a private well.
A $75,000 donation from several local organizations will fund the purchase of faucet water filters for low-income families with pregnant women or children. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Three hundred additional properties will have their lead service lines replaced, with homeowners paying one-third of the cost, according to Sarah DeRoo, health communications officer for the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD).
In addition, organizations including the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Aurora Health Care, Ascension Health Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin are donating $75,000 toward home water filters, as part of a partnership with the city announced recently. The city will provide the filters to low-income families with pregnant women and children.
FLAC contends that it has forced some positive changes. For example, the city shifted its policy of replacing only the city portion of water service lines in the case of emergencies such as leaks or breaks. This resulted in the release of loose lead fragments into the water stream, which spiked lead levels, the group claims. The city will now remove the entire water service line, including the homeowner’s portion. However, it has yet to outline a long-term plan to replace about 70,000 remaining lead service lines.
FLAC representatives say there is much more to be done. They describe the issue as a public health crisis, and are calling for the city to provide free filters to residents in all homes with lead water service lines.
“When will the city release not a one-year, but a 5-, 10-, 20-year plan to keep our city residents safe from lead? The bottom line is that the city needs to take this issue more seriously,” said FLAC representative Robert Miranda.
MWW estimates that fully replacing all the lines would cost between $511 million and $756 million.
The mayor has urged residents living in homes constructed prior to 1951 to purchase water filters, and the city has suggested steps to further reduce their exposure to lead in the drinking water. Nevertheless, DeRoo reiterated that Milwaukee’s water meets all federal testing guidelines. City drinking water is tested by MWW as it exits water treatment plants and every three years at about 50 city residences.
Up until now, only the MWW tests water from residences for lead, according to a recent City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau memo. The memo states the Milwaukee Health Department only recently added testing a home’s tap water for lead to its “Environmental Health and Lead Risk Assessment” for residents found to have elevated blood lead (EBL) levels. The memo noted that the health department is in the process of being certified by the DNR to perform water-lead testing.
In early September, Milwaukee Public Schools announced that the district had begun testing its drinking water for lead contamination. The results have not yet been made public. City of Milwaukee charter schools are not required to test their water for lead contamination.
According to the CDC, there is no safe blood lead level for children. Lead poisoning in children may result in developmental delays, learning difficulties and a host of other problems.
DeRoo pointed out the successes of the MHD’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which has resulted in fewer instances of elevated lead levels in children and higher rates of testing since 1997, when the program began. DeRoo said the program assists property owners in lessening lead paint hazards, which are the largest source of childhood lead exposure in Milwaukee.
That’s a double whammy for many Milwaukee residents, Miranda said.
“Many of those older homes that still have lead paint also have lead water service lines. That’s double the risk of exposure,” he added.

created: October 19, 2016


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Last chance to nominate: MANDI 2017 Deadline Friday, Oct. 21 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
October 19, 2016
The Wells Fargo People’s Choice Awards rest on a table at the 2016 MANDI Awards. (Photo by Emmy A. Yates)
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE
18th Annual Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) recognize outstanding community development efforts in our city.
Sponsored by US Bank, the awards pay tribute to the people and organizations working tirelessly to make Milwaukee a great place to live, learn, work and grow. Individuals, organizations and projects in the city of Milwaukee are eligible to apply.
Information is available at www.lisc.org/milwaukee  or go directly to the nomination website at www.mandiawards.org for category details and the online application. Award categories include:
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• BMO Harris Bank Cornerstone Award: Recognizes an organization for tenacious commitment and effectiveness
• Northern Trust Navigator Award: Recognizes an individual for outstanding leadership and collaboration
• PNC Trail Blazer Award: Recognizes an innovative approach to a community problem(s)
• State Farm Building Blocks Award: Recognizes a real estate project that enhances the community
• Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award: Recognizes a public space that enlivens a neighborhood
All of the finalists will be eligible for the Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award an interactive category that allows the public to vote online for their favorite finalists starting April 1st.
MANDI is hosted by LISC Milwaukee (Local Initiative Support Corporation). Winners are selected by an independent committee, and will be announced at a gala on Thursday, April 6, 2017. Finalists will be announced at a live event on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.
SAVE THE DATE FOR MANDI 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017, at the Potawatomi Event Center
CRIME PREVENTION AWARDS
Nominations are now also open for the Crime Prevention Awards to be presented on February 1, 2017. Nomination deadline is November 11, 2016
Click Here to Nominate and Learn More

author: LISC Milwaukee


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 19, 2016


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Public Safety Plan should address root causes of crime | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Markasa Tucker
October 20, 2016
Milwaukee Police Department officers Ed Ciano and Kurt Saltzwadel stop by N. 9th and W. Ring streets to interact with young people at We Got This in August 2016. (Photo by Allison Steines)
Markasa Tucker, a Milwaukee community activist, organizer and a mother of one child, calls for the public to participate in listening sessions about the proposed Public Safety Action Plan.
Milwaukee residents are being given opportunities to weigh in on the city’s public safety issues. Sadly, this plan does not address societal underpinnings of crime and poverty that have plagued Milwaukee since deindustrialization.
Alderman Bob Donovan said, “This plan is not the venue for suggestions around the need for jobs and youth development, but to improve policing and the criminal justice system.”
But how can you share ideas and feedback around a Public Safety Action Plan without addressing and taking action steps on some of the city’s greatest issues and needs?
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I attended the first Public Safety Committee listening session on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Morse Marshall High School, on the city’s far northwest side. I was not surprised to see a room of no more than 35 or so residents. I believe residents do care about public safety issues, but just may have not been engaged.
If these listening sessions are going to be effective, the information must reach the individuals that this public safety plan would affect most; young people, people of color, especially black males, business owners and the community as a whole. My concern has always been that the right people would not know about the listening sessions and not have an opportunity to weigh in on public safety issues. So I’ve asked the aldermen who were present that Saturday about their efforts to turn out residents.
Alderman Jose Perez, who’s helping to host a listening session at South Division High School on Saturday, Oct. 22, said that he was working with community-based organizations, community organizers, and neighborhood associations in his district. We will see how his efforts pan out. But it appears Alderman Chevy Johnson, who also replied, appears not to have taken steps to actually canvass the neighborhoods and reach out to churches, businesses and other organizations.
These listening sessions will continue to be ineffective if elected officials do not make it their priority to go outside of their offices’ walls and put boots to the ground. Great opportunities are missed when the critical step of engaging with the community, as the elected officials did during election season, are not occurring on a consistent basis.
The Public Safety Action Plan states that the problem that must be addressed before any of the others is public safety or more specifically, the lack of it.  The others include include joblessness, housing issues, multigenerational poverty, breakdown of the family, widespread drug use and a seriously challenged education system.
The Public Safety Committee has two more listening sessions on the city’s South Side, Saturday, Oct. 22, at 9:30 a.m. at South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd., and Saturday, Oct. 29, at 9:30 a.m. at Pulaski High School, 2500 W. Oklahoma Ave.

created: October 20, 2016

author: Markasa Tucker


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 20, 2016

author: Adam Carr


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UMOS remembers victims of domestic violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
UMOS
October 20, 2016
(Photo courtesy of UMOS)
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As of October 5, 2016, 52 lives were lost in Wisconsin due to domestic violence: one life lost every 4.2 days.
The UMOS Latina Resource Center, in partnership with Celeste Contreras, created an altar dedicated to the victims of domestic violence homicides. The altar is featured for viewing in the front window of the UMOS Latina Resource Center, located at 802 West Mitchell Street in Milwaukee.
All of the names and pictures displayed on the altar are victims of domestic homicides in 2016. “The intent of the photos is to remember the victims as individuals who were brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, mothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, co-workers, neighbors, peers, friends and members of the community,” says Mariana Rodriguez, manager of domestic violence programs at UMOS.
All of the flowers and banners were created by survivors. All of the crosses were painted by survivors. The altar will be on display until November 3.
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On October 27 The UMOS Latina Resource Center Staff and supporters of “Stop the Violence,” will have a candlelight vigil beginning at 6:30 p.m. The walk will start in front of the building at 802 West Mitchell Street and head north on 8 Street to Lapham Blvd. Left on Lapham Blvd. heading west to Cesar Chavez Dr., then left to Mitchell Street and back to the Latina Resource Center. There is no cost to participate in the vigil.
The UMOS Latina Resource Center is the only bi-lingual, bi-cultural, domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking supportive services center under one roof in Wisconsin.
For more information on the vigil or any of the other October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities call 414-389-6500.

author: UMOS


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City outlaws panhandling on medians and ramps | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 21, 2016
A panhandler on a Capitol Drive median at Humboldt Avenue holds a sign that says “Hungry.” (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
A new city law that will take effect on Oct. 28 prohibits panhandling on street medians narrower than 5 feet, or any highway ramp that might be dangerous for pedestrians. Panhandling itself is not illegal.
All 15 members of the council voted in favor of the measure, which the mayor signed into law Wednesday.
According to the ordinance, violators can be fined $50 to $200 plus court costs or imprisoned if unable to pay.
Faith Kohler, director of “30 Seconds Away: Breaking the Cycle,” a documentary film about homelessness in Milwaukee, supports the ordinance because panhandling on medians and ramps is not safe for pedestrians and drivers, she said. Taking money out of a wallet or purse when a panhandler approaches also can be dangerous for people who want to help.
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“Even if the (panhandler) is truly homeless and has no issues, you don’t know that when you drive up and roll your window down. Someone could take your ring off your hand. They could take your finger off your hand to get your ring. They could take your wallet or your purse off the seat,” Kohler said.
James Pinkin often panhandles outside the Wisconsin Avenue Starbucks on the Marquette University campus. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Tony Cruz, who was asking passing motorists for money on a Fond du Lac Avenue median at Walnut Street, said he will stop standing in medians or prohibited areas when the law takes effect. He lives in a rooming house near Teutonia and Villard with a friend, but might have to go into a shelter if he doesn’t make enough money panhandling, he added. In pain from a degenerated hip, the aging Cruz said his disability benefits are not enough to make ends meet.
Despite the language in the ordinance, Kohler doesn’t think that people who are homeless and cannot pay a fine will be imprisoned. Noting that her film was used as part of Municipal Court’s staff training this year, she said the court has made a lot of progress toward understanding the complex issues of homelessness. Increasingly, the court is working with homeless people to find suitable diversionary programs that give them access to services and resources, Kohler said.
Alderman Tony Zielinski, of the 14th District, who posted the text of the ordinance on his Facebook page, agrees that violators will not be incarcerated.
“There isn’t enough room in our jails to incarcerate people for this violation,” he said.
Kohler said that panhandlers may not be homeless or without funds, and may be asking for money to support alcohol or drug addictions. She added that police and community outreach workers generally know the people who are truly in need.
According to Zielinski, if people want to help panhandlers, they should contribute to organizations that provide job training, AODA (alcohol and other drug abuse) counseling, mental health and other services to them. “We’re trying to educate the public … and the panhandlers on the services that are out there so that they can get the help that they need.”
Stephanie Roades, a community activist and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) organizer, said the ordinance is unkind and not likely to deter people from panhandling or alleviate the serious issues many city residents are facing.
“There are actually people out there who are working and cannot afford their everyday needs. They may be able to pay their rent but not (buy) their medicines or food.”
Noting that she sees people asking for donations on Facebook because they can’t pay medical bills, she said that people are asking for money everywhere, all the time.
Mr. Ricks, who was panhandling near the Federal Office Building, opposes panhandling on medians because he thinks it endangers pedestrians and drivers. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“This is really just about (pointing out) a very specific group of people that we’ve deemed unsightly and unworthy and (saying) that they can’t ask for money,” Roades said.
Roades said she thinks those who support the ordinance don’t appreciate how many obstacles there are for people struggling with poverty, mental illness and addiction. For some, a few dollars is necessary for their daily survival, she said.
Kohler suggested that rather than calling police to ticket panhandlers, people should call a homeless outreach officer. Enforcing the ordinance should be the last resort, when panhandlers’ behavior becomes a nuisance, Kohler said.
Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown (Business Improvement District #21), supports the new ordinance. Her organization is working on an initiative to discourage panhandling and encourage giving to organizations that work toward longer-term solutions for people who need financial and other assistance. She expects that program to launch in the spring.
Pointing to the generosity of the community, Weirick said, “You can go (seven days a week) for breakfast at the Gathering on 10 and Wisconsin. You can go for lunch and an afternoon snack at Open Door Café  … and then you can go to St. Ben’s for dinner.” There is no shortage of accessible free meals, she said.
Weirick added that she sees how panhandlers spend their money and she believes most of it is used to buy alcohol and drugs. This contributes to unhealthy lives for them and a negative environment for everyone else, she said.
James Pinkin, 39, who regularly asks Marquette students and other passersby for spare change on Wisconsin Avenue just west of 16th Street, said he sometimes panhandles on medians. When he heard about the new ordinance he said he will stop. Pinkin said he lives at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, 830 N. 19th St., where he is given food on some days. Not many people give him money, he said, but some buy him food.
Asking pedestrians for money outside the Federal Office Building, 517 E. Wisconsin Ave., Mr. Ricks noted that he isn’t able to access medians and highway ramps because he is in a wheelchair. Ricks, who declined to give his first name, said he is opposed to panhandling on medians because it’s too dangerous. He panhandles to supplement his Social Security disability income, which isn’t enough to live on.
The new ordinance is part of a local effort to discourage panhandling. A campaign called “Keep the Change” encourages businesses to post signs asking would-be givers to donate to social service organizations rather than giving money to panhandlers.
Roades is working with a group that is organizing a boycott of businesses that support “Keep the Change.”
“If (the Common Council) wants to talk about helping people, let’s have a real conversation about the … root causes of all these problems,“ she said.

created: October 21, 2016


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Rain garden installation is Saturday in Milwaukee’s Garden Homes Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton
October 21, 2016
Alderman Ashanti Hamilton is excited to invite residents of Milwaukee’s historic Garden Homes neighborhood to help install a community rain garden tomorrow, October 22.
The rain garden will help manage water where it falls, bring community members together and beautify Garden Homes Park, Alderman Hamilton said. When it’s completed, the rain garden will also feature balance beams for children to walk across and examine plants, along with hand-painted stones surrounding the garden. Help is needed to plant the rain garden and paint cobblestones. Lunch will be provided.
“In my experience, the best neighborhood amenities are the ones in which every resident has a stake,” Alderman Hamilton said. “By pulling together to build this rain garden, Garden Homes residents are creating an asset that will benefit the area for years.”
The project is a part of the effort to “Restore the Soul of Garden Homes,” a nationally- and locally-recognized historic district. Partners include the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, Alpha & Omega Ministries, Clean Wisconsin, Crossing Jordan Ministries, the Garden Homes Neighborhood Association, New Hope Baptist Church, Northwest Side CDC, the Office of Violence Prevention, Running Rebels, the Safe Zone Initiative and Uniting Garden Homes, Inc. The project is sponsored by the Argosy Foundation and the City of Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation.
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What: Rain garden installation
When: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, Saturday, Oct. 22
Where: 2600 W. Atkinson Ave.

author: Ald. Ashanti Hamilton


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Missed audit, incomplete reporting, inconsistent monitoring plague RPP | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
October 23, 2016
Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton speaks about RPP at a press conference in May. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
This story is part of a Special Report on the Residents Preference Program, which is meant to provide opportunity for minorities in the construction industry, and can help address unemployment and crime. But it must be better monitored, funded and enforced.
Soon after the 2008 market crash, when many in Milwaukee were struggling to find work, the City of Milwaukee passed the Milwaukee Opportunities Restoring Employment (M.O.R.E.) Ordinance, which applied the Residents Preference Program to city-funded development projects and required 40 percent of the workers to be unemployed or underemployed residents.
In 2009, the city asked for $599 million in stimulus funds from the federal government. That same year, the Common Council passed a stimulus plan, which included funds for new developments.
Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton, who sponsored the M.O.R.E. Ordinance, acknowledged the benefits of the stimulus package, but said it fell short of providing opportunities for those who needed it most.
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“We had large-scale public works projects that the city was invested in that created a large number of jobs. But, because we didn’t have the type of pipeline that was necessary in order to bring people through this process, and then keep them working afterwards … we didn’t take full advantage of that opportunity,” Hamilton said.
Milwaukee NAACP President Fred Royal said of the ordinance, “It had the greatest intent when it was written but it didn’t have the planning … on how to enforce it.”
Chapter 355, which was part of the M.O.R.E. Ordinance, requires an audit of the Residents Preference Program every three years. The first audit, scheduled to be done in 2012, was not commissioned or completed as the result of an “oversight,” according to Nikki Purvis, manager of the Office of Small Business Development (OSBD) since October 2014. The OSBD, an arm of the city Department of Administration, is responsible for monitoring and enforcing RPP.
“There really is no excuse for it,” Purvis said in an August 2015 interview. “Once we were made aware that it had not occurred, we made sure that it was taken care of.”
City of Milwaukee Comptroller Martin Matson, who was elected in 2012, has a different take on why the audit wasn’t completed. Matson said the Comptroller’s Office identified the requirement for an RPP audit when it conducted a needs assessment after he took office. The assessment, which classified audits as high, medium or low risk, found that high-risk audits were being performed regularly but some of the other 103 required audits had not been conducted. That included RPP, which was classified as low-risk, according to Matson.
“Ideally, you’d want to do all audits within three years,” Matson said. “I would’ve had to have doubled the staff, which, of course, they won’t allow me to do. So, my hands are tied. We asked for more (staff); they told us ‘no.’”
In fall 2014, Royal started asking questions, and the RPP audit was fast-tracked. “It (the audit) was on the list to be done, but it got pushed up,” said Matson.
The audit, which was completed in November 2015, found inaccuracies in RPP’s reporting. “Monitoring procedures for the projects tested were performed irregularly, and required documentation was not obtained or retained consistently,” the audit said. It blamed OSBD for the problems, but concluded the staffing requirements on those projects were still met.
Because the city does not have the capacity to monitor projects in-house, OSBD delegated that responsibility to developers, who are required to hire a third party to monitor compliance with the ordinance. Hamilton said the model has been costly, is not consistent and lacks transparency. Despite repeated requests from the Common Council for more “worker-level” detail, none was provided, according to Hamilton.
“We were asking for reports that they (OSBD) don’t have the capability of producing,” said Hamilton in a November 2015 interview, before he was elected president of the Common Council. “They don’t even possess the data to actually produce the reports. How is it that you can actually fulfill the requirement of the ordinance and you don’t have the data to do the report?”
Hamilton added, “We can’t say that job creation, creating opportunity is a priority for the city and creating a pipeline to restoration and stability for our most vulnerable citizens in the city is important and, then, the main program that we have to provide access to that opportunity is not being measured.”
Recommendations from the comptroller’s audit include requiring an external company to track and report participation, utilizing a single monitoring software to ensure consistency, redefining the conditions that trigger the RPP requirement to be more specific and including measures that would compel developers who receive financial assistance from the city to comply with the requirements.
Since January 2015, the city has included a provision in all development agreements requiring contractors to utilize monitoring software called LCPtracker.
Earlier this year, the city’s Workforce Organizational Reform Committee (WORC), which Purvis was a part of, updated RPP with tougher sanctions for contractors or developers that fail to meet requirements. The WORC also created a commission to review compliance, performance and other aspects of the program.
Purvis said monitoring always plays a critical role in enforcement, noting that she has confidence in the process now in place. However, because there are so many departments involved in RPP’s implementation, “Part of that process is having more consistent and frequent communication internally so that we can address any issues should they arise.”
She added, “There’s a commitment from the mayor and from the administration that we will continue to move forward in ensuring that we are providing information to the community and to the elected officials, and being as transparent as possible so that we can have the honest conversations about where the program is.”

created: October 23, 2016


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 23, 2016


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Peace is possible | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Carmen Pitre
October 24, 2016
Carmen Pitre, president and CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center, writes that all individuals have the power to make lasting changes and to create peace in their own lives. Sojourner is Wisconsin’s largest service provider for families dealing with domestic violence.
It is a very difficult time in Milwaukee. Yet with this difficulty, comes great opportunity. We have the opportunity to see our challenges more clearly and to speak with honesty about the issues we face. We also have an opportunity to work with each other to solve problems and to find our way toward peace together.
The past few months have brought struggle, fear and sadness, and the frustration in our city continues to be intense. While the conditions that have led to this violence are not new, finding solutions that will bring lasting peace demands that we look for new ways of solving some of the difficult problems that confront us. Among these problems are generational and extreme poverty, isolation, lack of opportunity, high levels of unemployment and escalating violence in our homes, on our streets and in our city.
We cannot solve these problems without a willingness to understand the intersection of race and class and the history that we are living with daily in Milwaukee. To solve the problems, we must understand how these issues intersect, the harmful impact they have and the legacy that we have inherited. While we seek to understand how racism, classism and sexism come together to create devastating trauma in the lives of people in our community, it is equally important for us to continue to look for ways to create hope for people who feel hopeless.
At Sojourner, we see the impact that violence has on people and how this behavior is passed down from generation to generation. We understand that children are born free of the desire to hurt others. We know that children learn violence from those who surround them… in their homes, on our streets and in our city. People who are hurt, if left unhealed, will hurt others, which is why healing is so very core to our ability to move forward in Milwaukee.
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At Sojourner, we create hope and hold the light in dark times for families who are hurting. We will continue this vital work in partnership with community leaders, public and private agencies, and the community at large.
In August 2015, we launched the Sojourner Peace Campaign because of our fundamental belief that all individuals have the power to make lasting changes and to create peace in their own lives. The campaign has three components: Choose Peace. Pledge Peace. Promote Peace.
Choose Peace.
When we choose peace, we adopt behaviors that help ourselves and our neighbors feel cared for and respected. In times like this, we must find that place inside ourselves and remember how important we are to each other, to our families, to our friends and to this community.
Pledge Peace.
By making a commitment to living peacefully, we remind ourselves to take small steps every day that will improve our lives and heal our community. With each new day, peace will begin to fill our lives.
Promote Peace.
We can spread peace by setting an example and inviting others to choose and pledge peace. We welcome you to download our Peace Brochure, and if you would like, you are welcome to stop into the Family Peace Center and pick up a “Peace is Possible” t-shirt. Please contact 414-276-1911 with questions or for more information on the Sojourner Peace Campaign.
You can be a peacemaker. You can take a stand in your own life and you can help to move us all forward. When anyone of us heals, we all heal.
Sojourner remains committed to transforming Milwaukee — one word, one smile, one day at a time. We look forward to making peace with each of you.

created: October 24, 2016

author: Carmen Pitre


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Request for Qualifications: Silver City Placemaking Project | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors
October 24, 2016
(Image courtesy of Layton Boulevard West Neighbors)
The Silver City Organizational Committee and Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Inc. are thrilled to present the attached Request for Qualifications seeking applicants to implement Placemaking in Silver City.
The Silver City Organizational Committee is a group of neighborhood businesses, property owners, residents and other stakeholders that collaborate on projects benefiting the Silver City District.  Their vision for Silver City is to have welcoming, walkable, clean and safe commercial corridors that are active with pedestrian activity and have a strong sense of place and community identity.
Click here for the full Request for Qualifications.
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author: Layton Boulevard West Neighbors


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 24, 2016


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silvercityplacemakingprojectrfq | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 24, 2016
silvercityplacemakingprojectrfq