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Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club to close in a week | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elliot Hughes
August 18, 2017
Two students enter the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club on Friday. The club will permanently close its doors after Aug. 25. (Photo by Elliot Hughes)
Parents of children who attend the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club were dismayed to learn this week that the location will permanently close at the end of August — however club officials maintain it will not result in a reduction of services for children.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee circulated a letter to parents earlier this week informing them of the Aug. 25 closure of the Daniels-Mardak club, located at 4834 N. 35th St., before going public with the announcement Thursday.
Vincent Lyles, the president and CEO of the organization, said Thursday the closure resulted from a disagreement with the property owner, the Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ.
“We’d been talking for a while,” Lyles said. “In any situation where there’s a landlord and a tenant, in those discussions at some point in time you’re going to agree and you’re going to disagree.”
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Holy Redeemer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Ciara Shanks, 24, drops off her daughter, Jordan Davis, 8, Friday at the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club, which will permanently close its doors Aug. 25. (Photo by Elliot Hughes)
A rumor that the LaVarnway club, 2739 N. 15th St., is also going to close made its rounds on social media in the last several days. But Lyles said that club is not going to close.
According to Lyles, 250 to 300 children on average attend Daniels-Mardak daily over the summer, with 180 in attendance each day during the school year. But Lyles noted that the organization is opening six new locations — bringing the citywide total to 47 — in time for the school year.
Two of those will be within two miles of Daniels-Mardak, at Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education and at the Marvin E. Pratt Elementary School. Those two can handle a combined 225 students daily.
“I don’t think it’s going to be as hard as people (think),” Lyles said, referring to parents finding a new club for their children. “I just know we’re going to provide concierge-type service to them if they call or stop by.”
Still, several parents who dropped off their kids at Daniels-Mardak on Thursday sighed and shook their heads when asked about the closure.
Anitra Bivins, 27, lives in the Sherman Park neighborhood, where the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club was recently renovated. But Bivins has taken her two kids to Daniels-Mardak — about a 10-minute drive from her home — for two years because the area feels safer and she trusts the staff.
Unless most of that staff can be found at a new location, she does not think she’ll take her kids to a new club in the fall.
“They’ll be at home. I’m not comfortable sending them anywhere else,” Bivins said. “I think this Boys & Girls Club was safer than any other club I’ve run across.”
Tiffanny McMurray, 38, and Mercedes Stevenson, 26, also were dismayed at the news. They plan to find a new club for their children, but do not think the transition will be simple.
“You have to find people you trust,” McMurray said. “It’s sad. I’m hoping it won’t be hard.”
The Daniels-Mardak staff is holding office hours for parents to receive help finding a new club, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. during the weeks of Aug. 14 and Aug. 21.

author: Elliot Hughes


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 18, 2017

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Adam Carr


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Teens find work at City on a Hill Summer Youth Employment Program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Mitchell Mittelstedt
August 18, 2017
City on a Hill recently celebrated the conclusion of its summer Youth Employment Program, which provided jobs for nine 14- to 18-year olds from the organization’s youth programs.
“It’s just been amazing to me to see them grow into their roles, moving from being just youth trainees to being real employees who have developed a serious work ethic and commitment to their jobs,” said Youth Center Manager Kelly Scroggins.
In March, City on a Hill announced six to nine job openings for the summer, and 16 youths showed up to the first informational meeting. In May, after distributing fliers to qualified students, the organization offered workshops on professionalism, communication, attitude and enthusiasm, and critical thinking and problem solving.
Youth Development Manager Lisa Boughton oversees the beginning stages of the youth employment program. Preparing students for interviews is her favorite part of the job, “just to see that excitement, that nervousness, to see them ironing their clothes on our ping-pong tables, coaching each other. Some of the things they say could be on ‘Kids Say the Darnedest Things,’” Boughton said.
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The interns worked approximately 20 hours per week for 10 to 12 weeks, and earned $7.25 per hour.
“My new job at Impact in Brookfield I actually got while working at City on a Hill,” said Treshon Hill, 18. “I was volunteering and went on to a place to pick up a donation, and the manager liked my work, so now I’m doing bigger and better things for myself, and it’s all thanks to City on a Hill.”
In June, the students took field trips to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Milwaukee County Courthouse, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Milwaukee Academy of Science and Educators Credit Union. During the field trips, youth took major steps toward independence, obtaining Social Security cards, birth certificates and work permits.
Sencerea Vanlandingham, 18, worked as an office administration trainee this summer after participating in youth programs for three or four years. “I like it. I think it’s taught me a lot of life skills and a lot of skills that I could use to go to a different job or just for everyday life.”
From June to August, the interns attended workshops on workplace safety, financial goals, the importance of credit, financial accountability and networking. The program concluded with exit interviews and an achievement celebration, where the young employees received gifts, tokens of the staff’s gratitude for their work.
“City on a Hill is a great place, and they have a lot of connections. …They want to help people, so if you need help, want help, your life can be changed here, like mine was,” said Princess Vaulx, 16.

author: Mitchell Mittelstedt


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 17, 2017


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Puerto Rican Little League team visits Milwaukee in cultural exchange | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Keith Schubert
August 19, 2017
Johan Corchado, visiting from Puerto Rico, presents Felix Mantilla with a poem and a portrait, drawn by her son Sebastian Eliel “Seba” Rodriguez (holding portrait). (Photo by Keith Schubert)
Fourteen Little Leaguers from Isabela, Puerto Rico, accompanied by about 20 parents and staff members, recently visited Milwaukee as part of an exchange program facilitated by Journey House, a South Side community organization. Members of the Felix Mantilla Little League team visited Puerto Rico last year.
“It’s emotional, seeing how excited the kids were to see each other again,” said Pedro Cubero, head coach of the Puerto Rican team.
From Aug. 10-14 the Puerto Rican visitors participated in educational activities and baseball. They toured Discovery World, the Harley Davidson Museum, the Pettit Center and the Milwaukee County Zoo. Other activities included going to a Brewers game and a community service project. The main event was when the teams faced off against each other at Helfaer Field next to Miller Park.
“This is important not only for my family but my hometown of Isabela,” said Felix “El Gato” Mantilla, former second baseman for the 1957 World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves. The Little League named after Felix Mantilla was founded in 1972 and adopted by Journey House in 2014.
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“It’s incredibly important for the kids to come here, and see Milwaukee where Felix Mantilla made his home outside of Isabela,” said Cubero.
Felix Mantilla poses with his team at a ceremony held on Aug. 10. (Photo by Keith Schubert)
Solo Acosta, who has been part of the Felix Mantilla team for three years said his favorite part, besides baseball, is hanging out with the players from Puerto Rico and meeting new people. Acosta went to Puerto Rico last year with his team.
“He gets to learn a lot of things from a lot of different cultures, which a lot of people don’t get to do,” said Acosta’s mother, Naomi Acosta.
A coffee-table book, titled “Changing Lives in 5 Days,” documented the trip the team took to Puerto Rico last year.
Mantilla’s sons, Jose Mantilla and Tony Mantilla, started the Felix Mantilla Cultural and Educational Exchange Program two years ago. “The program goes beyond baseball; it’s an educational exchange. [It] goes along with what our parents have always taught us — that education is a big part of who you are,” said Jose Mantilla.
Tony Mantilla explained that for low-income youth, when the school year ends so does their education. “Folks with a little bit more money can afford to take their kids traveling during the summer and by doing that they are learning. We wanted to give our kids those same opportunities and to leverage travel as an educational tool,” he said.
Education is the root of everything on and off the field for Michele Bria, executive director of Journey House.
Bria has implemented a study hall program for Journey House athletes based on programs used by Division I college athletic teams. All athletes must participate in a two-hour study session focused on reading, writing and math.
“It’s not homework help; it’s a college-intensive study hall,” pointed out Bria. “If you don’t go to study hall, you don’t practice; and if you don’t practice, you don’t play in the game,” she said.
“Most Little Leagues around the country are just sports, but we thought it was vital to include that educational component,” said Tony Mantilla.
To participate in the exchange program, the students from Journey House and Isabela had to research one of the places they were going to visit in Milwaukee, write a paper and do an oral presentation.
Tony Mantilla wants to show the athletes that there are ways to be successful other than sports.
“In the last 60 years, two players have made it to the [major leagues] from Isabela. One of them was my father,” he said. When the kids see that so few players from their hometown make it to the major leagues, they realize they need to have back-up career plans outside of baseball, explained Tony Mantilla.
Added Bria, “Two years ago, if you would have asked these kids what they wanted to be when they were older, they all would have said they want to be in the [major leagues].” Now, the youth recognize career opportunities other than being professional sports players, she said.

author: Keith Schubert


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A year later, where is the change? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Roy Evans
August 21, 2017
Community members gather in Sherman Park for a “Back to School Bash” in memory of Sylville Smith, on the first anniversary of his death. (Photo by Keith Schubert)
Roy Evans, an attorney in private practice and an advocate on issues related to the rights and responsibilities of the African-American community, reflects on Sherman Park a year after the death of Sylville Smith at the hands of a Milwaukee police officer.
I was asked to do a follow up to a letter I wrote to the mayor after the Sherman Park disturbance a year ago, which was published in the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. I was asked to address this question, “Since the Sherman Park disturbance, have you seen signs of change?”
That, in fact, is a loaded question and has many answers. Change has always been and will always be in constant motion.  So yes, there have been many changes in Sherman Park and other African-American neighborhoods in the past year. But, the real question should be, “How significant have these changes been to eradicate the underlying issues that sparked the black community’s outrage that turned into expressions of anger and violence?” How do you measure change? How much change is required or, in some instances, is change even desired?
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The impact of change should always be more important than the mere fact that change has occurred. That being said, in my opinion, no significant changes have taken place to address the root causes of inequality and disparity that are entrenched in Milwaukee’s economic or socio-political fabric. This is the reality that is hard to collectively see, let alone overcome.
As I see it, nothing has changed to alter the grip of systemic racism. (To get rid of a dandelion you have to eradicate it at the root. If not, it will continue to grow and sprout more dandelions.) The stress of disparity breeds contempt. Poverty is at an all-time high. Nothing has changed to make the community feel safer. Crime continues to plague some neighborhoods, which creates manufactured fears that turn racial stereotypes into self-fulfilling realties. Fake facts are turned into realities that maintain the status quo of a physically, mentally and spiritually unhealthy community. There is in fact a health crisis in the African-American community.
Jobs and economic independence and stability go hand in hand with training, education and opportunity. Changes have had no impact on our public schools’ curriculum, which should require a higher standard for logical thinking and problem solving from our students, who are rapidly becoming adult citizens and will be trapped in a negative spiral of disparity without these skills.
Let me be clear, some change has occurred based on sincere efforts to make Milwaukee and Sherman Park a better place and those efforts should be recognized and applauded. But change has to be a part of the core fabric of the Milwaukee community.  This requires intellectual discourse and hospitable venues to meet and share observations, suggestions and ideas.
The construction of the freeway through the heart of the black community eliminated many institutions where we could plot, plan and carry out revolutionary protests against acts of disempowerment and disparity. The marches and demonstrations of the ‘60s are now merely historical images of Black Power and a reminder of our continued struggle for freedom and equality. Fifty years later why are we still in need of marches, demonstrations and black empowerment?
For the second year in a row Milwaukee has been designated “the worst city in America for African-Americans to live.” What does this tell us? If nothing, we are doomed. I am convinced that there are enough brilliant minds and expertise in this community to resolve any disparity problems Milwaukee may have. But I don’t see a sincere desire, will or collective vision in place to bring about substantive change. Slight changes are good but are only pieces of a much larger puzzle. We can’t solve the problems if we don’t have a whole picture that we can collectively see.
This is not meant to be a letter to the mayor or a critique of his priorities but, in my opinion, change starts at the top. The vision of the City of Milwaukee comes through tangible leadership and guidance from the mayor’s office. The mayor is a great guy and we have shared a long-standing personal and professional friendship but, if I were mayor I would want to know why my city is the worst city in America for African- Americans. Is this an embarrassment or something to be proud of? We cannot have it both ways and we cannot continue to ignore it. We need more than superficial changes as a response to spontaneous violence over long-standing legitimate grievances. We need a plan to be put in place with a mission to eradicate inequality and disparities.
With the current dysfunctional presidency and the deliberate dismantling and misdirection of our country back to the policies of the Jim Crow era it is of critical importance  that Milwaukee take bold steps to make long overdue changes — substantial changes to propel us into a future that our past cannot overtake. The impact of change will always be more important than the mere fact that change has occurred.

author: Roy Evans


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2017


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City should do more to publicize homebuying opportunities, residents say | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 21, 2017
Sherman Park residents pack a January informational meeting for developers at City Hall. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Editor’s note: This story is related to an article updating a Sherman Park housing program launched in January 2017.
The Milwaukee Employment/Renovation Initiative (MERI) drew hundreds of residents to City Hall in January hoping to buy city-owned homes for $1 and take advantage of city funds to help with repairs. When they discovered that only developers buying at least five homes could participate in the program, many were incensed.
“They’ll sell it to a developer first for a dollar before they’re going to give it to me,” said David Staples, whose family has lived on 41st Street for almost 50 years, after the program’s first renovation was completed across the street.
He added, “Why not find somebody in the neighborhood so we can build the neighborhood up?”
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However, the city has programs to help prospective homebuyers purchase and rehabilitate city-owned foreclosed properties, according to Department of City Development spokesperson Jeff Fleming.
“In many circumstances, there are better deals available to individuals than the deal that was offered to developers,” said Fleming, specifically noting the city’s Homebuyer Assistance Program, which provides up to $20,000 in forgiveable loans. Developers taking part in MERI can receive a maximum of $10,000 per renovation.
“All of these programs are very hard to access, but they’re there and they can be used,” said Carl Quindel, president of Strong Blocks, a developer participating in MERI.
Fleming touted DCD’s “considerable outreach,” specifically mentioning its booth at Bronzeville Week and a regular homeownership fair held in conjunction with Take Root Milwaukee. “We are in front of thousands of people talking about the opportunities that exist. That said, we are always looking for ways to improve.”
“A lot of people can’t go to these meetings and such,” said Sherman Park Community Association Board President Barry Givens. “We’ve got to do a better job of communicating these programs, the qualifications and how to apply.”
Quindel agreed. “I think people are busy,” he said. “I think they’ve got a lot of stuff going on in their life that’s going to prevent them from really digging into the weeds of … buying a house.” He added that the programs need to designate individuals to guide people through the process.
Within the last couple of months, DCD created a new website to help inform people about the many city programs that exist for new and existing homeowners, investors and nonprofits.
Since 2014, DCD has acquired more than 2,600 tax-foreclosed properties and has sold about 2,300 of those. According to Amy Turim, real estate development services manager for DCD, a majority of the properties have been sold directly to owner-occupants.
“Have we reached everybody we’ve needed to reach? No,” Fleming said. “But … clearly we are reaching an audience.”
According to Staples, most people just need a little bit of help. “That’s it,” he said. “That’s all we ask. That’s all we need.”
The next Take Root Milwaukee homeownership fair will be held Saturday, Aug. 26, from 8 a.m. until noon at the Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

author: Jabril Faraj


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Clouds can’t keep Milwaukee eclipse viewers indoors | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 21, 2017
Hundreds of residents from all over Milwaukee endured clouds, humidity and a brief rain shower to watch the midday sun disappear during one of Earth’s rarest natural events—a full solar eclipse.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) hosted a free, family-oriented event to view the eclipse from the grounds adjacent to UWM’s Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex (KIRC) at 3135 W. Maryland Ave. The event included live music, a “bounce house” for kids, food for purchase, telescopes for a closer view of the phenomenon, a live video feed from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and special viewing glasses, which were sold out before noon.

author: Jim McGowan


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“Rev-Up MKE” finalists compete to bring new business to the Near West Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Near West Side Partners, Inc
August 21, 2017
Near West Side Partners, Inc. (NWSP) today announced six finalists selected as part of the Rev-Up MKE small business competition. The program’s goal is to provide an opportunity for the winner – and as many finalists as possible – to expand or start a business in the Near West Side and receive the support it needs to make it a success. This announcement brings NWSP closer to providing even more services to area residents and employees in the Near West Side.
“The Near West Side is home to some of the world’s greatest start-ups – companies that are now iconic brands like Harley-Davidson and MillerCoors,” said Keith Stanley, Executive Director of NWSP. “Based on the great ideas and high-quality applications we received this year, it is clear that entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive in the Near West Side.”
The panel of judges selected finalists based on the strength of the applications and the quality of the business ideas. Each finalist will receive significant business training and consulting support as they prepare for the live-pitch event in September where the winner will be selected that evening.
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“It is our hope that many of these businesses will find success in the Near West Side, bringing new jobs and new vibrancy to our commercial corridors,” said Stanley.
FINALISTS AND ANCHOR TRAINING PARTNERS
The selected finalists include:
Denari | Joe Erato
Anchor Training Partner: Marquette University
A financial technology (FinTech) application targeted at GenZ and Millennials to save money to accomplish personal financial goals. This solution aims to ‘gamify’ mobile banking.
Forward Food Collective | Brooke McNeill
Anchor Training Partner: MillerCoors
A co-working space for food and beverage entrepreneurs; members have access to a commercial kitchen, office space for administrative work and tasting room to share their products.
Hands in Harmony Piano Studio | Annalies Tilley-Grantz
Anchor Training Partner: Marquette University
Building a community of musicians through the study of standard repertoire, traditional music theory and aural development. The studio also ensures every student has a quality instrument in their home at no cost.
House of Weaving | Latrece Nelson
Anchor Training Partner: Marquette University
An affordable and fast weave extension salon and beauty supply concept salon.
Lisa Kaye Catering, LLC | Lisa McKay
Anchor Training Partner: Harley-Davidson
Lisa Kay Catering is offers customers high quality, affordable catering for their public and private events.
Orange Butterfly Personal Concierge Services | Shannon Fasola Mattox
Anchor Training Partner: Aurora Health Care
Provides comprehensive personal assistance and concierge services to busy professionals, businesses, and individuals in the Greater Milwaukee area that have limited time, or desire assistance with daily tasks.
BUSINESS TRAINING & LIVE PITCH EVENT
The program will culminate with a “Live Pitch Event” on September 20, hosted at the Rave/Eagle’s Ballroom where each finalist will present before a panel of judges. The winner – who will be announced that evening – will receive significant resources to support their new venture, which will be located in a Near West Side storefront, including:
Updates to this year’s program include:
Details about the finalists and the live-pitch event will be available on the NWSP website here.
“We are excited to begin the next phase of the competition – working with each of these six finalists to help refine their business model and prepare for the live-pitch event,” said Stanley. “We hope that the support from this process, as well as the resources provided to the final winner, will become a catalyst for renewed entrepreneurial endeavors in the Near West Side.”

author: Near West Side Partners, Inc


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Sherman Park housing program off to rocky start | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 21, 2017
A soon-to-be-renovated foreclosed house on the 3200 block of 42nd Street can be seen from the window of the first completed MERI home. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
The City of Milwaukee is touting the early success of a program in Sherman Park meant to renovate foreclosed homes and put unemployed individuals to work. However, progress has been slow and it is still uncertain whether the program will be able to meet its goals, according to community leaders and a participating developer.
The Milwaukee Employment/Renovation Initiative (MERI) launched in January to intense criticism from neighborhood residents, who had hoped to take part by purchasing homes for $1. MERI allows developers who purchase five or more homes to buy each home for $1; developers could receive as much as $10,000 from the city in exchange for employing at least one unemployed or underemployed individual. The program is funded by $1 million of state funds, part of a nationwide settlement with Volkswagen.
Originally, the goal was to renovate 100 homes in “Greater Sherman Park,” an area bounded by Lloyd Street, Capitol Drive, 60th Street and 20th Street. The investment, Department of City Development (DCD) officials said, was in response to unrest that occurred in the neighborhood last fall.
Jeff Fleming, a DCD spokesperson, said “ambitious deadlines” requiring developers to have work completed and submit documentation for reimbursement by March 2018 have been pushed back to the end of the year.
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imported stylesheet
The city has programs to help prospective homebuyers purchase and rehabilitate city-owned foreclosed properties, but could do better at getting the word out.
[Click to read more]
“The feedback we got from the developers was that [the deadline] was not realistic,” he said. “This is a complicated process.”
So far 23 properties have been sold to developers. The city has reserved 55 additional residences for purchase, which are not being marketed elsewhere.
Six developers have been selected for participation in the program: Gorman & Company, Strong Blocks, Ezekiel Community Development Corp., Advance Investors, LLC, T.E. X LLC and CUBE Development/FIT Investment Group. Only Strong Blocks (20), Ezekiel (two) and Advance Investors, LLC (one) have purchased homes; Gorman is finalizing plans to purchase 38, and hopes to do so within the next month.
Strong Blocks has made the most progress so far, recently completing the initiative’s first renovation. But the organization, whose mission is to move renters into homeownership, has struggled to identify unemployed or underemployed individuals qualified to work on the project. Strong Blocks President Carl Quindel said seven or eight individuals have been employed on the 17 or 18 projects the company has underway.
Barry Givens, board president of the Sherman Park Community Association, said he has not gotten any information regarding the program’s progress and would like to “delve into it more.” Givens added, “It does not appear that this thing is getting off the ground.”
Vaun Mayes, a Sherman Park resident and founder of Program the Parks, also said he has not heard anything about the program’s progress.
According to the MERI Request for Qualifications (RFQ), developers must employ an unemployed or underemployed individual. That person must be referred by a local construction trades program; a city-run transitional jobs program, Compete Milwaukee; or be certified under the city’s Residents Preference Program (RPP). The individual must be employed for at least 500 hours for the developer to receive the maximum grant amount of $10,000.
Quindel acknowledged that his company was not fully equipped to identify and hire those individuals and may not receive the full reimbursement for every home. He added, however, that Strong Blocks will be hiring three to four maintenance technicians who may be able to make up hours on some projects where the requirement has not been met.
“I don’t think the difficulty is in that they’re not available,” said Levi Bradley, a general contractor for Strong Blocks, of those being targeted for employment in the program. “I think the difficulty is in, maybe, guys having the right attitude,” or wanting to be ahead of where they are.
He added, “You have to start somewhere.”
Bradley, who grew up in the central city and currently lives near 76th Street and Hampton Avenue, said Strong Blocks utilizes small contractors based in North and South Side neighborhoods.
Don Utech, Mayor Tom Barrett, Jim Gaillard and Jeff Fleming stand outside 2946 N. 46th St., a property Ezekiel Community Development Corp. recently acquired through the Milwaukee Employment/Renovation Initiative. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
In addition to the staffing issues, Quindel said the scope of work on some homes Strong Blocks purchased has been greater than anticipated. “We basically ended up having to gut” some of the homes, he said.
He added, “I have to use the contractors that are going to get the job done quickly, efficiently, as well as affordably.”
Gorman plans to employ 40 formerly incarcerated individuals. Once the company closes on the homes it has reserved, it will work with Northcott Neighborhood House to identify workers, according to Gorman’s Wisconsin Market President Ted Matkom.
Ezekiel began construction on its first home this month. The organization will employ at least four hard-to-employ individuals on every home, according to President Don Utech.
For Ezekiel, which has previously bought and renovated 18 properties, “every house is a classroom,” Utech said. He noted that the organization is able to employ more trainees because it is a nonprofit, and training individuals on the job takes time and money.
“Gorman [and] Strong Blocks are for-profit corporations,” Utech said. “We do the same thing but our primary focus is training. Their primary focus is making money.”
Trainees, many of whom come to Ezekiel through the Milwaukee County House of Correction, will learn carpentry, electrical and plumbing work.
David Sheehan, who lives near 59th and Center, spent three months in prison for an assault conviction. He was released in February and has been working with Ezekiel since. Sheehan, who had some informal training previously, is now a licensed electrician. He called the opportunity “a blessing” and encouraged other ex-prisoners to get involved.
Ezekiel has three additional homes reserved and plans to purchase five more, for a total of 10. “We’re trying to stop this pipeline to prison and create a circle of prosperity,” said Vice President and Lead Trainer Jim Gaillard.
Mayes said the hiring process must be documented and that the city needs to do a better job of communicating who the individuals are that are being hired, where they live and what their stories are.
“If the employment numbers aren’t there, there needs to be some explanation as to why they aren’t hiring people they promised to hire,” Givens said.


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Milwaukee’s Choice Neighborhood Initiative announces summer talent search | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee
August 22, 2017
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) and MKE <-> LAX are pleased to announce HERE!, a summer talent search for people and places in the Choice Neighborhood Initiative area on Milwaukee’s northwest side. The talent search is supporting the production of a creative placemaking plan to stimulate long-term art, civic engagement and cultural leadership throughout the CNI area.
CNI is a City of Milwaukee project focused on helping the emerging area of Westlawn Gardens and the surrounding neighborhood on the northwest side of Milwaukee reach its full potential as a sustainable, green community with quality housing, schools, businesses, services, and amenities.
HERE!, which is directed by Milwaukee-based artists MKE<->LAX, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt and Anjail Floyd-Pruitt in collaboration with Fondé Bridges, Adam Carr, Manny Vibe$ and HACM will highlight the many cultures of the CNI area, encouraging neighbors to learn about and appreciate each other. The project seeks to understand where neighbors are currently gathering in the CNI area as well as where they might like to gather more.
Artists are holding pop-ups throughout the CNI through September and will be generating videos highlighting local talent. Pop-ups have already occurred at CNI area assets, including Havenwoods State Forest, National Night Out, Collier Creations, Richard Kluge Elementary School, and Milwaukee Public Library Express Library.
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The videos captured at pop-ups will be screened at neighborhood gatherings and through spontaneous streetside engagement. The initial video screening will take place in connection with Mayor Barrett’s Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days Challenge and the CNI Summer Block Party.
In addition, the videos will be shared on CNI social media platforms. CNI residents and workers, as well as others connected to the area are encouraged to make and post media of their own creation, using the hashtag #HERECNI. The pop-ups will also include the creation and distribution of physical markers highlighting neighborhood cultural treasures.
If you would like to participate in the talent search, please contact Paul Williams at Paul.Williams@hacm.org or visit www.mke-cni.org.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 22, 2017


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On The Block: Listen to youth | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 22, 2017
Through her work with at-risk young people in need and her own experience growing up, Farina Brooks has come to realize that adults tend to judge young people harshly, based on appearances and stereotypes. A mother and grandmother, who also drives a school bus, Brooks said this forces the youth to withdraw and they sometimes express their frustration in negative ways.

author: Andrea Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 21, 2017


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Special Report: Housing First drastically reduces number of homeless, but many fall through the cracks | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 22, 2017
Shauna Kucharcyzk, 18, hopes to find housing soon. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Life for Shauna Kucharczyk, 18, has been marked by tragedy. Each night she sleeps beneath a bridge, in a red, white and blue tent, as semis and other vehicles rumble overhead on the Marquette interchange. Shortly after Kucharczyk arrived in Milwaukee from Nevada in hopes of building a relationship with her father, he was murdered. It was the day after her 16th birthday. Most of her life, she said, has been spent moving from place to place with her mother, brother and sister, until she became homeless earlier this year.
Despite an early life filled with hardships, Kucharczyk, who wears purple-rimmed glasses, has brown hair and a wide smile, has reason to be hopeful that she will find the stability that has eluded her during her first 18 years.
A few weeks ago she received a housing voucher good for a security deposit and three months’ rent as part of Milwaukee County’s Housing First initiative, launched in 2015. The initiative has decreased the number of homeless individuals in Milwaukee 40 percent, from 1,521 in 2015, to 900 this year,  according to James Mathy, administrator of the Housing Division for Milwaukee County.
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While the “housing first” approach to homeless assistance, which prioritizes finding permanent housing and then providing wraparound support, has been utilized in other parts of the country, in Milwaukee the model has been taken one step further through the use of housing vouchers, according to Mathy. Working with government and nonprofit partners, the county has leveraged the  Section 8 housing program, which provides a rental voucher to use with private landlords, as well as other rental assistance programs, while also changing the housing application process to give preference to homeless individuals. Partners include the City of Milwaukee, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee and nonprofits including Guest House and Community Advocates.
“Our community has really moved the needle in terms of the number of homeless individuals. We’ve probably had the biggest percentage drop in the nation,” Mathy said.
Since 2007, when the county first began keeping a headcount of the homeless, the total never fluctuated by more than 90 and had always been more than 1,400, according to Luke Rosynek, housing program evaluator for the county’s Housing Division. The problem with the old approach to housing the homeless was that it necessitated adherence to strict rules, such as sobriety and mandatory attendance at counseling and other services, he said.
“They might have an appointment at a certain time, but maybe they got robbed last night,” so they didn’t show up, Rosynek said. Limited transportation was also a major obstacle, he added. As a result, individuals were remaining homeless for many years.
“The old way was to put people through a lot of rigors to prove that you were housing-ready or worthy,” Rosynek noted.
An important aspect of the housing first model is to stabilize an individual’s housing situation and then provide wraparound case management services to help participants address substance abuse, mental health or other issues. The approach is also a cost-saving measure. According to Rosynek, leaving individuals on the streets costs the community between $30,000 and $50,000, due to their high rate of arrest or incarceration, emergency room visits and commitments through the county Behavioral Health Division.
Housing options for the homeless vary depending on their situation, though most are eligible for tenant-based vouchers, a form of rental assistance.
The voucher Kucharczyk received is geared toward individuals capable of working, and only covers the first three months’ rent, with the individual taking over the lease or rent payment afterwards. Kucharczyk said she had been employed at the Klement’s Sausage Co. Inc., 207 E. Lincoln Ave., but couldn’t manage working while being homeless.
Another type of housing voucher is available to people who qualify as part of the “Chronic Initiative.” Chronically homeless participants pay up to 30 percent of the rent after the third month. The remainder is covered permanently through county funds.
The Chronic Initiative has served more than 200 individuals deemed to be most in danger or vulnerable on the streets. Participants have the option to live anywhere in the county, including the suburbs, Rosynek said.
Robert Itzin, 54, was among the first individuals housed through the Chronic Initiative. Itzin, who has a master’s degree and once worked as a journalist, said that after his divorce, he developed a drug problem and ended up homeless, moving from shelter to shelter. He credits the program with helping him piece his life back together.
“I was at my wit’s end and suicidal before I found out about the program. My addiction is still a challenge but it’s more under control than ever before,” said Itzin, who lives in Riverwest.
Though he’s on disability and not working, Itzin keeps busy volunteering at meal kitchens and other organizations that serve the homeless. He also began writing again, and is helping to put together a quarterly magazine for the county about homelessness in Milwaukee. The first issue will be distributed next month.
Robert Itzin, 54, is currently working on a magazine about homelessness in Milwaukee. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“Despite my journey and my own bottoming-out situation, I have a voice again and want to be part of the solution. One of the tools I have is this magazine,” Itzin said.
According to Rosynek, the housing retention rate for the first 200 participants in the Chronic Initiative is 97 percent. Data compiled by Rosynek through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access shows that the first 150 participants received municipal citations 210 times in 2015, but only 39 times in 2016. The Housing First initative began in September 2015.
“All the people’s problems don’t just go away, but the stability of housing helps them move forward,” Rosynek said.
Itzin chose to seek counseling and addiction services on his own, as do other Housing First participants. However many participants choose not to take advantage of case management services, according Rosynek. Still, case managers are required to meet with clients and encourage them to seek services.
“They come knock on your door and ask you what you need. It might be soap that you get them. As they get more comfortable and trust you, then sometimes you can address other issues,” Rosynek said.
Kucharczyk is still on the streets and unable to find a landlord who will rent to her and her boyfriend, Josh Paisley, 30, who’s also homeless. Neither is working nor has a rental history, a problem for landlords, they said. They begin most days volunteering at Redeemer Lutheran Church’s meal program, and spend the remainder of the day searching for apartments by foot and hanging out at the library, before returning to their tent. Kucharczyk, who’s been diagnosed with a mental illness, said being homeless has prevented her from having access to the medications she needs.
Kucharcyzk and Paisely are examples of how easy it is to slip through the cracks, even with a voucher in hand, said David Nelson, co-founder of StreetLife Ministries, and associate professor of family and community medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin. Nelson and his street outreach team have interacted with Kucharczyk, and said her story is common in Milwaukee. StreetLife Ministries, a nonprofit run by volunteers, provided the tent Kucharczyk and Paisley share with another couple. The other couple, who also have a housing voucher and are unemployed, have not been able to find an apartment either.
“For people that live on the margins everything in life is harder to do. Finding employment is harder, caring for children is harder, going places is harder. Even with some resources, finding an apartment is harder, ” Nelson said.
Nelson recalled helping a man by setting up an appointment with county officials to discuss housing options. He never showed, Nelson said. “It turns out, the guy was in the hospital. This is how people fall through safety nets.”
According to Nelson, part of the problem is a shortage of case managers and outreach workers. Voucher holders have access to housing navigators, community intervention specialists and case managers. But if they don’t seek out these services, there’s not much to be done, said Rosynek. The result is that they remain homeless.
Funding to maintain services or provide more in the future is also a concern, said Mathy. The county spends about $1.5 million a year on Housing First Milwaukee, with the city of Milwaukee kicking in another $600,000 toward rental assistance. The county is seeking philanthropic, private and other partners to help support the initiative.
As for Kucharczyk, she has set a long-term goal to live in a studio apartment in a safe area of town with her boyfriend, and to get back to work at Klement’s. Her short-term goal is simpler.
Two couples share a six-person tent underneath the Marquette Interchange. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“I’d just like a nice long hot shower. I’d feel so much better if I could have that every day,” she said.
Kucharczyk has to move soon, she said. She has been told that the homeless encampment underneath the Marquette Interchange will become a parking lot. According to Michael Pyritz, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) southeast region communications manager, there is some overlay work going on above the bridge. However, he added that people are not allowed to live under the bridge because of safety concerns.
Pyritz said that DOT, the county and city have a process to identify and provide outreach to homeless individuals living under bridges. According to an aide to Alderman Robert J. Bauman, who represents the area, nearby residents also recently requested that police work on moving homeless individuals out from underneath the bridge.
Thankfully, Kucharcyzk said, she just found a new job and a landlord who will consider renting to her and Paisley if she can provide proof of employment.
“I’m really hoping someone gives us a chance to move in. I just wish my life was easier,”  said Kucharczyk, with a sigh.

author: Edgar Mendez


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United Way sponsors resource fair for families of young children | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
August 22, 2017
“Ready, Set, Grow,” a resource fair for families of young children sponsored by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, took place on Aug. 12 at Kadish Park, 909 E. Garfield.


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‘Young Cats’ earn money, gain skills in summer jobs program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 23, 2017
Angela Pruitt congratulates Ismael Moreno as he ascends the stage to receive his certificate of completion and summer stipend. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Learning how to garden, prune plants and make compost were Ismael Moreno’s favorite things about his first summer job. The 13-year-old also liked seeing the impact of his work on his community, which he described as “less garbage and neater gardens.”
Moreno was one of 13 young people employed in the new Metcalfe Park/Walnut Hill summer job program, the Young Cats (Community Action Team) for youth ages 10 to 13. Participants worked in community gardens and performed neighborhood cleanups 16 hours a week for eight weeks. They were paid a stipend for their work.
In addition to learning about their communities, acquiring gardening skills and building work experience, the young people were joined one day a week by Medical College of Wisconsin students who shared their knowledge about education, health, diet and life experience.
Moreno “learned how to be much more responsible” about things like being on time and listening to his supervisor, said his father, Ali Quinn.
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”Having somewhere to go, somewhere to be, something to do at a certain time and for a certain duration” brought a change in his son’s attitude, Quinn added. “He’s more willing to help.”
Walnut Hill resident Angela Pruitt, a mother of adult children and 12 grandchildren, founding member of the Metcalfe Park Community Action Team (MPCATS) and volunteer with Washington Park Partners, is the inspiration behind the program. Pruitt said she saw ways the youth could help the community, earn some money and learn about themselves, each other, and organizations and resources in the community during their summer break from school.
Her main priority, though, was to foster a work ethic, “a better appreciation of what a job holds for them” and an understanding that the rules for operating in the work world are different from those in academic and social life.
Charlisia Williams speaks to Young Cats participants, parents and volunteers at a dinner marking the end of the program. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“As a teenager coming from a poor family, the summer jobs were always an opportunity for me to be able to prepare myself for school,” and later, for working, Pruitt said.
According to Danell Cross, coordinator of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, formerly MPCATS, “Because our communities are really struggling, these young people really want to work and they want to get paid. They want to be able to help out (by buying) their own school clothes.”
Young Cats supports their ability to contribute to their own needs with dignity, Cross said. Rather than standing in line to get a book bag they “get to go to the store and purchase it with the money that (they) worked for.”
She noted that she and Pruitt chose to offer the program to 10- to 13-year-olds because there are few opportunities for them to work and get paid. To participate in Mayor Tom Barrett’s Earn & Learn Summer Youth Employment program, applicants must be at least 14.
Cross and Pruitt also designed the program to bring Metcalfe Park and Walnut Hill youth together and build bonds between the neighborhoods.
“It’s a city that we’re trying to keep safe and … we all have to learn to work together,” Pruitt said.
The program was funded by grants from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Reasons for Hope MKE Fund and Zilber Family Foundation. Northwestern Mutual Foundation provided funds for social activities, including a field trip to the Helium Trampoline & Climbing Park in New Berlin.
There was not enough funding to pay Pruitt, who ran the program, but she said “being with the kids all summer and watching them learn and then watching the community accept them” was payment enough.
“Sometimes when we would walk the streets, people would stop their cars and say ‘Who are you?’ We would yell out ‘MPCATS Community Action Team’ and some would ask, ‘How can my kid get involved in this?’” Pruitt said.
Dorothy Woods, whose three granddaughters participated as Young Cats, said they were excited to go to work every day. One day they brought home some green tomatoes and cooked them. They were so proud that they had grown the tomatoes, she said.
“It was happy and it was growth in them.  … It was just beautiful,” Woods said at a recent celebratory dinner at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center St.
India Graves, one of Woods’ granddaughters, said the program was fun. “We learned a lot of stuff, … met new people and … had an awesome time.” She said being paid motivated her and her cousins at first but after they got involved it became less important as a reason for participating.
“The best part was coming together with other people that I’ve never met, with a different community,” said India’s cousin Charlisia Williams, who was selected to speak at the closing dinner because of the leadership she demonstrated.
One of the benefits Makhi Taylor pointed to was getting out of the environment that he is used to, finding friends and talking to more people, he said. Otherwise, “I would have been totally antisocial,” he said, smiling. Taylor, who is entering eighth grade, plans to apply for a work permit and seek a part-time job selling clothing this fall, he added.
His twin sister, Makayla, liked the program because she was helping Milwaukee by cleaning up Walnut Hill, where she lives, and nearby Metcalfe Park. “We were getting some of the kids to join our team and they weren’t bored this summer,” she said.
Their mother, Dawn Pruitt, Angela Pruitt’s daughter, noted that her mother has been working in the community for “as long as I can remember, and she’s very good (at) … helping the young people build up their self esteem and take pride in themselves and their community and their culture.”
The program also provided participants with money to buy school supplies, “which is a very good thing for them, she said, adding, “I feel like they have grown more mature from this opportunity.”


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New Bronzeville initiative provides homeownership opportunities for artists | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Keith Schubert
August 24, 2017
Artist Vedale Hill plans to move into a rehabilitated home in Bronzeville in November. (Photo by Keith Schubert)
The first foreclosed home purchase facilitated by the Homeworks: Bronzeville initiative is being renovated now, and artist Vedale Hill expects to move in this November.
“As a kid I never thought what I’m doing now was an option for a kid like me … Owning this house will give me a chance to get more involved in my community and show young black men that they can transition to a more successful lifestyle,” Hill said.
Hill, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt and Sara Daleiden of MKE <-> LAX, an organization that aims to link the artistic markets of Milwaukee and Los Angeles, started the HomeWorks: Bronzeville initiative in 2016. The project helps artists purchase homes and studios in the Bronzeville neighborhood. It is intended to cultivate North Avenue and the blocks that surround it from 4th to 6th streets and Meinecke Street to Garfield Avenue, according to the initiative’s charter.
“It’s important to have artists in your city because that really affects where culture can grow,” said Daleiden.
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The initiative encourages engagement of residents and businesses in arts and cultural programming and promotes black art and the economy.
HomeWorks intends to facilitate the purchase of a cluster of four foreclosed properties from the city for $1 each. “The city owns so many of these foreclosed houses, it’s a daunting task for them to figure out what to do with all of them … you must think creatively to even begin to address that problem,” said Hill.
The first homes are located at 322-340 E. Meineicke St. and 2406-2408 N. 4th St. The long-term goal is to rehabilitate 10 to 15 properties, said Daleiden. “Most of these houses have been sitting since the recession in 2008 so they all need a lot of love,” she added.
Vedale Hill paints at his studio, Jazale’s, during Bronzeville’s art walk on Aug. 14. (Photo by Keith Schubert)
The program is open to all types of artists. Those who purchase homes will be able to structure them to accommodate their art and their lifestyle. “It’s a very hands-on process,” said Hill, who will be the first artist to own one of the houses, on 4th Street.
After purchasing the lot for $1 in collaboration with Strong Blocks, Hill received a no-interest $25,000 loan from the city’s Art and Resource Community Hub (ARCH) loan program. After 21 months of leasing the home from Strong Blocks, Hill will gain ownership of the property. After five years of living there and engaging with the community through arts, the loan will be forgiven.
“We thought it would be beneficial to the artist and to the community for there to be a long-term plan for housing,” said Hill.
“I’ll open it up for gallery nights and invite the community in … it will show my commitment to Bronzeville as not just an artist but as a person, and that’s what this neighborhood needs right now.”
There is a long waiting list of artists looking to get in on the project, said Daleiden, but the goal right now is for her, Hill and Floyd-Pruitt to each move in to one of the homes by 2019, with other artists to follow.
To qualify for the program, applicants must show they are committed to engaging with the community through art activities such as workshops and gallery nights, and are interested in living in the house for five years.
Daleiden, Floyd-Pruitt and Hill came up with the idea for artist-owned housing after working with artists from different neighborhoods and constantly seeing them forced to move, said Hill. “This program is a way to make sure the artists that create the culture don’t get displaced,” he added.
He also noted that it’s difficult for artists to get bank loans to purchase property. “When you say you’re an artist, people don’t really know what that means … and banks don’t view being an artist as steady employment,” Hill said.
“We’re trying to create some other home ownership options for people. I would say a lot of artists are credit-ready but still can’t get loans from banks,” added Daleiden.
Concerns about rising property values and displacement of community members were among the reasons the initiative was launched, Floyd-Pruitt said. “The program is combating gentrification through maintaining the existence of current residents … not changing who is here, but how they’re here,” explained Hill, who grew up in Bronzeville and has been running workshops and engaging with the community for more than 10 years.
“This initiative is about ownership and avoiding displacement,” said Daleiden.
Floyd-Pruitt and Hill were forced out of their Riverwest art studio, Jazale’s, in late 2013, for what Floyd-Pruitt believes were racial reasons, making them realize that they needed to own their own studios. According to Floyd-Pruitt, police would come into the studio randomly when he was painting or during gallery nights, and that forced them to relocate Jazale’s to Bronzeville.
After being displaced from Riverwest, Floyd-Pruitt said he felt exploited not only as an artist, but as a black man. “If we build something based around black art, culture and community we need to be able to hold onto it,” he said. “The intention is to be of service to the black population, not to exploit them.”
“Bronzeville being the black arts and cultural district of Milwaukee, it’s feeling more like a home for us,” Floyd-Pruitt added.
Floyd-Pruitt noted that in the 1930s Bronzeville was a vibrant and bustling cultural and economic center. During that time, there were more black-owned businesses in Bronzeville than any other Milwaukee neighborhood, along with many black artists and musicians. However, in the 1960s the cultural center was decimated by the construction of a new freeway. The initiative hopes to bring the area back to the cultural epicenter it once was, Floyd-Pruitt said.
During the last three years, Hill has seen the perception of the area change. He pointed to businesses and organizations in Bronzeville such as Growing Power, Pete’s Fruit Market, Gee’s Clippers, Americas Black Holocaust Museum and Dream Bikes. “Kids are now walking to the barbershop, to our studio; three years ago that wasn’t happening.”
“We want to put our energy to revive some of that spirit from the past and provide an area for black and artistic economies to thrive,” said Hill. “We want to be supportive of all populations that aren’t experiencing the economic return from the culture and creativity they produce.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the role HomeWorks: The Bronzeville Initiative. We apologize for the errors.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 24, 2017


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homeownership-opportunities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 24, 2017

author: Dwayne Burtin


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New Chavez BID Artist in Residence ‘a good fit’ for Clarke Square community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Emmy A. Yates
August 25, 2017
Artist Erick Ledesma makes pins in his studio accompanied by his pets, Phoenix and Leo. (Photo by Emmy A. Yates)
Editor’s note: This story is one of an occasional series of pieces about community artists in Milwaukee.
Standing in the center of a former pediatrics office, artist Erick Ledesma can’t hold back his excitement about the future of his new space. Grinning from ear to ear, it’s clear that he sees something in the empty office at 1308 S. Cesar Chavez Drive — its walls adorned with tiny images of green dinosaurs and prehistoric palm trees — that others can’t.
Ledesma, a visual artist, acrylic painter and spray paint artist, envisions the former doctors’ office as a communal studio where different rooms expose community members to different art media. He also wants the studio to be a place where people feel welcome to stop by and create.
Erick Ledesma displays one of his abstract pieces, which he created with acrylic, spray paint and pastels. (Photo by Emmy A. Yates)
Ledesma is the first-ever Artist in Residence for the Cesar E. Chavez Business Improvement District. The residency program is part of the FARM Project, an effort to make Cesar E. Chavez Drive and the Clarke Square neighborhood a destination for both economic and cultural endeavors.
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The FARM Project aims to “seed arts” into the community, creating connections among artists, residents and business owners. It has helped organize Ciclovia MKE, the Loteria! and La Siembra art exhibitions and the opening of the Cesar Chavez Drive memorial statue and plaza.  “This is a next step to extend the Farm Project further,” said Ian Bautista, executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative (CSNI).
Bautista added that Ledesma is fluent in English and Spanish, and “he is fluent in the culture of the South Side — how things operate and how people view themselves in the context of Milwaukee.” Ledesma, who lived on the South Side as a child, also does a lot of work around identity. “It was a good fit,” Bautista said.
Initially, the plan was for Ledesma to work in the studio from June until October, but as a result of complications securing a space, his residency began in August and will continue through November.
The residency is supported by the Mary L. Nohl Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, as well as CSNI and other donors, including a property owner who agreed to discount the rent, according Bautista.
When Ledesma applied for the residency, he proposed creating an interactive piece of artwork comprising masks made by community members.
Erick Ledesma created this artwork during his residency. (Photo courtesy of Erick Ledesma)
“Growing up in Puerto Rico, I’m really attracted to mask making,” Ledesma said. “I want people to create portraits of their identity with these masks to represent how diverse this community is,” he added. The artwork will be permanently displayed on Chavez Drive.
“Cosecha, cosecha (harvest)!” Ledesma said. “I want to help harvest art in this community.”
Danielle Nabak, project coordinator at CSNI, said Ledesma brings positive energy to Chavez Drive. “Having spent time here as a child, he feels connected to the community. He’s able to relate to the residents who live here.
“In the short time he’s been in the space, he’s been doing great job bringing people who wouldn’t normally come to Chavez Drive as well as community members,” added Nabak, who is working with the newly reconstituted Chavez BID.
During his residency, Ledesma will create five pieces of his own artwork. Ledesma receives a stipend and $3,000 to use for art materials.
Ledesma said he feels the arts are more relevant than ever, and are under attack in some communities, especially those being gentrified. “Me being a voice in this commercial space helps the community have a voice for themselves,” he added. “I can’t even verbalize what that means to me.”
His goal for the residency is to help unite the Clarke Square community. “I’ve seen art integrate my community back home in Puerto Rico. You can create unity by coming in contact with your neighbors through physical contact and shoulder-to-shoulder activity,” Ledesma said.
“I don’t want this space to be just mine, I want everyone to share in that — it belongs to everyone.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Danielle Nabak’s name. We apologize for the error.

author: Emmy A. Yates


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Valley Week runs September 23-30 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Menomonee Valley Partners
August 26, 2017
Milwaukee Kayak Company Tour (Photo courtesy of Menomonee Valley Partners)
Menomonee Valley Partners announces the first ever “Valley Week,” presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, running September 23 – 30. Menomonee Valley Partners and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino invite the community to explore and experience Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley by participating in the week’s events, including special tours via bike, boat, bus, or kayak, the Ultimate Beer Run, a Campfire Chat, and a Valley-wide Career Expo.
“We are thrilled to invite the community to experience all that the Menomonee Valley has to offer,” said Corey Zetts, Executive Director of Menomonee Valley Partners. “Like the Menomonee Valley itself, Valley Week offers something for everyone, from nature lovers to history enthusiasts, job seekers to those looking for something unique to do in the city.”
Valley Week events are listed at ValleyWeek.com. Proceeds from the events support Menomonee Valley Partners, a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 to revitalize the Menomonee Valley. Events include:
Sat, Sep 23
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Mon, Sep 25
Tues, Sep 26
Weds, Sep 27
Thurs, Sep 28
Sat, Sep 30
Dining specials are available at Sobelman’s and Twisted Fisherman throughout the week.
Valley Week is presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. Supporting Sponsors include Harley-Davidson Museum, Menomonee Valley Business Improvement District #26, Komatsu Mining Corp, Rexnord, and We Energies.
Located in the heart of Milwaukee, the Menomonee Valley is a thriving district that integrates industry, entertainment, and nature.
For more information and to register for events, visit ValleyWeek.com.

author: Menomonee Valley Partners


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 26, 2017


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Wisconsin’s flawed marijuana law | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Gretchen Schuldt
August 26, 2017
Here is who gets busted for felony pot possession in Milwaukee County: black men.
Here is how they get busted: traffic stops and field interviews.
This is where they get busted: North of I-94 in the City of Milwaukee.
There are exceptions to all those rules, but the numbers show they are overwhelmingly true.
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The Wisconsin Justice Initiative spent hours examining Milwaukee County Circuit Court filings to learn about the administration and consequences of the state law that makes possession of marijuana – second offense or greater a felony.
WJI is mapping the court cases on its website at The Pot Page. You can follow along as we map and describe the Milwaukee County cases. There are many more to come.
Yes, for anyone with a prior drug conviction – even a misdemeanor – having a joint in your pocket can be a felony.
Does anyone need reminding that recreational marijuana is perfectly legal in several other states?
In Milwaukee County, said District Attorney John Chisholm, the numbers of second possession marijuana cases has dropped dramatically over the years. He said his office generally does not charge second offense marijuana possession as a felony unless the offender has a previous felony or there is some other circumstance, such as having a gun, along with the marijuana.
But a district attorney’s charging decision comes only after arrest and referral by police. And the 30 cases mapped and detailed so far show that those arrested for felony marijuana possession are overwhelmingly of one race (87% black,) one gender (97% male), and from one side of Milwaukee (77% north of I-94).
Wisconsin’s felony marijuana statute is an increasingly antiquated law that needlessly stigmatizes people in a highly selective, discriminatory way and wastes taxpayer money in unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration.
It’s time to change it.
Gretchen Schuldt is executive director of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative, which strives to improve the quality of justice in Wisconsin by educating the public about legal issues and encouraging civic engagement in and debate about the judicial system and its operation.

author: Gretchen Schuldt


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50th anniversary of Open Housing Marches remembered with 200 Nights of Freedom | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
August 28, 2017
Commando Fred Reed holds a photo from his personal collection depicting the Commandos and Father Groppi. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Today marks the beginning of 200 Nights of Freedom, an initiative to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Milwaukee’s Open Housing Marches, which began on Aug. 28, 1967. The initiative, intended to inspire residents to work for a more racially just and equitable city, will include 200 nights of public events and other programming, kicking off with a gathering tonight at the City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Wells St., from 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Explore our series looking back at the Open Housing movement through the eyes of those who participated.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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Camp Umoja teaches civil rights history | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Rozga
August 28, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Margaret Rozga)
Margaret Rozga, poet, civil rights activist and professor emerita of English at UW-Waukesha, writes about a summer camp that exemplifies the “beloved community” of the civil rights movement.
They’re called scholars — the children and teens who participate in Camp Umoja, a six-week summer day camp program held at both the Harambee and the Havenwoods campus of All People’s Church. This suggests that the program has goals beyond summer recreation, and it does. As a guest presenter one morning at each campus, what I found particularly inspiring is the way the Camp Umoja program picks up and re-creates for today’s youth the best practices and spirit of the Freedom Schools of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project. It became clear to me once again that if we know this history, the civil rights movement is a gift that keeps on giving.
Using active learning and arts-based techniques, Camp Umoja teaches the African-American history that schools generally skip and instills a vision of a future of equality with a sense of agency as creators of that future. On the mornings of my presentations, I saw a well-paced daily camp program that wove the more scholarly in with the more practical. Most activities involved the scholars as participants. They are encouraged to ask and respond to questions.
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My presentation focused on civil rights history, in particular on the open housing marches in Milwaukee. To get the scholars involved, I read a poem from 200 Nights and One Day, my book about the marches, and pointed to the audience as their cue to chime in with the poem’s repeat line, “people on the march.”
When I asked them what civil rights leaders they could name, they named some I expected: Martin Luther King and Rose Parks, for example, but they also named Ruby Bridges. I was impressed that they knew of this little girl who walked bravely to the New Orleans public school she was about to integrate.
Also speaking that same morning at the Harambee campus was Jeffrey Pitman, a lawyer whose story about his career choice and path served as a model the scholars might choose. At the Havenwoods campus I shared the morning’s opening session with UW Sheboygan philosophy professor David Louzecky, a career choice the young people might otherwise not have on their horizon.
The Camp Umoja scholars and their staff celebrated the completion of the summer program with an energy-packed finale on Friday, Aug. 4. It drew a standing-room only audience. I was invited, with a friend or friends. I found there a fine example of building the city we need, what the non-violent tradition in the civil rights movement called the beloved community.This spirit of welcoming friends and extending the invitation opens up doors, important to building a supportive community, and community is another of the values Camp Umoja endorses and practices.
At the finale, each group of scholars presented a performance that in the words of Camp Umoja’s founding director Allen Ruppel “spoke from their hearts through dance, music, African drumming and personal poetry. They spoke of a history of a people’s pain, suffering and hope for the future in a very personal way.”
The presentation of one group of middle grade scholars in particular exemplifies the Freedom School strategy of learning African-American history in ways that bring history to life. Each performer wore a t-shirt she or he had decorated with the name of a person important in African-American and civil rights history, for example, John Lewis, Muhammed Ali, Rosa Parks, and, yes, Ruby Bridges. The scholars shared their time and the microphone to tell about the person whose name they wore, each scholar contributing an important part to the collaborative performance in which the whole adds up to even more than the sum of its parts.
The drumming that opened the show and accompanied several of the presentations spoke of the energy and the depth of feeling scholars and staff put into their work. It also infused the evening with an enthusiasm that we carried with us as we walked to our homes and cars. Camp Umoja and its finale offered models of drawing on civil rights history to help build community and get us moving again in positive directions.

author: Margaret Rozga


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 27, 2017


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Bronzeville location of Pete’s Fruit Market to open Sept. 14 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lydia Slattery / Wisconsin Watch
August 29, 2017
Pete’s Fresh Fruit Market, on the corner of North Martin Luther King Drive and West North Avenue, is opening in Bronzeville on Sept. 14. (Photo by Lydia Slattery)
The long-anticipated Bronzeville location of Pete’s Fruit Market, 2303 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, is set to open its doors on Sept. 14.
The family-owned grocery store, located in the heart of the Historic King Drive Business Improvement District, will offer fresh and healthy food to Bronzeville and the surrounding community.
“I love this neighborhood. I love the diversity of this neighborhood,” said Theodore Tsitiridis, owner of Pete’s Fruit Market, explaining why he is opening a store in Bronzeville.
Tsitiridis added that he looks for neighborhoods that are considered food deserts, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as low-income areas without easy access to fresh and healthy foods.
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Community activist Denise Wooten praised the new addition to the neighborhood. “I applaud the owners of Pete’s embracing this wonderful opportunity to breathe more life into the 53206/53212 (ZIP codes) with a quality venture that is long overdue,” she wrote on the Pete’s Fruit Market-Bronzeville Facebook page.
Pete’s Fruit Market aims to bring healthy food to community members in Bronzeville and the surrounding area. (Photo by Lydia Slattery)
Tsitiridis said 20 workers have been hired for the Bronzeville location, with approximately 75 percent of them coming from the surrounding area. The store plans to hire 15 more workers before the opening.
The market held two job fairs in the past year in the community, said Francesca Asiuras, office manager at the market. Open positions included cashiers, stockers, maintenance, meat clerks and customer service representatives.
“Pete’s has been very hands-on in hiring people from the community,” said Kalan Haywood, founder and president of Vangard Group. The development company worked to bring the fruit market to Bronzeville.
“It was the community’s idea, not just the developer’s,” Haywood noted.
Plans to transform the former Walgreens into Pete’s Fruit Market were announced in April 2016. At the time, Mayor Tom Barrett called it a “family-owned business with a well-earned reputation for great quality food and great prices.” It was initially expected to open at the end of 2016.
JCP Construction, a minority-owned business enterprise, is managing the renovation.
Pete’s provides locally sourced produce when it is available. Asiuras said that the store works with local farmers to provide in-season produce. Pete’s Fruit Market also has a farm at 1561 S. Muskego Ave., in partnership with CORE/El Centro and Milwaukee County’s University of Wisconsin Extension.
The 13,700-square-foot grocery store will serve Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods including Brewer’s Hill and Halyard Park, but Tsitiridis said he hopes to serve the broader Milwaukee area.
After a Walgreens moved out of the building in 2013, residents were promised a grocery store. A Dollar Tree planned to move in, but after strong community opposition and demands for a full-service grocery store, Dollar Tree gave up on the location.
The original Pete’s Fruit Market, 1400 S. Union St., was opened in 1993 by Pete Tsitiridis, Theodore’s father.

author: Lydia Slattery / Wisconsin Watch


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 28, 2017


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How to make healthy lunch boxes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Michelle Graham, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin
August 30, 2017
A fun, healthy lunch or after-school snack — including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins — doesn’t have to be time-consuming, stressful or more costly to put together. Have your child help in planning and packing their meals. When kids are involved, they are more likely to enjoy the foods they select.
Consider these tips to packing a healthy, tasty lunch.
Switch to whole grains. While shopping, look for 100 percent whole-grain bread for sandwiches, 100 percent whole-grain tortillas for wraps, and whole-grain crackers. Other examples include quinoa and brown rice. Whole grains have more vitamins, minerals and fiber, and they will keep kids satisfied longer.
Pack the protein. Foods with protein may help kids stay full and focused. Make sure each lunch has a good source of protein, such as hard-boiled eggs, beans, nuts, nut butter, tuna, salmon, rotisserie chicken, edamame or yogurt. Skip deli meats like salami and bologna, which are higher in fat, sodium and preservatives.
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Make it colorful. Adding colorful fruits and vegetables can make a lunch look more appetizing, and these foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Spice up vegetables with a little bit of guacamole, hummus, salsa or low-fat ranch dressing to add flavor and fun.
Keep them hydrated. Hydration is particularly important for children, as they have higher water requirements than adults do. Besides water, more fun options include smoothies and low-fat milk. Skip the juice and soda.
Add a small, sweet treat. Kids love treats, and adding something small to their lunches gives them something to look forward to. Portion size is key. Aim for less than eight to 10 grams of sugar per serving. Examples include chocolates that are at least 70 percent pure cocoa chocolate and natural fruit smoothies with plain Greek yogurt and almond milk.
Minimize junk food. Foods such as chips, fruit snacks and candy have little nutritional value. Replace these foods with items such as cheese, whole-grain crackers and plain popcorn sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
A healthy lunch can be a great way to fuel your child’s body and mind for the remainder of the school day, but for a busy family, preparing lunches also needs to be fast, effortless and affordable.
One great way to save time during the week is to prep lunch and after-school snack foods over the weekend. Buy, cut and portion out fruits and vegetables so they’re ready to go. Shred chicken, cook hard-boiled eggs, or use leftovers that don’t take much preparation. Pre-package foods such as crackers, cheese cubes or trail mix into baggies or containers that can quickly be added to a lunch bag.
Get the school year started off right with a healthy, easy lunch and after-school snack routine that is both parent — and kid — approved.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 29, 2017


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School board to vote on sudden closing of Daniel Webster Secondary School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 30, 2017
Tuesday started out like many days at Daniel Webster Secondary School, 6850 N. 53rd St., according to Spanish teacher John “Marty” Hagedorn. During the morning staff meeting teachers were told to keep up the good work and informed that 75 new students had been enrolled in the past two weeks. By seventh hour, said Hagedorn, district employees walked into his classroom and began to unplug the smart board and collect laptops from students.
An hour later students were handed a letter as they boarded buses — Daniel Webster Secondary School would be closed at the end of the week, pending approval by the school board, it read.
The letter from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) cited low enrollment — the school is only at 40 percent capacity of projected enrollment for the year — as the reason for closure. The school board will take a vote on the issue during its regular monthly meeting although, according to Hagedorn, it seems as if the issue had already been decided.
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“The administration has taken over the library and [is] using it so principals can come in and sell their school to students and staff,” said Hagedorn Wednesday. “By the time the vote is taken, half the school will be gone. That doesn’t sound like how the system is supposed to work.”
According to the letter from MPS, students would be offered enrollment at other MPS schools, while all staff at Webster would be placed in other open positions in the district. The district was offering support for parents and students Wednesday and it also will be available Thursday. One teacher at Webster, who was in the process of loading her belongings into her car Wednesday morning, was told that staff reassignments were to begin later that day. The reassignments would be effective Sept. 5, according to the letter.
In order to vote on closing the school, the district is requesting a waiver of an administrative policy that mandates the board “take action prior to December 31 on specific schools that will be closed the following year.”
Hagedorn, who began teaching at Webster when the school year began three weeks ago, said he’s upset by the process the district is using to close the school. He’s also disappointed for students, many of whom stuck around after the controversial charter school Universal Academy for the College Bound Webster Campus closed abruptly in April 2016, with only two months left of class.
“These kids were abandoned last year and MPS assured them it wouldn’t happen again, but it is,” Hagedorn said.
MPS took over the school last year after Universal ceased operations, running it first as a charter and then as a traditional MPS school this year. MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver issued the following statement about the closing.
“MPS is committed to ensuring that all children have the highest quality education possible and every chance for success. Webster’s enrollment was not sufficient enough to provide the robust academic programs every student in Milwaukee Public Schools deserves. This was a difficult, but necessary decision,” Driver said. The district is exploring the opportunity to expand current “popular programs” to the Daniel Webster school building, according to the statement.
When asked what criteria the district is using to decide when to close a school due to low enrollment, Andy Nelson, media manager for MPS, said programmatic factors are considered and each situation is unique. He added that enrollment at the school had dipped to 200 from 650 last year. Nelson declined to answer a question about whether the district would consider selling the Daniel Webster building, which is located on the city’s Northwest Side, to a non-MPS entity.
There were some violent incidents at the school last year, including a fight in May in which several staff member were struck and three students arrested, but teachers and students were working to turn things around, Hagedorn said.
“We had things working here,” he said. “The district had been here for two straight weeks updating and modernizing the building and bringing in new materials, which we were excited about. How could they just pull the plug?”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 30, 2017


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Teachers at Keefe Avenue School grateful for community-donated school supplies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elizabeth Baker
August 30, 2017
Keefe Avenue School teachers and staff members gathered to receive school supply donations from local North Side community members. Pictured in the front row, are Alderwoman Milele Coggs (in red), Peace for Change Alliance President Tracey Dent and Keefe Avenue School Principal Christlyn Frederick Stanley. (Photo by Elizabeth Baker)
Young students aren’t the only ones with back-to-school shopping lists.
When the Keefe Avenue School teachers came back to prepare for the upcoming year, they arrived to empty classrooms — no paper, pencils, hand sanitizer or art supplies. Like many teachers, they stock their classrooms with these basic supplies using money out of their own pockets.
That’s why dozens of teachers, paraprofessionals, social workers and others at Keefe were so appreciative when Alderwoman Milele Coggs and Tracey Dent, Peace for Change Alliance founder and president, delivered several boxes of supplies donated by the community during the Bronzeville Week Sleepover for Education on Aug. 11.
The staff took a break from preparing for Sept. 5, the first day of classes, and gathered to receive the donation.
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Keefe, a K-8 school, is located on 16th Street and Keefe Avenue, in the 6th District, which Coggs represents.
“Some kids come to school without supplies, so hopefully this will help put a dent into what they (teachers) have to do,” Dent said. “It’s something that is very much needed, especially because they keep getting their budgets cut. It’s going to be a hard year for them.”
Volunteers help carry boxes of donated classroom supplies for teachers at Keefe Avenue School. (Photo by Elizabeth Baker)
Newly appointed Keefe Principal Christlyn Frederick Stanley said she hasn’t had a chance yet to look at her budget, “but already I’ve been told, ‘You don’t have a lot of money.’ So any dollar that we can spend not on typical school supplies but that we can then utilize for something else means a lot to us.”
The donation is especially important to Stanley and her staff because it is directly from the community, “from parents and others who are right there in it with us, because they’re the ones that are sending us their children,” she said.
Pamela Davis, who teaches first- through fourth-grade special education, said she’s thankful for the donations. She has already spent $135 of her own money on supplies this year.
When Davis started teaching several years ago, she was shocked by how many classroom necessities she was responsible for purchasing. “But I understand. Times are hard for people,” she said. “It’s hard as a single parent — and a lot of these kids come from single parent families — for a mother to spend, or even have, an extra $200 to buy school supplies.”
Fifty to 60 percent of the sixth grade will arrive on the first day exactly as they are — no backpack, no notebook, no pencil — teacher Aruna Halala predicted. “All of that comes from somewhere, and there’s a misconception out there that everything is given, especially in the public domain,” she said.
Both Halal and Davis said it’s common for them to spend $600-700 each during the course of the year on classroom supplies.
As weeks and months go by, more supplies are needed. Kids leave notebooks and pencils at home, some transfer to a new school, some enroll halfway through the year.
This is why PCA aims to organize another drive later in the year, maybe around November, Dent said.
“Come second semester, it starts all over again. They need supplies, and not too many people think about that.”
Halal said she hopes to see more organizations and corporations willing to become allies with teachers. “It’s going to take more working together. It may seem like just paper and pencils, but it’s going to open up a floodgate of a whole bunch of other opportunities.”
Small investments in students today can make a world of a difference in the future, Davis said. “These are your future doctors and lawyers and your future teachers. If you can give them a pencil and a pen, you don’t know what kind of creativity you’re bringing out of a child.”

author: Elizabeth Baker


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36883461335_89ecd9a472_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 29, 2017

author: Adam Carr


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‘200 Nights of Freedom’ aims to reignite struggle against injustice | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 31, 2017
Julius Coates was just 14 years old when he participated in Milwaukee’s civil rights marches in 1967 and ’68.
“I was not really knowledgeable about a whole lot of things but I did know that there were some real serious limitations as to where I could go as a person of African-American descent,” Coates said.
Coates was one of more than 300 people who filled City Hall’s ornate 20- by 70-foot atrium at the recent kickoff of 200 Nights of Freedom, an initiative featuring 200 consecutive nights of public events and programming that will reflect on, document and revive the spirit of the marches that began on Aug. 28, 1967.
Speakers including Congresswoman Gwen Moore, former Commando Prentice McKinney, event coordinators Adam Carr, Kantara Souffrant and Edward Wingard spoke of past and present injustices and the courage of the marchers. They called, as well, for reigniting the struggle against injustice. Moore confessed to sneaking out her bedroom window, as a teen, to march against her mother’s wishes.
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Led by the NAACP Youth Council, its Commando unit and the Rev. James Groppi, civil rights protesters marched for 200 consecutive nights to demand an end to housing discrimination against African-Americans. The protests finally led to the passage of municipal and state fair housing legislation that was even more stringent than that passed by the federal government.
Kickoff attendee Lee Abbott, 36, learned about the marches from some of its leaders, whom he met through his involvement in a student movement. A UWM graduate student from Louisiana, Abbott, who is white, has a background in labor and student organizing.
The open housing marches resonate with him, he said, because he believes it takes movements, struggles and conflict to move society forward.
“I don’t think that people’s rights or their ability to be safe on the job or to gain the dignity that they want to have in society is just handed down to them. I think that is a product of people actually fighting,” he said. “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
Ensuring that everyone in Milwaukee knows the stories of the courageous, mostly young African-American civil rights activists is important for many reasons, said Adam Carr, a March on Milwaukee 50th co-chair with Marquette University professor Dr. Robert Smith.
Besides the fact that the story has been largely forgotten, it is powerful because of what it tells us about where we are today, Carr said.
“If you look at the conditions that were being faced and advocated against by the marchers and if you look at the young people who led that movement, they don’t feel that different from young people today,” he said.
The story shows how a group of young people “found solidarity with each other and demonstrated against a world that was unjust to them,” Carr said, adding that it illuminates the ways that young people dissented, built a movement and made real change.
Though the events of 1967 happened more than 20 years before she was born, Maya McCarthy-Neal focused on them this summer while working with teens at Urban Underground. While studying “the revolutionary radical history of communities of color in Milwaukee,” they considered how the issues of housing discrimination and segregation have affected and are affecting Milwaukee now, she said.
As an organizer with the Young People’s Resistance Committee, McCarthy-Neal, 22, said it’s important to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go well for the marchers and to consider what can be re-used or changed and what should be discarded. “I think knowing the history is important to your skills in the present and what you’re hoping to gain in the future,” she said.
Many of those who participated in the open housing marches have since died but they were remembered at the kickoff when Fred Reed, a veteran of the NAACP Youth Commandos, and Margaret Rozga, a member of the Youth Council as a young woman, read a roll call of more than 100 names.
“I had tears come to my eyes when they had (the original marchers) stand up” during the program. said Emily Breffle, 31.
A military veteran who came here four years ago to work on food issues, Breffle, who is white, discovered the stories of the marches in her ongoing efforts to learn the civil rights history of Milwaukee, she said.
A Washington Heights resident, she purchased a vacant lot near 39th Street and Meinecke Avenue to grow food and immerse herself in the city.
While thinking about how to be a better advocate against the forces of racism and segregation and chatting with her neighbors in Metcalfe Park, Breffle said she realized that “just connecting with each other is the most powerful thing we can do. … just being willing to walk into another neighborhood and actually meet the people who live there and get to know them and call them friend.”
Kantara Souffrant, March on Milwaukee 50th education committee chair, said that the story of the open housing marches must be part of the local and national memory, because it is important to recognize “the sheer bravado of the people of this city.”
As a woman of African descent, telling the story and recognizing those who marched is a way of thanking them, Souffrant said. “I’m of Haitian ancestry and our elders and our oral history are an important part of our culture. It is in my DNA.”
Souffrant, who has a doctorate in performance studies from Northwestern University and works as an artist-scholar and educator at the Milwaukee Art Museum, explained that even though she sometimes feels hopeless, these stories embolden her.
Ed Wingard, March on Milwaukee 50th youth committee chair, learned of the marches from McKinney. He said that to see people who look like him, were his age and were in the same predicament as he is “stand up and march 200 nights and not let bricks, being spit on and hatred stop them … is uplifting.” Wingard is 20.
In Milwaukee white residents and those of color face some of the starkest racial disparities in wealth, health outcomes, educational outcomes, opportunity and access of any city in the entire country,” Carr noted. What the civil rights movement was in 1967, Black Lives Matter is today, he said.
“The marchers will tell you that they don’t want another victory lap. They don’t need another trophy,” added Carr. “What’s most important to them is that a young generation of (Milwaukee) activists … takes the reins of creating the change they want in their city.”


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Alderman Bob Donovan thanks Sheriff Clarke on his years of dedication to public service | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Bob Donovan
September 1, 2017
Thank you Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., for nearly 40 years of passionate service to the good residents of Milwaukee County. Sheriff Clarke’s dedication to our community began with his years of services to the Milwaukee Police Department before becoming sheriff.
Over the years I’ve worked well Sheriff Clarke, every time I called him to address a public safety issue in my district, he answered that call for help and for that I’m grateful. Even with exceedingly limited resources, he fought against prostitution and carjackings. Sheriff Clarke’s candor and passion for public safety and willingness to take a position on controversial issues is a political trait often lacking in politicians today, who often are timid and succumb to popular opinion. Clarke never wavered in the direction of the prevailing winds, and I admire a man who stands for what he believes in. I can’t say I agreed with him on every issue, but I don’t agree with my wife on every issue either! Whether you agreed with him or not, he had the guts to take a stand.
I wish him well in this new chapter in his life and I publically acknowledge his service. One thing is for certain, whether you like him or not, all of Milwaukee is well aware that David Clarke came our way. Thank you Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.
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created: September 1, 2017

author: Ald. Bob Donovan