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Safe Zones ambassadors build relationships in Garden Homes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 19, 2015
Teddy Ellis, Shawn Moore, Ricky Harrison, Tyree Liddell and Khalil Coleman rest after picking up trash. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
On Tuesday, July 21, residents of Garden Homes held the first of three outdoor church services on a short stretch of West Port Sunlight Way between North 26th and 27th streets. Only 10 days before, the shooting death of 35-year-old Eddie Powe occurred on the one-way street on the city’s North Side, which has been a hotspot for loitering, drunkenness, prostitution and drugs.
But, for three straight nights there were no gunshots, just praying and singing.
“It was wonderful,” said Martha Freeman, a long-time resident and pastor of Alpha and Omega Ministries who most neighbors know as “Momma” Freeman. “A lot of the people that, you know, had walked these streets before, they came forward and just asked for prayer that they could stop drinking, stop getting high.”
“It felt peaceful,” she said. “It was just something you really couldn’t describe.”
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An experimental “Safe Zones” initiative, which secured $50,000 in city funding early this year, began work in the area at the beginning of June. Shortly after a July 2 press conference introducing a group of H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Direction) Ambassadors — local residents who seek to mediate conflict and improve the neighborhood — the homicide occurred. Despite the shooting, the ambassadors are bringing a sense of community, which had been lacking, back to the neighborhood, residents say.
Martha Freeman sits in Alpha and Omega Ministries, the ambassador headquarters at 4386 N. 27th St. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Khalil Coleman, a founder of the initiative, said when he learned about the homicide “it was a shock.” It had been about two years since there had been a shooting death involving a neighborhood resident. The incident tempered the ambassadors’ excitement at the progress they had made over the previous month, but at the same time, the event galvanized the community, Coleman said.
“After the homicide, what it really showed was … the immediate concern of people who didn’t want to see that happen again,” he said.
“Normally, that one-way stays packed — cars backed up, people standing by the abandoned houses, people doped out over there. We didn’t see that today. We haven’t been seeing that since that homicide took place,” Coleman said on a recent Friday afternoon. “Those are some of the changes that took place that you can’t measure on paper but that you can see in the shift of the culture in the community.”
“The real work”
While there have been struggles, the ambassadors also have seen some early success. The initiative, which has limited funding, is concentrating on creating a database to show the demographics and needs of neighborhood residents.
An early concern they identified was speeding. As a result, ambassadors circulated preliminary petitions to have speed bumps installed; they garnered enough signatures to get official city petition forms. Residents have been overwhelmingly supportive of the push, ambassadors say.
Coleman said ambassadors have been working on the petitions and database to address some immediate needs so they will be able to show tangible results. “But the real work is the work that can’t be measured on paper,” he said.
That work, Coleman said, is when the ambassadors are “in the trenches and somebody is arguing and they’ve got to step in and mediate the situation and they’re able to walk away.” In the past month, there have been at least two successful interventions involving weapons, where ambassadors were able to de-escalate situations that could have gotten out of hand.
“Some cars had pulled up from some people in the neighborhood, looking for another person in the neighborhood, with firearms … ready to do some damage,” Coleman said. “We were able to get the brother to calm down for a minute, you know, remove him from the situation and bring him into a space that was a little more neutral.”
Another more recent situation involved a man breaking a car window to steal a small amount of money. The car’s owner, who had been in the barbershop next door to the ambassador headquarters, followed the man, eventually showing a gun.
“It turned physical and it could have went beyond that,” said Shawn Moore, another Safe Zones founder. “But because the ambassadors were there … it never got no further.”
Children walk down the one-way Port Sunlight Way in Garden Homes while ambassadors pick up garbage. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
According to Dugan Meyer, a University of Kentucky graduate student researching community policing models, “They actually do interact, they actually do … what they are saying they’re doing.” Meyer has spent the last few weeks observing the ambassadors’ work.
“My impressions are really positive so far,” he said
Meyer hasn’t yet compiled any of the approximately 30 interviews he’s conducted with ambassadors, residents and police, but he said early indications are that the ambassadors are having success building relationships first, much like asset-based community development models, which prioritize people and relationships before investment.
“They know what to do; their focus is on the right thing,” he said of the relationship-based approach. “They’re starting where they need to start.”
The ambassadors have built relationships through traditional means, such as knocking on doors and speaking to residents, as well as through “restorative justice” practices, which involve atonement as opposed to punitive actions.
Because of this approach ambassadors were able to resolve the broken car window incident quickly. The window has been replaced and the man who broke it will pay the cost back by helping to clean out a cluttered building in the neighborhood. In another instance where an individual knocked items off a shelf at Golden North Town Foods, 4402 N. 27th St., the owner declined to press charges, even after the police had been called, because ambassadors intervened and the young man responsible agreed to work off the cost.
Coleman said those involved in the initiative are constantly asking themselves, “What does this restorative justice look like?” He said this approach is important because “we’re dealing with a community where people are going to need second chances.”
The thin line
The key to the initiative is the ambassadors, most of whom are long-time neighborhood residents and some who have previously engaged in illegal activity but changed direction. They already have a relationship with the community and experience in the kinds of high-pressure, high-stakes situations where interventions are taking place.
Two teams of ambassadors hit the streets — walking the neighborhood in alternating shifts — at the beginning of June after an intensive three-day training administered by Moore, Freeman and three individuals who had belonged to Milwaukee-based street organizations. The training covered verbal de-escalation and conflict resolution, how to identify human trafficking, administering restorative justice and more. The team also took an “informed trauma care training” near the beginning of July at the African American Women’s Center on Vliet Street.
But, regardless of the level of respect or the amount of experience an ambassador has, the work is still difficult and sometimes dangerous, said Coleman. In the context of a potentially violent situation there isn’t a roadmap — every incident is different and decisions need to be made on the fly.
“It requires people … of influence to be able to do that, to be able to step into a situation and get a certain level of respect,” he said.
Initially, 12 or 13 individuals went through the training, said Moore. Ten ambassadors started work at the beginning of June.
As of Aug. 13, six ambassadors were still active; the four former ambassadors are participating in a restorative process to regain their positions. The process, similar to that utilized with residents, includes the ambassadors explaining their actions and the effect of those actions on others, and performing a task that will benefit the community and atone for the transgression.
Coleman said that, in part, the initiative will be measured based on the performance of the ambassadors. Their personal growth is important, especially because many are in the process of finding a new direction for their lives, he noted.
Adewole Burks, who grew up in Garden Homes, has worked at the Hot Spot Supermarket, 2643 W. Atkinson Ave., for about a year. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Antonio Williams, a former ambassador who is participating in the restorative justice process, said that change in direction often comes with a change in perspective. “You come to a certain age where you just [realize] all of this … foolishness is uncalled for, especially when you start having kids and you start thinking about a brighter future for them — maybe a future for them that you never saw for yourself,” he said.
Another ambassador, Ricky Harrison, agreed with Williams. “It wasn’t about money anymore and it wasn’t about trying to do all the things that I felt that everybody else was doing and stuff like that. I let my ego go and I found something positive to do with myself.” Harrison, who also has children, is a tattoo artist, “cuts hair from time to time” and is planning to go back to school for barbering and audio editing.
Coleman said the one thing that sets the ambassadors apart is that “they believe.”
“They believe in their community, they believe in wanting to see their community [become] a better place,” he said.
Teddy Ellis, an ambassador captain who attended college for a year and plans to go back when he is financially able, said he hopes to be an example for his three children. “I want them to see … things might get hard … but never give up. Don’t just say, ‘Oh, that didn’t work so that’s just how it is.’ Things don’t always work the first time around. But if you stay persistent, if you learn from the things that you do, things will change.”
And, the neighborhood has been changing, if slowly, since the ambassadors began working less than three months ago. Adewole Burks, a long-time Garden Homes resident who has worked at the Hot Spot Supermarket, 2643 W. Atkinson Ave., for about a year and has been going there since he was a child, confronted two women who were rolling a marijuana blunt on Atkinson Avenue, telling them to “take it somewhere else.”
For Coleman, incidents like this are yet another sign that things are changing. “Once upon a time, it was just Momma Freeman riding up with her car saying, ‘Y’all move around.’ But it’s not just Momma Freeman anymore.”
The Safe Zones initiative will go back up for another round of funding at the end of August; the program initially sought $300,000 to staff four zones. Coleman hopes to expand to more neighborhoods across the city and to secure enough funding to support community projects and other initiatives.
Moore is confident about the initiative’s future and said if all goes according to plan, he expects to employ 51 people in ambassador roles by next spring.
“The community wants it; the ambassadors want it,” said Moore. “People are tired of the same old mess.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 18, 2015

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Adam Carr


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First tenant moves into the Innovations and Wellness Commons | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
August 20, 2015
A boy works on a craft project during a barbecue to celebrate the opening of the Innovations and Wellness Commons in Lindsay Heights. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
The first tenant has moved into the Innovations and Wellness Commons, a project helping to set a new course for the Lindsay Heights neighborhood through resident engagement, interaction among the private, nonprofit and public sectors, and a focus on healthy eating.
The Milwaukee Center for Independence, a nonprofit for people with disabilities, has moved into the Commons, a 100-year-old-plus building between 16th and 17th streets on the south side of North Avenue, where the finishing touches on the $2.2 million renovation are taking place.
“It’s beautiful… there’s a respect for the old and new additions,” said Sharon Adams, co-founder of Walnut Way, a nonprofit Lindsay Heights community organization that is spearheading the project. “The neighborhood looks healthy. It looks well. It looks vibrant.”
The Innovations and Wellness Commons project is on schedule and on budget, according to Juli Kaufmann of Fix Development, co-developer of the project. The rest of the tenants will move in by the end of August, and Oct. 1 is expected to be the first day the commons will be open to the public, culminating Phase 1 of the project, Kaufmann said.
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Children enjoy ice cream at a barbecue to celebrate the opening of the Innovations and Wellness Commons in Lindsay Heights. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Walnut Way “has moved and transformed a neighborhood from a disinvested community to a community of investment and resilience, being shaped by the neighbors for the neighbors,” Kaufmann said. “That vision is what brought me personally to the project, being so inspired.”
The Center for Independence will use the commercial kitchen in the commons to prepare school lunches and share it with a juice bar and an Outpost Natural Foods “pop-up store.” Fondy Food Center, one of the oldest fresh-food markets in the country, will also locate its administrative offices there.
“The type of work that they all do is mission-integrated to create healthy foods and feed our children,” Adams said.
Phase 2 will consist of 9,000 square feet of new construction on a parking lot at the corner of 16th Street and North Avenue. The two-story building will be connected to the renovated building and will contain a grocery store, fitness area, employment services center, wellness services, programming for families and children, and the administrative offices of Walnut Way.
Community members identified the commons as a way to revitalize the neighborhood in the 2008 Lindsay Heights Quality of Life Plan.
“Part of my gift and calling is to listen to what our neighbors and people tell us and what they see is possible,” Adams said.
Kaufmann noted that other neighborhoods can use the commons as a model to get the private sector and entrepreneurial startups to invest in neighborhoods where there is a pent-up consumer demand.
“The shift to the private sector investment is really key,” she said.
The Zilber Family Foundation contributed $500,000 to the project. The project was attractive to the foundation’s leadership because it is intended to spur the local economy, creating jobs and buzz about the neighborhood, said Susan Lloyd, executive director of the organization. “It’s unbelievably exciting.”
“The Innovations and Wellness Commons brings retail to (community members) who, too often, cannot buy what they want in their own neighborhood and as a consequence, a lot of those local dollars get spent elsewhere,” Lloyd said.
The $6 million Commons project is also being partly funded by a $650,000 grant from the federal Office of Community Services and a $400,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The WEDC grant was awarded to the City of Milwaukee and was passed through to Walnut Way.
“The tenacity it takes to put together the financing packages for projects of this kind is testimony to some of our great nonprofit leaders, Sharon (Adams) included,” Lloyd said.

author: Brendan O’Brien


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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Milwaukee Vacant Lot Transformed, More Pocket Parks on the Way | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 20, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio

author: Andrea Waxman


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On the Block: Expanding horizons | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 20, 2015
Read more about Terryon Mckinnie at milwaukeestories.org.

author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 19, 2015


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Teens recognized for gun violence prevention efforts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 20, 2015
jsonline.com


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The Uneven Success of America’s Housing Policy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 20, 2015
The Atlantic


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A new day for Moody Park: After years of delays, revamped park finally opens | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 21, 2015
Years ago, at the old Moody Park, 2200 W. Burleigh St., there was nothing to do but play basketball on a few broken-down hoops, said Lawrence Pollard, 13, who lives nearby.
“There wasn’t even nowhere to sit; but now there’s so many places to play,” said Pollard.
Pollard, his aunt and a few cousins from the neighborhood were on hand, along with hundreds of others, for the grand opening of the revamped and much-improved park.
Renovating the park cost $2 million, with funding coming from $5 million in bonds originally allocated by the Milwaukee County Board in 2010 to rebuild Moody Pool. The pool has since been demolished. The remaining funds are being used to rehab other neglected North Side parks including Lindsay Park on North 87 Street and Lindbergh Park in the Arlington Heights neighborhood.
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New additions to Moody Park include a 3,000-square-foot community center, lit basketball courts, a picnic pavilion and splash pad. Ground was broken in late August 2014, and as recently as last month some residents questioned whether Moody would be open at all this summer. But, those concerns seemed a distant memory as kids, parents and neighbors gathered at the park to enjoy the opening day festivities, which included art lessons, chess, flag football and a concert.
During a Moody Park planning meeting earlier this summer, Tom Schneider, executive director of the neighboring COA Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St., said the key to the park’s future is to feature programming right from the start so that it doesn’t become a hangout for the wrong type of crowd.
That’s what residents said occurred after Moody Pool was shuttered in 2002. To avoid a repeat, Amani organizers and other community leaders have worked hand in hand with park officials to plan the grand opening and year-round programming.
Brenda Giles, chair of Friends of Moody Park, called the opening a great accomplishment, especially given the closing of Moody Pool. “This park is about the success of and improved safety of this community,” Giles said.
The park is one of many developments in the Amani neighborhood aimed at improving the quality of life for residents. Increased engagement by resident associations, nonprofits such as the Dominican Center for Women and private sector organizations such as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, along with an influx of city and federal funding, have resulted in a brighter outlook for Amani in recent years. Another recent development was the opening of the Burke Early Education Center (EEC), which is located in the COA Goldin Center.
The same type of community partnerships that have improved Amani also will make Moody Park a success, according to John Dargle Jr., director of Milwaukee County Parks. He said the “all hands on deck,” approach by community partners, residents, nearby schools and others would help to maintain safety and cleanliness at the park.
Javiantis Warren-Harmon, 14, rode his bike to the park for opening day and plans to spend most of his time on one of its several basketball courts. He vowed to do his part to keep the park clean and said he hoped others would too.
“I like that they have garbage cans all over, I just hope people use them and keep this park looking like it does today,” Warren-Harmon said.
Tiarence Morgan, 38, described the park as not just an improvement over the old Moody, but something grander.
“This park gives the community something to be real proud of,” said Morgan, “so we’ve got to keep it nice to show people what it means to our community.”
And though many in the park for the opening voiced concerns about safety in the neighborhood, Arlene Patterson, president of Amani United, said not to worry.
“We will sustain this park and we will have peace in Amani,” said an animated Patterson.

author: Edgar Mendez


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20123439524_002e41e548_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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20123459234_8a26ae7bdc_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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20558198320_7e81672510_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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20719896776_011271ba44_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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20753175151_593a6d8ea0_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 20, 2015


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Mayor Tom Barrett to celebrate the completion of the new Beerline Trail Extension | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee
August 21, 2015
Join Mayor Tom Barrett and others as they cut the ribbon to officially open the extension of the Beerline Trail on August 24, 2015. This “rail to trail” redevelopment project is the result of a partnership between the City of Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC), the Riverworks Development Corp., the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative, MKE<->LAX, beintween and other arts, cultural and community organizations.
This extension of the Beerline Trail is an excellent example of “creative placemaking” in Milwaukee. The trail corridor is a former railroad line that historically served the brewing industry. This abandoned rail right-of-way has been reinvented as a multi-use non-motorized trail for walking, running, bicycling, skating and other forms of active transportation and recreation. This extension is the northern end of the existing Beerline Trail, which winds through the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods. It includes berm installations and other land- scaping to re-establish and support urban wildlife, as well as the ARTery – various art installations – along the trail.
Media coverage is welcome and encouraged.
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WHAT: Ribbon Cutting: Beerline Trail – N. Richards Street to W. Capitol Place
WHEN: Monday, August 24, 2015 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Intersection of N. Richards and E. Keefe
WHO: Mayor Tom Barrett
Ald. Milele Coggs, 6th District & Ald. Nik Kovac, 3rd District Julia Taylor, Greater Milwaukee Committee
Dasha Kelly, Still Water Collective
Darryl Johnson, Riverworks Development Corp.
DPW Commissioner Ghassan Korban, emcee

author: City of Milwaukee


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Milwaukee Public Library opens future library space to public on September 2-3 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Library
August 21, 2015
(Image courtesy of Milwaukee Public Library)
The Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) seeks public input on the plans for the replacement of the Forest Home Branch, 1432 W. Forest Home Ave. A new branch library will be constructed inside the historic Hills Building at 906-910 W. Historic Mitchell St. Before the architectural firm HGA Architects and Engineers will begin the design phase of the 1st floor, 16,000 square feet library later this year, A public open house will be held to collect input and present an update on the library redevelopment project as well as offer an opportunity for the public to visit the new library space.
Public Open House on the Mitchell Street Project
The space will be open to the public with displays and library representatives on hand to collect input.
Hear from library stakeholders during brief presentations
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Mayor Tom Barrett
Alderman José Pérez
Paula Kiely, Library Director
HGA Architects and Engineers
Gorman & Company, Inc.
A discussion of how public libraries are changing and how these trends are embraced by the Milwaukee Public Library will be presented by HGA Architects and Engineers.  Many treasured artifacts of the Hills Building still remain and how to preserve and restore these items will be an important part of this project.
Wednesday, September 2nd from 4:00-7:00 pm with brief presentations at 4:30 and 6:00 pm
Thursday, September 3rd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Open House inside the new library space
Inside the future library space, historic Hills Building, 906-910 W. Historic Mitchell St.
Learn more at www.mpl.org/about/library_development.php. Find @MilwaukeePubLib on Twitter and Facebook.

author: Milwaukee Public Library


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 21, 2015


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Black, Hispanic College Grads See Incomes Fall Over 2 Decades While Whites, Asians Continue to Soar | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 24, 2015
Latin Post


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Ciclovia Comes to Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 24, 2015
UrbanMilwaukee.com


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Milwaukee Metro Area Among Fastest Growing Areas of Concentrated Poverty | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 24, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Three South Side high schools call rebuilt South Stadium home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
August 24, 2015
The South Division Cardinals and Bradley Tech Trojans inaugurated the new South Stadium field Thursday. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
The scoreboard lit up. The two teams emerged from their locker rooms onto the wide expanse of turf. The officials took their places. The fans cheered wildly.
As the Bradley Tech Trojans and the South Division Cardinals lined up along the sidelines for the first game of the season Thursday evening, the atmosphere felt more like a contest that could air on ESPN than a high school football matchup. It was the first football game ever played in the newly reconstructed South Stadium at 971 Windlake Ave.
The 90-year-old South Stadium was demolished last year and rebuilt with a slew of state-of-the-art renovations. Construction finished up last spring, making South Stadium the newest athletic facility in the Milwaukee Public School system.
The stadium is located next to Hayes Bilingual School and everything is new: stands, press box, lights, sound system, concession stands, ticket booths, team locker rooms and a referee room. The field is now made of artificial turf.
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“It’s awesome. It’s beautiful, especially compared to what they were playing on before,” said Jill Radowicz, mother of a South Division football player.
Bradley Tech’s cheerleaders brought their school spirit to the season opener at South Stadium. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
South Stadium will be the home field for the football and soccer programs of South Division, Bradley Tech, and Bay View high schools. It was designed to accommodate the South Side community, said Bill Molbeck, MPS athletics commissioner. For example, the soccer field in the new stadium will be wider than before, because the surrounding track was removed. “We saw that as another plus,” Molbeck added.
The turf field will be significantly more durable than grass, allowing multiple games in a day to be played on it without damage, even if it rains.
South Stadium was a landmark on the South Side for almost a century, and the new field aims to honor that. Bricks from the original stadium make up the entryway that fans pass as they walk in to attend a game, and alumni who played on the field are invited to come back to support their teams in the newly improved environment.
“Alumni are hopeful that the stadium can bring big reunions to relive the greatness of Tech and support our newest generation of Tech,” said Greg Becher, the athletic director at the school officially called the Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade High School, 700 S. 4th St.
Richard Gilbert, a Tech alumnus who now supports his son on the football team, is proud of the changes. “It’s a big difference from when I played here and it was all muddy. It looks real nice. The seats are better. It’s like night and day. I’m glad [we] get to play on a field like this, of this quality,” he said.
Molbeck said that he hopes the new stadium fosters a sense of pride among the athletes who play on it because it is “something similar to what they would see and play in when they go to the suburbs and play in their non-conference games.”
South Division football coach Carlos Rodriguez said his players understand that South Stadium is a special field to play on and they want the city to know it’s their home field. “They like that they have a nice facility. It makes them feel like a real football team compared to the dirt fields they used to have to play on,” he said.
Rodriguez added that he hopes that the surrounding neighborhood and fans from the respective schools also appreciate the new South Stadium. “It’s all about taking ownership. I hope to see crowds and see it bringing the community together,” he said.
Though Bradley Tech defeated South Division to win the first football game at South Stadium, Becher says that the new field is about something much bigger.
“The stadium has created a buzz about playing football and soccer in a modern facility, which will link the past memories to memories that are to be created,” he said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct name of the South Division High School football coach.

author: Allison Dikanovic


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 23, 2015


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Community celebrates Beerline Trail extension | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
August 25, 2015
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City officials and community leaders officially opened the extension of the Beerline Trail, part of a former railroad line that historically served the brewing industry. The abandoned rail right-of-way is now a multi-use trail for walking, running, biking and skating. The extension is at the north end of the existing Beerline Trail, which goes through the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods. The project is the result of a partnership between the City of Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC), the Riverworks Development Corp., the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative, MKE<->LAX, beintween and other arts, cultural and community organizations.

author: Sue Vliet


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Male teen artists gain empathy for young women through TRUE Skool project | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 25, 2015
The brightly painted performance and gallery space at TRUE Skool vibrated with energy and anticipation at a recent gathering showcasing the teen participants’ summer work at the youth arts program.
“I had a chance to hear a few of you practice last week and was so moved by the thoughtfulness and effort that you put into honoring your sister’s stories,” Katie Mullen, youth mentor and board vice president, told the young male performers.
Domonique Whitehurst reads his original poem about lessons Tracy Rolkosky is learning from the challenges of poverty for “My Sister’s Story.” (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Each young man interviewed a teen woman about challenges she faces and then created a work of art — dance, original music, poetry or visual piece — that conveyed his view of those struggles. The goal was to build deeper, more respectful relationships through open, authentic communication.
Mullen and other members of the FROM HERE TO HER Artist Collective brought the project, “My Sister’s Story,” to TRUE Skool. First exhibited at the collective’s annual Women’s History Month exhibition in March, the original concept “was meant to push back against how popular culture has normalized competition among women and ‘mean-girlism’ by demonstrating the power of reaching out, listening to and empathizing with other women,” Mullen said.
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TRUE Skool Program Director Shalina Ali suggested pairing the young men with young women. The project allowed the teens to connect with one another in a nonsexual way, something that can be hard for teens to do, Ali noted.
Encouraging the young men to express their appreciation of the young women as human beings, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs and partners on their journey at TRUE Skool was beneficial to all concerned, Ali said. “To take that, turn it into art and give the young men an opportunity to celebrate the young women and celebrate these relationships, seemed like it needed to happen.”
Sarah Dollhausen, TRUE Skool executive director, watching with breakdancer Sheldan Wilbon, is moved to tears by the performance. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Hearing about experiences from the young women’s perspective was enlightening, Mullen said. “One of the male students partnered with a girl who told him about being catcalled in her neighborhood and being sexualized by men in general. It made him understand the seriousness of it, how damaging those kinds of things can be and the effect it can have on a young woman mentally.”
Domonique Whitehurst, who was partnered with two young women, said the project “put me in their shoes and I tried my best to interpret their lives in my style of writing.” He was surprised to learn that Tracy Rolkosky had grown up in an impoverished neighborhood with a drug-addicted brother, and was inspired by her strength in overcoming many obstacles.
“Tracy kept moving forward with her life, not letting (her challenging situation) burden her and stop her from continuing on in her education and working,” Whitehurst said.
Founded in 2005, the mission of TRUE Skool, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., is to use urban arts to engage youth in social justice, community service and civic life.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 24, 2015


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Social Development Commission awarded WHEDA foundation grant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
August 25, 2015
The Social Development Commission (SDC) has been awarded a 2015 Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) Foundation grant in the amount of $18,784. The grant was awarded through the Persons-in-Crisis Housing Program in the Permanent Housing Category.
SDC is one of 28 organizations from across the state of Wisconsin that will share in the $500,000 in grant funds.
The funds awarded to SDC will be utilized for home repairs for four elderly homeowners that reside in Milwaukee and have been deferred for Weatherization Assistance. The WHEDA Foundation grant will allow SDC to help these homeowners make the repairs required for them to receive property updates through the Weatherization Assistance Program. Funds from the grant will be used for roof replacements on three homes and make needed chimney repairs on the fourth home.
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For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the Community Action Agency for Milwaukee County. SDC serves as a planner, coordinator, and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families residing in Milwaukee County. The agency is an intergovernmental commission and is governed by a board of 18 citizens from Milwaukee County, each of whom hold the title of “Commissioner.”

author: Social Development Commission


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WHEDAsign-750 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 26, 2015

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Civic group coalition vows to fight “takeover” plan for struggling MPS schools | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
August 26, 2015
Fred Royal, president of the Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP, speaks during a Schools and Communities rally. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
A coalition of Milwaukee civic groups is vowing to fight a new measure that allows Milwaukee County to take over struggling public schools, saying the plan will ultimately disenfranchise minorities who are concerned about their children’s education.
Schools and Communities United, a coalition of 22 community, labor, religious and civic organizations, is also voicing its disapproval with recently passed state laws that limit the power of the Milwaukee County Board and expand the state’s private school voucher program.
“We are here today to say enough is enough. Stop these regressive policies,” said Fred Royal, the president of the Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP during a rally across the street from Bradley Tech High School to commemorate the 50 anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
State lawmakers this summer passed a provision in the state budget allowing Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele to assume authority over “non-performing” Milwaukee public schools and creating a separate school district. He also has the authority to appoint a commissioner to oversee the newly created district.
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Supporters hold a banner during a Schools and Communities United rally. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
The appointed commissioner will have the option to manage the schools or turn them into private or charter schools. Three schools are allowed to be selected this school year and up to five schools each year in the future.
This policy, according to the coalition, disenfranchises Milwaukee voters, many of whom are black and Hispanic, by stripping authority from the elected school board that oversees Milwaukee public schools and handing it to someone who does not exclusively represent the city or the district.
“The people who are most affected by what goes on in our public schools…should have some say in how they are run,” said Karyn Rotker, an attorney with the ACLU of Wisconsin. This policy “is unfair and we need to resist it.”
An MPS spokesman said school district officials are reviewing the legislation in order to understand the impact it may have on students.
“With some schools already in session and the traditional school year rapidly approaching, our focus is on ensuring that all of our schools are ready to receive students on day one,” MPS spokesman Tony Tagliavia said in an email.
The state budget also decreased the ability of the Milwaukee County Board to oversee the sale of some county-owned property and expanded the state’s school voucher program, which allows parents to use public money to send their children to private schools.
The coalition is calling for state lawmakers to overturn the laws and for Abele to appoint a commissioner who opposes privatization of public schools.
Coalition leaders also said they plan to publicly show their disapproval with the new laws, including staging “walk-ins” this fall at a number of Milwaukee Public Schools, where parents, teachers and students will show their unity by walking into school buildings together.
“We have to resist. We have to fight,” said Jennifer Epps-Addison, a mother of two MPS students. Epps-Addison said she was involved in a sit-in at the office of then-governor Tommy Thompson, who was planning to take over the city’s school system when she was a 15-year-old MPS student.
Epps-Addison said the educational system for decades has perpetuated failing schools for blacks and minorities in order to take advantage of them as under-educated members of the labor force.
“We can’t have functioning schools for black and brown people because those are the folks we need to exploit in order to make billions and trillions in profits. That’s how the system was designed,” she said.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 25, 2015


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St. Joseph Academy welcomes community to visit $3.7 million school addition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Francis X. Vogel
August 26, 2015
St. Joseph Academy will hold a Community Open House to showcase its new $3.7 million school addition on Thursday, September 17, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Located at 1600 W. Oklahoma Avenue on Milwaukee’s south side, the faith-based educational organization is home to an elementary school and an early childhood education center. And from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on September 19 and 20, St. Joseph Academy will take part in Doors Open Milwaukee, a highly-popular annual event sponsored by Historic Milwaukee. As a first-time Doors Open site, the organization will provide complimentary guided tours of its building and highlight St. Joseph’s extraordinary evolution from an orphanage in 1907 to a child development center in the 1960s now coupled with a growing Milwaukee Parental Choice School.
“Our additional space – including extra classrooms, a community room, library and gym – opens a myriad of opportunities to collaborate on serving children and families,” said Lyn Hildenbrand, the organization’s newly-appointed President/CEO. “We invite one and all to see our transformation, and to celebrate the vision of our sponsoring group, the Felician Sisters, whose humble roots in Milwaukee date back to the turn of the last century.”
Newly-appointed School Principal Ben Holzem likewise lauded the new possibilities afforded by the building expansion.
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“Our mission is to educate children to be successful life-long learners and problem solvers,” noted Holzem. “The school’s new addition allows us to do more for more kids and their families.”
“Many thanks to our capital campaign donors to date for their support, and to all those who participated in our record-setting Golf Outing last month, and our first-ever Calcutta Raffle last week,” added Hildenbrand.
Light refreshments will be served at both the Community Open House on September 17, and at the Doors Open events on September 19 and 20. Guided tours will be held every 30 minutes from start to finish. A free throw shooting contest will be held in the gym for Doors Open. All events are free of charge and open to the general public. The facility is handicapped-accessible. Ample free on-street parking is available.
St. Joseph Academy’s sponsoring organization, the Felician Sisters, is a champion of compassionate care for the Milwaukee community since 1907. The Sisters first created an orphanage to house children whose parents were deceased or needed childcare while their parents worked, just as the first Sisters in Poland ministered to orphans in Warsaw. When the number of working families grew in the 1960s, the Sisters opened a daycare center and closed the orphanage. In 1999, we moved to our current site, formerly St. Gerard’s Parish and School, built in 1926, and expanded our services to include infants. Today, we provide exemplary care and education for children from the age of six weeks through the fifth grade, and collaborate with others to educate children to be successful life-long learners and problem solvers. All of our actions are guided by the following core values: respect for human dignity, compassion, transformation, solidarity with the poor, and justice and peace.

author: Francis X. Vogel


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LISC appoints ‘collaborator,’ ‘thought leader’ as new executive director | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 27, 2015
Laura Bray, newly appointed executive director of LISC Milwaukee. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Laura Bray’s new office in the southwest corner of the fifth floor of 660 E. Mason St. overlooks the site of the new Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons project near East Mason and Cass streets in downtown Milwaukee. Glimpses of blue can be seen through cracks of concrete and steel but the unimpeded view of Lake Michigan that existed for 10 months until construction started in March is gone for good.
Change is also in the air at LISC Milwaukee, where Bray has begun her tenure as executive director, replacing 15-year veteran Leo Ries. LISC will be moving to new offices at the beginning of next year, as well.
Bray, who describes herself as a “collaborator,” was the executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners from 2004 to 2014, overseeing the completion of the Hank Aaron State Trail and creation of Three Bridges Park, where the Urban Ecology Center opened its third Milwaukee branch. The effort brought together partners including the City of Milwaukee, the Department of Public Works, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN) and more.
“The work of improving cities and improving neighborhoods [has] evolved over time,” Bray said. “It really does require so many stakeholders at the table working together.”
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“Laura has definitely had a strong track record of … revitalizing the Menomonee Valley,” said new LBWN Executive Director Will Sebern.
A group of students from the Washington Park Urban Ecology Center’s Young Scientist Club attend the Menomonee Valley branch’s Summer Celebration. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Of LISC, he added, “They’ve been a great partner in our efforts to build strong neighborhoods in Milwaukee,” which he defined as places where “neighborhood residents, homeowners, business owners, other stakeholders are investing their time, their money and their talents into the community’s continued growth.”
Bray served as head of biosciences association BioForward for a stint of six months but said the position, which would have necessitated her spending most of her time in Madison, didn’t end up being what she’d hoped for. “My family is here and my passion is here,” she said.
After graduating from Marquette University in 1994, Bray, who grew up in Milwaukee, spent two years in Bridgeport, Conn., working on a LISC project. As a community organizer in a neighborhood that was just beginning to see investment, Bray “did some of the up-front organizing and meeting with residents” to determine which projects to pursue first.
“I would say that Laura is a thought leader and definitely a person that attracts resources,” said Sharon Adams of Walnut Way Conservation Corp., who has previously worked with Bray. “I have gone to Laura over the years in that capacity.”
LISC is well known for its financial stake in Milwaukee neighborhoods. Since 1995, the organization has invested more than $120 million and generated more than $365 million in development in the central city. LISC supports initiatives in Clarke Square, Harambee, Layton Boulevard West, Lindsay Heights and Washington Park. The organization’s website says it seeks to build sustainable communities using a five-part strategy, which includes stimulating economic activity, investing in housing as well as improving access to quality education and increasing family income and wealth.
“I would like to see … more investment directed toward investing in people,” said Rick Banks, Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative community engagement specialist, who added that improving the long-term economic stability of individuals is important.
“Higher educational attainment, training, better access to jobs, better jobs, period — those are the kind of things that improve stability,” he said. “And, when people are stable, they’re more likely to invest in their neighborhood in terms of actively wanting to be involved.”
When it comes to how to improve neighborhoods, Bray acknowledged the benefits of an asset-based model, which is centered around identifying unrecognized assets. “You have to take a more holistic approach (to community development),” she said.
So far, Bray has concentrated on just that — identifying assets. “Where do people go to seek change or to seek individual assistance on something?” she said. “Who are the people that are trusted in the community who people seek for advice?”
“There’s a lot of those people within a community.”
At the same time, Bray made it clear that she doesn’t want to “start from scratch” and that LISC “can’t be everything to everybody.”
“At the end of the day, not any one institution is going to be able to solve all the problems — it has to be working together in partnership,” she said, adding that her job is to figure out, along with stakeholders, how best to distribute resources.
Adams added, “I think that LISC will be very firm in its commitment to help neighborhoods strengthen.”
Bray noted that working together to improve a community “is a fluid, dynamic process” and that the work never really ends; the focus only changes. She said, “It’s not … just a target that you reach and then you move on.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 26, 2015


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Marquette Helps Give Local Social Entrepreneurs a “Boost” | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 27, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Newly Opened ARTery Path Extends Beerline | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 27, 2015
UrbanMilwaukee.com


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Sixteenth Street Community Health Center wins $108,000 ACA grant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 27, 2015
Milwaukee Business Journal


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Watch Poverty in School Districts Escalate Before Your Very Eyes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 27, 2015
Atlantic Cities


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Escuela Verde to host grand opening for new building in Silver City | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 28, 2015
Last year, Isabel Castro, a junior at Escuela Verde, said she took a “leap of faith” when she decided to enroll at the school, a charter authorized by the Common Council of Milwaukee that serves 7th -12th graders.
She knew it was different than a typical school, but thought it might be just what she needed.
“I ended up learning so much about myself; the environment there was liberating,” Castro said.
Escuela Verde has advisors rather than teachers and principals, workshops instead of classes and open spaces rather than classrooms.
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Escuela Verde’s new campus, located at 3628 W. Pierce St., opened last week, only a stone’s throw away from the Urban Ecology Center’s Menomonee Valley Branch.
According to Joey Zocher, one of a handful of advisors at the school, the new building houses a recording studio, a zen room for yoga and a bat cave where students conduct science experiments. Many of the materials found in the new building are recycled or repurposed, and much of the space was designed by students.
The school will be hosting a grand opening ceremony from 4:30-6 p.m. on Sept. 10, which will be open to the public and feature student-led tours, a bake sale, music and other activities. The school is currently at capacity with 100 students, but spaces may open up, according to Zocher.
“The school and the unique structure are not for everyone,” Zocher said.
The fit was right for freshman Sydney Issa, who had struggled at a traditional school in Elmbrook before transferring to Escuela Verde last year, according to her mother, Kai Simone.
“She was above average in literacy but falling way behind in math,” Simone said.
As a result, her self-esteem and self-confidence suffered, according to her mother.
Since transferring, she’s shot up two grade levels in math and is excelling in other areas as well, Simone said.
She credits her daughter’s quick turnaround to the project-based approach to learning, which is in line with the way she learns techniques as a performance arts enthusiast.
“She’s learning how to become a leader,” Simone said.
Students at Escuela Verde are encouraged to take on leadership roles both in and out of the classroom, said Zocher.
Castro has participated in community brainstorming sessions for the rebuilding of nearby Arlington Heights Park, and entered an essay contest in which she and another student wrote about how to improve relations between citizens and police.
Her favorite class is a workshop on youth activism.
“I love being at this school,” Castro said. It’s a second home for me.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the entity that authorizes the charter school.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 27, 2015


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On the Block: A different path | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
August 28, 2015
Milwaukee Stories link: Read more about Calvin Young at milwaukeestories.org.


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New ‘pocket park’ unveiled on Near West side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 31, 2015
88NINE Radio Milwaukee


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Photo exhibit captures perspective of LGBT teens | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Madeline Kennedy
August 31, 2015
Members of BEY.O.U. took photos intended to reflect home and happiness. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Acosta)
“Reveal,” a recent photography exhibit at Journey House, provided an opportunity for Milwaukee’s LGBT teens to chronicle their lives.
The photographs were taken by members of Diverse and Resilient’s new youth group, BEY.O.U.
Led by Nicole Acosta, an artist at Diverse and Resilient, “Reveal” challenged students to “think beyond the selfie” and use photography to express their feelings about how society views the LGBT community.
“I wanted the students to ask who their authentic self is and how they can reveal that to the people around them,” Acosta said. “To do that they need to photograph with intent. They need to give their audience a glimpse into how they live.”
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Over the course of three weeks, Acosta worked with BEY.O.U members to teach them the power and possibility of photography. By the end of the class, the students had created hundreds of photos, 16 of which were displayed to the public.
While the subject of the photos was different, they shared a surprising similarity: they were taken on a smart phone. Acosta explained that the purpose of the course was not to teach teens to use expensive camera equipment, but rather to educate them about principles of photography to utilize devices they already had on hand.
Photographer Kailee Evans said she uses makeup to control the way her image is perceived. (Courtesy of Nicole Acosta)
Although students and teachers were excited about the show’s final products, the project did not begin with the same enthusiasm. Students participating in the three-week long workshop were initially hesitant to snap anything other than a selfie.
“I was surprised by how resistant they were to trying photography in a different way,” Acosta said. “But all of that quickly diminished once they started talking about the potential social justice impacts that a project like this could have.”
As a group, Acosta and her students began walking around the neighborhood without their phones, carefully examining and taking in their surroundings. Later in the same session, students were encouraged to begin photographing what they saw on their phones.
“I was blown away by what they had to say. There were all these inner feelings they never had expressed, even at Diverse and Resilient,” Acosta said. “They don’t talk to each other about a lot of their emotions and didn’t really realize they were all experiencing a similar type of oppression.”
Kailee Evans has been participating in Diverse and Resilient programs for four years. She was one of several students whose work was showcased in “Reveal.” Evans said she has always been interested in art, but had never studied photography prior to Acosta’s workshop.
“It was nice to dabble in an art form I’m not familiar with,” Evans said. “The more I got into the project, the more I found out about myself. It was a very healing process.”
She added that one of her favorite parts of the workshop was watching her peers learn to express themselves through photography.
“It was great seeing the artistic expression of people around me,” she said. “When people find their voice in art, it’s a very special and powerful. I like being there for those moments.”
Diverse and Resilient Program Manager Anthony Harris explained that eliminating oppression and self-expression were important principles for artists in BEY.O.U, which was established after this year’s Pride Fest.
“We want young people to be able to express themselves through art because it’s a positive way for them to deal with the daily stress in their lives,” Harris said. “Regardless of why they’re making it or who they’re making it for, it’s a positive channel of expression for anger, sadness and joy.”
The photography program was made possible through a grant Diverse and Resilient received at the beginning of the summer. Because of the positive feedback from the participants, Harris said Diverse and Resilient plans to apply for additional funding to continue art projects such as “Reveal.”
“I think the whole thing helps kids understand that as adults, we really care about the way they see the world. It helps them realize ‘Wow, people actually want to see what I see,’” Harris said.
“It’s a really humble little show,” Acosta said of the quiet event at Journey House. “But we wanted to give them the full experience of owning their work and feeling how powerful it can be to communicate something visually.”

author: Madeline Kennedy


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 30, 2015


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Private Conflict, Not Broken Windows | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 31, 2015
The Atlantic CITYLAB


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Westlawn children start school year with new backpacks, school supplies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
August 31, 2015
The Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N. 64th St., distributed backpacks filled with school supplies to children who live in the Westlawn housing development and the surrounding community to help get their school year off to a good start.
“We are streamlining and strengthening our current programs to create a “conception to career” pipeline so that all children have a shot at success. Providing children with school supplies is just one way we can help kids succeed,” said Anthony McHenry, executive director of Silver Spring Neighborhood Center. The backpacks and school supplies are provided, in part, by a collaboration between U.S. Bank and Schoolhouse Supplies, a nonprofit organization.


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Wisconsin Looks to Reduce the Number of Inmates in Solitary Confinement | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 31, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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First ‘Ciclovia MKE’ brings community into the streets | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 1, 2015
Despite cool, rainy weather, the city’s first ciclovia event brought cyclists and pedestrians of all ages out for exercise, food and fun in the South Side neighborhoods of Clarke Square, Walker Square and Walker’s Point on Saturday.
Food vendors, activities for children, music, performances and information about community organizations were available along Cesar E. Chavez Drive. Children created art on the pavement using chalk and paint, and costumed cyclists and pedestrians added to the fun.
South Cesar E. Chavez Drive was closed to automobile traffic between Greenfield Avenue and Washington Street. Washington was closed to South Barclay Street and south to the opening of the KK River Trail.
Lauren Lopez and her 4-year-old son Mateo, who live farther south on 16 Street, braved the rain and arrived at Ciclovia MKE on bicycles before noon. An avid cyclist, Lopez said she learned about the event on Facebook and is excited that it was held on the South Side rather than on the East Side or in other parts of the city that are harder for her to reach.
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Bogota and other cities in Colombia popularized the ciclovia, which means “cycleway” in Spanish, closing city streets to automobiles on Sundays and holidays for the last several decades. The concept has caught on in South America and around the world, including in the U.S., where many states have held ciclovia events in the last 10 years.
Intended to promote a healthy lifestyle, offer opportunities for families and neighbors to socialize, support businesses along open streets and connect different parts of the city, the ciclovia concept dovetails with the goals of a number of community organizations.
Cesar E. Chavez Business Improvement District (BID), Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative (CSNI), Wisconsin Bicycle Fed, NEWaukee, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, City of Milwaukee, Maldonado & Morgan, an advertising agency, and Milwaukee County Parks all collaborated to launch Ciclovia MKE.
Local organizers communicated with planners of ciclovias in other cities, according to Ian Bautista, executive director of CSNI. “We benefitted early on from working with Newaukee which has been involved and has experience with the open streets concept, like the Night Markets, in other parts of the city,” he added.
According to area resident Victor Paredes, who was walking down Chavez Drive with a friend, “It’s a great idea because most of us, we don’t really walk a lot.” He added that some people feel the area’s not safe, “so we need to really know that it’s safe to be out here walking or riding your bike.”
For BID board member Ivan Gamboa, Ciclovia MKE was “first and foremost, … a way to celebrate the neighborhood as it is; a way to highlight all the good stuff that’s going on in the area.”
He noted that he was seeing many people who had never been to Chavez Drive before and hopes that bringing new people there will spur investment in the long run.
Bautista agreed and explained that it is a goal of the Farm Project, a partnership between the BID and CSNI, not only to build the economic health of the business district by filling all the storefronts, but also to make sure “those are businesses that are attractive, that are desired, that are pushing up the quality of the cultural and artistic expression and the flavor” of the street.
In addition to redeveloping some of the properties on the street, the BID, through the Farm Project, has commissioned a statue of Cesar Chavez, which will be installed in the plaza in front of Mercado El Rey by late October, Gamboa said. A miniature was on display at Ciclovia MKE.
South Siders Randy Wilhelm and Ryan Larkey cycled from their home near 15 Street and Morgan Avenue. Surveying the scene while a mechanic at DreamBikes’ mobile repair station worked on Wilhelm’s bike, Larkey said, “I like it anytime they close off the streets for pedestrians. It gives a whole different feeling to the area. It gets people out and going in stores they may not have gone into before.”
As for the future of Ciclovia MKE, Bautista said organizers would like to repeat it at least once every year. “We’re also thinking that perhaps it’s possible that we will be able to do it multiple times during the warm weather months.”

created: September 1, 2015


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On the Block: Bargains and conversation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
September 1, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
August 31, 2015


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How to avoid rabies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Madeline Kennedy
September 2, 2015
CDC veterinarians administer a rabies vaccination to a dog. (Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
Rabies is a serious viral disease that can be transmitted from infected mammals to humans through a bite, a scratch or whenever animal saliva might come into contact with broken skin. Rabies can be found in wild animals such as raccoons, opossums, foxes or bats. It can also be transmitted to domestic animals, including cats and dogs, by infected wild animals.
Treatment for human exposure to rabies is most effective when administered soon after a bite or exposure to a rabid animal. Rabies in humans is nearly always fatal if treatment is not obtained quickly.
The Milwaukee Health Department reminds residents to take precaution around wild or stray animals. If you find a bat or other animal that may be infected in your home, health officials advise safely capturing and containing the animal until a public health official or physician can be consulted.
To limit exposure to animals that may be infected, health officials advise:
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To report human exposure to a bat or animal that may have rabies, contact your local public health department. In Milwaukee, call (414) 286-3521. For more information, visit www.milwaukee.gov/health.

created: September 2, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 1, 2015


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New executive directors bring fresh perspectives to community organizations | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
September 2, 2015
Corey Zetts, newly appointed executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners, discusses neighborhood issues at a recent input session. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
In recent months, several prominent community-focused organizations have undergone leadership transitions. A change at the top creates the opportunity for new leaders to assess the organization’s direction, as well as the programs and initiatives affecting residents of the neighborhoods they serve.
The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service surveyed four recently appointed executive directors: Laura Bray, LISC Milwaukee; Kristi Luzar, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA); Will Sebern, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors; and Corey Zetts, Menomonee Valley Partners. Edited versions of their comments and responses are below.
Asked about the challenges facing their organizations, two leaders mentioned migrating to new business models — Menomonee Valley Partners is focusing more on workforce development issues than in the past, and UEDA is emphasizing service contracts versus grant funding. Each new executive director discussed the importance of partnerships.
Laura Bray, Executive Director, LISC Milwaukee
Kristi Luzar, Executive Director, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin
What is one thing you’d like to see local elected officials do to help residents in central city neighborhoods?
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We are coming to the end of a very violent summer in Milwaukee.  What can organizations like yours do to help address the situation?
Will Sebern, Executive Director, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors
Regardless of whether they were promoted from within, or if they were stepping into a new organization, each of the new executive directors prioritizes listening to the community.
Corey Zetts, Executive Director, Menomonee Valley Partners

author: Matthew Wisla


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Nominations now open for 2016 MANDI Awards | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
September 2, 2015
The Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (known as the MANDIs) recognize individuals, organizations and projects that enrich central city neighborhoods.  Nominations for 17th Annual MANDIs will be accepted through October 19, 2015.  Sponsored by US Bank, the awards pay tribute to the people and organizations working tirelessly to make Milwaukee a great place to live, learn, work and grow. Individuals, organizations and projects in the city of Milwaukee are eligible to apply.
Nominations will be accepted at www.lisc.org/milwaukee in the following categories:
All of the finalists will be eligible for the Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award at the 2016 MANDIs. The Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award is an interactive category that allows the public to vote online for their favorite finalists between March 7-15th.
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MANDI is hosted by LISC Milwaukee (Local Initiative Support Corporation). Winners are selected by an independent committee, and will be announced at a gala on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Finalists will be announced at a live event on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. All MANDI winners receive a trophy and $1,000.
Visit www.lisc.org/milwaukee for detailed category descriptions and complete nomination instructions.  Entries must be submitted by Monday, October 19, 2015.
2015 MANDI winners included: HOMEGR/OWN’s Ezekiel Gillespie Park, the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Venice Williams of Alice’s Garden, Sister’s Diversion Project of the Benedict Center, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.

author: LISC Milwaukee


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image003 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 2, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 2, 2015


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Alderman says Safe Zones success depends on more police cooperation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
September 3, 2015
Teddy Ellis stands in Garden Homes Park while a group of neighborhood youth gamble across the street. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
The city-funded Safe Zones initiative operating in the North Side neighborhood of Garden Homes has seen early progress, but the alderman who sponsored the initiative said that the Milwaukee Police Department is not doing enough to help it succeed. The program, which began in June, is intended to build relationships, mediate disputes and prevent violence before it happens.
“Without a doubt, there needs to be a more, kind of, embracing of the Safe Zones strategy and the setup [on the part of] the police department,” said Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, who sponsored the initiative. “I would say that that’s clear.”
Asked about Hamilton’s statement, Milwaukee Police Department District 7 Capt. Jutiki Jackson stated, “I’m not in a position to say that the police department is or is not working with that initiative, as far as cooperation.” Safe Zones founders and Hamilton said Jackson had been the department’s point person for the initiative.
Lori Lammers, an MPD community liaison for District 5, which encompasses the Garden Homes neighborhood, said of the initiative, “We’re aware that it’s going on but the leaders that are running the initiative haven’t necessarily asked us to be too much a part of it.”
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The initial Safe Zones proposal included three core pieces: ambassadors, who intervene to mediate disagreements and prevent violence; a requirement that police officers who patrol the designated areas check in regularly at a neighborhood headquarters; and a community corrections aspect that would focus on restorative justice for those being released from or going through the criminal justice system, according to Khalil Coleman, a Safe Zones founder. The idea was to have “accountability on all levels,” he added.
Khalil Coleman and Teddy Ellis (right) pick up garbage on W. Atkinson Avenue in Garden Homes, setting an example for young people in the neighborhood. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
“Being able to have all three of those components is what’s going to really make the Safe Zones initiative what the Safe Zones initiative is supposed to be,” he said.
Only the first piece, the ambassadors, was implemented over the summer.
At a meeting early this year, Jackson took issue with the need for officer check-ins and asked for an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would govern a partnership, according to the Safe Zones founders. Others at the meeting included Coleman, Safe Zones co-founder Shawn Moore, Hamilton and representatives from Safe & Sound, the mayor’s office and the district attorney’s office.
According to Moore, MPD thought words such as “shall” and “must” were “too strong.”
Jackson disputes that account. He said the meeting was “a very, very early introductory conversation” and that he “gave the founders specific instructions on what steps needed to be taken to help get the police department involved.” Coleman and Moore stated that Jackson has not communicated with them since that first meeting, which the Safe Zones founders organized.
“We were told that Captain Jackson was the one we had to deal with … so we left it at that,” said Moore.
Coleman said when the prospect of an MOU came up, it became “a whole other ball game,” adding that the group would have needed to get an attorney. In addition, he said the founders viewed the request as a way for the department to exercise control over the initiative. The meeting ended without an agreement between MPD and the Safe Zones founders.
Ambassadors associated with the initiative worked in the area from June through August, focusing on three main “hotspots” — a convenience store, a nearby park and a one-way street known for illegal activity.
Coleman said the corner store “wasn’t as crowded anymore” and long-time Garden Homes resident Martha Freeman said the area — specifically, the one-way street, which had been a hub for prostitution and drug activity — has a different feel. Ambassadors have successfully intervened in and de-escalated at least two potentially violent confrontations involving weapons, Coleman said.
The Safe Zones founders recounted several interactions with MPD where they said police did not respect the role of the ambassadors. Moore said that kind of approach will not help improve relations between police and the community.
“I think there’s still a lot of … distrust between the community and the police and that’s what we’re working to help lessen,” said Lammers, adding that MPD representatives attend community events and “support people when they ask us to come out and support them.”
Moore said there’s more to it. “Come in respectful, and you’ll get respect,” he said, adding that “back in the day” officers would “eat a peach with my grandma.”
“In order for the neighborhood to trust you, they have to get to know you,” said Moore. “That’s all we want.”
Hamilton said he had hoped the Safe Zones Initiative, which received $50,000 in city funding, would be embraced by MPD in the same way as a student ambassador program, which he also sponsored. The point of these initiatives is for the department to start policing differently and listening to residents, he added.
Hamilton said building trust has to start with “regular interaction, with particular police officers who are already inclined to not police in the traditional way that created the distrust in the first place.”
There have to be more opportunities to interact than the occasional community meeting or discussion, Hamilton noted. “There have to be positive, cooperative opportunities and contact where there’s space to actually build trust,” he said. “You can’t build trust on constant negative contact.”
Hamilton also said it’s important for ambassadors to have a designated contact within MPD who respects their role in the neighborhood and understands the sensitive nature of the information ambassadors can — or cannot — share. “That’s where it starts.”
Lammers, who said she is willing to be that contact, added that decisions made by the chief are “not always communicated down to the officers that are responding to calls” but agreed that “we do need to build those relationship on an everyday basis.”
Bridging the gap
Dugan Meyer, a University of Kentucky researcher who observed the initiative closely, said MPD leaders “envision a partnership … in which the ambassadors would be in touch with them in ways that wouldn’t jeopardize the trust that they need.” Coleman and Moore acknowledge that is central to the initiative’s success.
However, Meyer said he witnessed officers on foot patrol pass the ambassador headquarters without stopping or acknowledging the ambassadors, who are “very visible,” he said.
“There seems to be this disconnect,” Meyer said. “If these higher-ups want that relationship, why aren’t they organizing themselves more intensely to make sure that those cops stop in and say hello?” Meyer, a graduate student researching community policing models, has conducted multiple interviews with ambassadors, police and residents.
On July 24, a Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporter observed as ambassadors confronted a group of about 20 young men from the neighborhood who were gambling in Garden Homes Park. Ambassadors said they had been in contact with the group before, first asking them to move from in front of the corner store. The young men obliged, moving to the park.
Moore spoke with the group; they moved across the street but the game continued. He came back frustrated. “I talk to these kids every day, man. They continue to do the same things but, you know, it’s really hard to fight it when the police come through and tell them that it’s okay to gamble,” said Moore.
“I know that’s not accurate,” countered Lammers. “Public gambling is an illegal activity in the City of Milwaukee. … If you are out gambling somewhere that is in a public space or a space that you have no right to be occupying, then we’re going to take other action.”
Lammers added that several people have complained about the gambling and that officers have been directed to respond and issue citations if needed. “We’ve been dealing with that issue for a couple months now with the same group of people.”
Approximately an hour after ambassadors approached the crowd, three police squads dispersed the young men. No citations were given.
The ambassadors and other residents there at the time said a park is somewhere children should feel comfortable. Large groups of people, such as those gambling, don’t allow for that type of atmosphere. “You’ve got to understand there’s a line; you’ve got to draw that line,” said Damion Boothe, 39, whose family has lived in the area for 65 years. “Enough is enough.”
At the same time, Ricky Harrison, an ambassador who grew up in Garden Homes, said, “They’re all part of this community, too,” referring to the young men.
Both the ambassadors and police talk about a generational disconnect between homeowners and young people in Garden Homes. The ambassadors view this disconnect as a breakdown in respect that goes both ways.
“We’re trying to bridge the gap between both (demographics) … and create one community,” said Coleman. “It needs to be a community that’s reflective and that represents everybody involved.”
Multiple ambassadors and residents said that the young men need something positive to do. “How can you tell someone, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ but, then, they’re sitting there [like], ‘Alright. What can we do, then?’” said Teddy Ellis, an ambassador captain.
“Really, what it takes is … us having the ability to talk to them and say, ‘Okay, well, what will it take for y’all to do something different?’” said Coleman. “They want a location. They want a youth center, they want some type of [music] studio, they want somewhere where they can go where they can be productive.”
Beyond the numbers
Hamilton said that cultivating a working relationship between the Safe Zones and MPD is critical. “In order for [the initiative] to be successful, in order for it to operate the way that it needs to operate, in order to maximize the use of this strategy and the resources, there has to be cooperation with law enforcement.”
According to MPD Chief Edward Flynn, “We’re not averse to partnerships.” He added, “I’d like to see some results from their work and then we can talk about an MOU.”
Coleman agreed that there needs to be a formal understanding that incorporates, at a minimum, the community policing aspect of their plan. He said the ambassadors would like to be notified when police respond to a call in the neighborhood. And Moore invited Flynn to come talk with residents and “see if it works,” adding that sometimes numbers “don’t do [the work] justice.”
“We can give you the incident, the outcome and the justice behind it,” said Moore, referring to a situation that ambassadors mediated successfully. A man who damaged goods worked off the value, the store owner declined to press charges and “no one was hurt.”
“It was a result that everybody was happy with,” said Moore. “That’s justice.”
The Safe Zones initiative is expected to go before the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee for renewed funding before the end of the year.

created: September 3, 2015


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20478253179_ec7e062df3_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 2, 2015


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Busting the Myth of the Food Desert: A Farmer’s Market in Milwaukee Sautés Statistics | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 3, 2015
In These Times


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Community Leaders Call on Congress to Renew School Meals Programs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 3, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Community members use Neighborhood Lens to bring city life into focus | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 3, 2015
Community members take a look at the Neighborhood Lens gallery. (Photo by Adam Carr)
At the recent Ciclovia MKE event, passersby paused at the corner of Cesar Chavez Drive and Scott Street to check out an impromptu photo gallery.
On a boarded-up storefront, the images depicted scenes from the surrounding area, recognizable to Chavez Drive regulars. They included a church service at La Luz del Mundo, a haircut at Tony the Columbian’s barbershop, produce at Pete’s Fruit Market and brightly colored soccer balls from a shop down the block.
The photos in the gallery were taken by people who live or work on Chavez Drive, the first participants in Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service’s Neighborhood Lens feature. NNS collaborated with the organizers of Ciclovia MKE to recruit participants.
Recently, NNS was able to purchase five cameras and cases with the help of a successful crowd-funding campaign conducted by Marquette University students.
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The cameras will be distributed to community members interested in documenting their lives and neighborhoods. A selection of their photographs will then be published as part of the Neighborhood Lens feature on the NNS website.
Moving forward, the cameras will rotate from neighborhood to neighborhood, offering a unique perspective on Milwaukee neighborhoods through the eyes of residents. Watch for the photo galleries on our website and social media platforms.
If you are interested in documenting your area with fellow community members, please email us at info@milwaukeenns.org.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 3, 2015


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Ex Fabula accepting applications for new storytelling fellowship | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ex Fabula
September 3, 2015
Can storytelling help people in Milwaukee develop empathy and greater understanding?  The folks at Ex Fabula think so, and as part of their work to strengthen community bonds through the art of storytelling, the Milwaukee nonprofit is kicking off a Storytelling Fellowship that will leverage personal stories to foster new kinds of community conversation.
This initial Fellowship focuses on the topics of privilege and oppression. “At Ex Fabula StorySlams, we welcome personal stories about the entire breadth of the human experience – both the fun moments and the painful ones. We already hear stories about personal and social challenges like disability and mental illness, but segregation and institutional racism just aren’t being discussed by enough people in our city. Personal stories are a great tool to help us explore these important topics and better understand the problems at hand,” said Executive Director Megan McGee.
“Other attempts to address Milwaukee’s racial disparities typically focus on economics, politics, and education.  Ex Fabula’s effort to bring people together in ways that are deeply personal addresses other obstacles to the ability of people of color to improve their lives – lack of understanding, empathy, and trust among the city’s diverse residents,” said Dena Wortzel, executive director of the Wisconsin Humanities Council.
Applications are now being accepted from adults who live in the Greater Milwaukee area. No experience required – just interest in storytelling and the project mission. In October and November, Fellows will attend workshops where the group will explore how stories can be leveraged for social justice; identify, structure, and share true, personal stories; and honor each others’ experiences. Fellows will also have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a storytelling coach. Fellows will then share their engaging stories at interactive performances that include facilitated exercises that allow audience members to share stories and reactions. Audio, video and photos from selected performances will also appear on Ex Fabula’s website and radio show.
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Full Fellowship information, an example of a personal story that reveals privilege and oppression, and applications are available at www.exfabula.com/programs/fellows.
Project funding includes grants from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

author: Ex Fabula


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Murder Rates Rising Sharply in Many U.S. Cities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 3, 2015
The New York Times


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On the Block: No place like home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
September 3, 2015
Read more about Lydia Centeno at milwaukeestories.org.


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State Takeover of Schools Harms Black, Latino Communities, Report Contends | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 3, 2015
Education Week


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Foreclosures persist in Milwaukee because of high poverty rate | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
September 4, 2015
After reaching out to qualified home foreclosure mediation counselors, LaDawn Meledy was able to keep her Borchert Field residence. “I wanted to fight for my home,” she said. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
When LaDawn Meledy received a foreclosure notice from her bank, her mom had recently succumbed to cancer and she had just taken ownership of the family home in the Borchert Field neighborhood. Now she was on the verge of losing that too. Not knowing where to turn for advice, she contacted a mortgage loan modification service mentioned in the foreclosure papers.
“I wanted to fight for my home,” Meledy said. “The bank doesn’t care; they are not trying to work with you.”
Following more than six months of coordination with the Metro Milwaukee Foreclosure Mediation Network and her bank, Meledy was able to finalize on a new 30-year mortgage in July. She said too many people have given up on their homes in her neighborhood after financial difficulties struck.
“People need to know they can get help. I made it through,” she said.
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Jason Knapke, loan advisor with Chase, recently met with homeowners at the “Save Your Home” event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
With U.S. housing prices creeping back up following the recession it may appear that the nation’s foreclosure crisis has ended. Housing experts disagree.
“In the minds of some the foreclosure crisis is over, but the Milwaukee market hasn’t signaled that to us,” said Bill Druliner, community engagement manager at Green Path, a nonprofit credit counseling organization.
According to Brad Dwin, deputy director of Hope Now in Washington, D.C., “There’s an economic recovery but it’s uneven. Many cities haven’t recovered.” Dwin spoke at a recent “Save Your Home” event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 1531 W. Vliet St.
Milwaukee is currently experiencing an increase in tax foreclosures, according to Bethany Sanchez, senior administrator at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council’s fair lending program. “Many people are struggling to stay in their homes.”
Druliner agrees and points to the role poverty is playing. “This is a very different foreclosure market than we had a few years ago,” he said. “Now it’s more often the long-term effects of poverty that’s driving foreclosures whereas before (lack of) employment was a bigger factor.”
According to U.S. Census Bureau data released in 2013, about 30 percent of Milwaukee residents live in poverty. At the time those figures were announced, Mayor Tom Barrett said, “You have politicians who say that it’s a Milwaukee problem. The problem is we have focused and concentrated the vast majority of low-income people in the city of Milwaukee and we say it’s a Milwaukee problem.”
Financially stretched homeowners can find themselves in foreclosure if they allow tax bills to mount, according to Bill Druliner, community engagement manager at Green Path, a nonprofit credit counseling organization. (Photo by Matthew Wisla)
Druliner said several factors often conspire to push financially strapped homeowners into foreclosure today; it usually isn’t their mortgage alone. “Other obligations factor in like a high- interest car loan, or medical bills or credit cards. They get in the way of people being able to handle their mortgage,” Druliner observed.
An early indication of a homeowner at risk of tax foreclosure comes when the amount owed the city treasurer begins increasing. That can happen when unpaid water bills or building code violation fines, along with penalties and interest, are added to an already delinquent tax bill. It can create a slippery slope towards foreclosure, according to Druliner, because homeowners under pressure from a range of other debts may begin to see their growing tax bill as insurmountable and stop paying on it.
According to Amy Koltz, executive director of the Metro Milwaukee Foreclosure Mediation Network, the earlier a homeowner acknowledges the situation and reaches out for help, the better chances of avoiding foreclosure. Sanchez and other experts recommend working with qualified nonprofit housing counselors and being wary of any organization promising guaranteed results.
Meledy said that during the foreclosure mediation process her counselors “took the time to work with me even when I was in tears. They cared.”
One of the biggest challenges facing homeowners battling to avoid foreclosure is staying on top of the process and managing all the document-filing deadlines required by the bank. “The hardest part is the paperwork, no doubt,” Meledy said. “You have to get it all in order. Your insurance, your receipts, your taxes.”
Meledy believes that homeownership benefits neighborhoods and homeowners alike. “I think there’s less crime around when people have their own homes,” she said. “With this house, I have all the memories of my mother and grandmother. There is such comfort in owning my own home; it gives me a sense of achievement and purpose.”

created: September 4, 2015


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Ribbon cutting set for first MKE Plays playground at Arlington Heights Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 7, 2015
Neighborhood children anxiously await the reopening of Arlington Heights Park, 3429 W. Pierce St. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Community feedback has resulted in a new Arlington Heights Park at 3429 W. Pierce St., outfitted with youth and adult fitness areas, plenty of structures to climb, a rain garden and a new point of access from West National Avenue.
“The changes reflect the values of the community,” said Brianna Sas-Perez, neighborhood plan coordinator at Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, a nonprofit serving the area.
Sas-Perez said the improved park will complement other recent developments in the area, including the Menomonee Valley Branch of the Urban Ecology Center.
Arlington Heights is one of 12 play areas tabbed to be rebuilt as part of MKE Plays, a new initiative aiming to turn the city’s 12 most deteriorated playgrounds, as evaluated by the city Department of Public Works, into neighborhood centerpieces by October 2018. The 2015 city budget only provides $165,000 for playground improvements. The city plans to raise the bulk of the money for the project from foundations and other entities.
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The ribbon cutting for Arlington Heights Park, 3629 W. Pierce St., will be held on Sept. 24. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
A key part of the MKE Plays strategy is to include neighbors in choosing a design for the park, according to Joe Kaltenberg, program coordinator for MKE Plays. The process included home visits, surveys, interviews with community leaders and focus groups, with the goal of increased neighborhood engagement, said Kaltenberg.
A community build event at the park has been scheduled for Sept. 19, and the ribbon cutting is set for Sept. 24. During community build events volunteers are typically given assignments to help complete park installation.
Community outreach has begun on choosing a theme for a second playground on North 17 and West Vine Street, but that park will not open until next April, according to organizers.
According to Milwaukee Common Council President Michael Murphy, who spearheaded the $1.6 million initiative, it is extremely important that changes at the park reflect the needs of the community.
“We wanted to know what was important to them because we’re counting on individuals and the communities as a whole to utilize and support the playgrounds,” Murphy said.
Fundraising for the initiative has gone well, according to Kaltenberg, spurred by an initial investment of $300,000 from the Zilber Family Foundation and smaller donations from the Fund for Lake Michigan and others. More recently, donations have come from Northwestern Mutual, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and from private donors such as Stewart Edwards and his wife Joanne Danforth.
Danforth grew up in a large family and said the playground on North 52 and Sherman Boulevard was their second home. “We considered ourselves playground rats,” Danforth said.
Danforth added that she remembers the benefits the playground provided her and her siblings, including exercise, a structured place to play and the ability to problem solve and socialize in a healthy environment. That’s what motivated her to support MKE Plays.
“All kids deserve a nice place to play like we had,” Danforth said.

created: September 7, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 6, 2015

created: September 6, 2015


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America’s Poorest Are Getting Virtually No Assistance | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 8, 2015
The Atlantic

created: September 8, 2015


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Editorial: What Milwaukee can teach Chicago about clean water | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 8, 2015
Chicago Sun-Times


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Milwaukee Mayor & Police Chief Argue for Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Some Gun Crimes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 8, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio