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As drug overdose deaths soar, advocates fight uphill battle | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 19, 2020
Milwaukee County has likely already surpassed its prior all-time high of 418 drug overdose deaths in 2019, and reaching 500 cases this year seems like a foregone conclusion. (File photo by Edgar Mendez)
Amy Molinski’s workday starts with a troubling task.
Molinski, a peer support specialist for West Allis Community Medical Services, arrives each weekday at a fire station on Milwaukee’s South Side and reviews a list of individuals who survived drug overdoses the day before or over the weekend.
Then she and peer specialists from Project WisHope and CleanSlate Milwaukee, along with personnel from the Milwaukee Fire Department, hit the streets with the goal of connecting those individuals to treatment and recovery services that could save their lives.
These specialists are part of the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative, also known as MORI, a partnership between the Milwaukee Health Department, the Milwaukee Fire Department and others.
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“We’re knocking on doors, seeing how many people open it and want help from us,” Molinski said.
MORI, which launched in June 2019 and is funded through a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, deploys a rapid-response team to homes or hospitals in hopes that people who overdosed are scared enough to try to change.
“The reality is they need more than just being brought back,” Molinski said. “We are there to provide the best options based on their circumstances, and if they are ready for help, we give them a direct ride to treatment.”
Those who are not ready for treatment are connected with other resources, including needle exchange programs and HIV testing. The overall goals of the program are to decrease overdose fatalities and emergency department usage and to increase access to evidence-based treatment.
In addition to services for individuals who survive drug overdoses, a grant allows the MORI program to also provide services for the families of those who died, according to Courtney Geiger, a grant specialist for the Milwaukee Health Department. A certified social worker now works full time at the Medical Examiner’s Office, reviewing cases and providing resources to victims’ families.
“Maybe it was a spouse or a dad who suffered a fatal overdose, and mom is surviving and pregnant,” Geiger said. Crisis services also are  offered to children who’ve lost a parent or perhaps witnessed a fatal overdose, she added.
Leaders of the MORI program and other initiatives to reduce drug overdose deaths are fighting a growing battle. According to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 408 confirmed drug overdose deaths from Jan. 1 to Oct. 17, 2020, with another 67 suspected cases pending toxicology reports. The county has likely already surpassed its all-time high of 418 drug overdose deaths in 2019, and reaching 500 cases this year seems like a foregone conclusion.
“The projections of deaths this year are pretty dismal,” said Ald. Michael Murphy, chairman of the City-County Heroin, Opioid, and Cocaine Task Force. He ties this year’s increase in fatal overdoses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about depression and lack of mental health resources being made available to people due to COVID, which compounds the issue,” he said.
Although there is no concrete data link between COVID-19 and the rise of overdose deaths this year in Milwaukee County, the pandemic has negatively affected many individuals’ mental health and increased isolation — both recipes for relapse, Molinski said.
The number of drug overdose deaths in the county has grown substantially over the past decade, from 149 in 2010 to 401 in 2017 and 418 last year, according to an unpublished overdose data brief provided by the Milwaukee Health Department.
Data from the Medical Examiner’s Office shows that of the 408 confirmed victims so far this year, 69 percent were men. The majority were white (58 percent), while 28 percent of the victims were Black, and 9.5 percent Hispanic. In addition, seven Native Americans died of overdoses; eight  individuals classified as multiracial and two Asian/Pacific Islanders also died of overdoses.
When broken down by the total population in the county, the number of  overdose victims per 10,000 residents was nearly the same for whites (22 per 10,000) and Blacks (21 per 10,000), compared with 12 per 10,000 for Hispanics.
The South Side remains the city’s drug overdose hotspot, with the 53215 ZIP code losing 33 residents to overdoses, while 28 died in 53204. There were several other ZIP code areas across Milwaukee where there were more than 20 fatal drug overdoses, including 53206 and 53207, which each had 21, and 53212, which had 26.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that advocates say is commonly used as a cutting agent for cocaine and other drugs, was a factor in nearly three-fourths of the deaths. Also more common were cases where more than one drug in combination was listed as the cause of death, according to the data.
The county, along with the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital and other partners, is working on another initiative to reduce drug overdose deaths, said Michael Lappen, administrator of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Department and vice chairman of the City-County Heroin, Opioid, and Cocaine Task Force.
That effort, supported by a federal State Opioid Response Grant, involves a similar rapid effort to reach those who were brought to Froedtert after suffering a drug overdose.
“It’s an aggressive attempt to try and tell people, ‘You had an overdose that almost killed you,’” Lappen said. “‘Please go out and get some help.’”
The county, in partnership with the House of Correction in Franklin and others,  also is supporting a program aimed at reducing overdose deaths among those who’ve been incarcerated. That program involves participation in treatment programs, voluntary injections of vivitrol, which block the effects of opioids, and follow-up services upon release, Lappen said.
As she travels in a Ford Taurus, rebranded as a community paramedic vehicle, Molinski tries not to let the grim reality of the situation in Milwaukee County affect her work.
“If we stop and look at the data alone, of course, we would be overwhelmed,” she said.
But those numbers won’t capture the many successes they have experienced since June, she said. Some days she’s able to persuade three people to get treatment, she said. That’s good enough for Molinski, who describes her job as the best in the world.
“What keeps us going is knowing how many people have gotten help that otherwise would have died.”
Drug treatment services in the Milwaukee area are available at the following places (and others):
10th Street Comprehensive Treatment Center
Rogers Behavioral Health
West Milwaukee Comprehensive Treatment Center
First Step Community Recovery Center
Meta House
West Allis Community Medical Services
United Community Center

created: November 19, 2020

author: Edgar Mendez


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 18, 2020

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: November 18, 2020

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

author: Adam Carr


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College seniors tell us about campus life and COVID-19 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
November 19, 2020
College and COVID-19 were not what students expected in 2020.
Yet here we are.
Today, students from the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service journalism capstone class at Marquette University share their experiences this semester.
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Like many students in schools, colleges, and universities; the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for me to learn, and how I am able to attend my classes on campus.
Personally, the pandemic has made it challenging for me this semester to do my schoolwork and try to catch up in all my classes. Not only is the work doubled but it has made it extremely stressful. For  example if you wanted to discuss a paper in class, it’s easy to do so verbally  instead of writing a 150-word response in an online setting. It  may not seem like much, but it adds up when it’s multiple classes, and it can be at times confusing, at least for me.
Commuting has also been a little scary for me. Sometimes I have to drive to Marquette from the City of Waukesha, which is where I live, and other days I frequently take the Milwaukee bus.
Especially during the pandemic that can get scary, because it puts me in higher risk of being exposed to the coronavirus, since I am overweight and have high blood pressure. But the only silver lining I can say about the pandemic is that it has made me more health conscious with constantly washing my hands and going on a diet.
COVID-19 has also made it harder to see my friends and family, attend sports games, movie theaters, and attending an in-person event on my campus, which I loved to do.
I wish I could see all my professors in person, and I wish I could go back to the things how it used to be. Unfortunately, due to the rising numbers of coronavirus cases, and the current federal government not taking action, I unfortunately don’t see this ever going away at least not anytime soon.
—Abdallah Alqaoud
It’s hard to make up a story each week to tell your friends why you cannot hang out with them. But that is the reality I am faced with as a 21-year-old college senior. It is the reality I am faced with if I want to stay safe and healthy.
I have not been able to spend quality time with most of my friends and rugby teammates in over eight months. I want to see them, but I feel like there is no responsible way.
I feel that some of my friends may think that I am being too cautious. They invite me out to spend time with them on the weekends, and normally, I would love to do this, I just turned 21!
I even wonder if I am being too cautious. My friends get together most weekends, and they have been fine –a few have had to quarantine here and there. Should I just go hang out and stop worrying? The quarantine is only two weeks, I could just relax at home for two weeks, better to get it while I am in college then when I am home with family. But I know that once I go out, I will get sick and that will feel worse than staying in.
I especially do not want my friends to think I am lame or that I do not want to spend time with them. But how do I say, “I do not think it’s safe to go out” to someone who already is out? So, I kept giving excuses. Eventually my friends stopped asking me to go out. They must know. And that is fine, in a way it makes my life easier. I hope that when things go back to normal, they ask me to go out again.
—Roy Bowler
The pandemic started, and the world stopped. At the beginning of 2020, the thought that I would be missing the second half of my junior year and also my senior year of college never crossed my mind. The hope that this would all be over in a couple months, that the page would turn, and life would be normal again was still alive and well.
Now I am in the last weeks of the fall semester of my senior year and I feel like these metaphorical pages must be held together by glue.
Being a student during the COVID-19 pandemic is a lot of things, but it’s not easy. The hardest part for me is the independent learning. I didn’t know this until now, but I am truly a person who thrives in a group environment.
Receiving a video, slideshow or sometimes even just a packet online does not measure up to the enrichment of a classroom. On top of learning what is going on in your classes, you have to learn the best way to teach it to yourself, the best way to stay on top of assignments, and the best way to be successful alone.
When I say “alone,” I say it with a grain of salt, because my seven other roommates have been along for every step of the way. We turned our kitchen table into a library space to take our classes together. We motivate each other to keep going when school feels like too much. But at the same time, living in a house with seven roommates poses its own unique set of challenges. When all of us are in one room, we are a total of eight, dangerously close to quarantine capacity. On top of that, it is extremely difficult to keep tabs on eight people who are all sharing the same kitchen. Which is a very common occurrence for any college student. We all go to class, we all go to the library, we all go grocery shopping. I am not exaggerating when I say that we have had a COVID-19 scare almost every week of this semester.
Many of us, including myself, actually ended up testing positive. To say that all of us are ready for the semester to be over, for a break from the stress, is an understatement.
Looking forward, as a college senior, the world greets me with a crashing job market and an online life not much different from the one I’m living. I am hopeful, waiting every day, for this page of the story to turn. The next chapter of this book is going to have to have some strong main characters anyway.
—Autumn Hirchert

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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ABDALLAH | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 18, 2020


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Post from Community: Groundbreaking set to create 195 beds of affordable student housing for MATC students to combat housing insecurity | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
November 19, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Developer J. Jeffers & Co., Milwaukee Area Technical College and contractor Schmidt will break ground Tuesday, Nov. 17, on a 195-bed, $29.1 million affordable student housing project for MATC students at the former home of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in downtown Milwaukee.
The innovative project — the first of its kind in Milwaukee — is aimed at combating housing insecurity for MATC students by creating a new category of property in the city: affordable student housing. Thanks to historic preservation tax credits that will help cover the cost of rehabilitating the 1962 addition to the Journal Sentinel property, the developer will fix rents to be below market rate by as much as 20%. More than 10,000 MATC students had incomes low enough to be eligible for financial aid in the last academic year, resulting in an acute need for high quality affordable housing options.
“Our students are telling us that access to housing is key to giving them the stability they need to graduate and connect to a career, a four-year degree or both,” MATC President Dr. Vicki J. Martin said. “Ninety-five percent of our associate degree graduates gain employment within six months of graduation, and they’re earning an average of $52,280 — that’s more than both the per-capita and median household income in Milwaukee County. To help more students get there, stable and affordable housing is key. We are honored to partner with J. Jeffers & Co. and CG Schmidt on this project to make that happen.
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Danielle Bergner, an MATC alumna who is the COO and general counsel at J. Jeffers & Co., said, “Housing costs for downtown Milwaukee student housing and apartments have  skyrocketed in recent years. However, thanks to federal and state historic tax credits, we are able to bring down the cost of construction to a level where we can offer high-quality rental housing at a discount to market rents, and in turn, offer an affordable and stable housing option to the MATC student body.  We commend Dr. Martin and MATC for their vision and commitment to the MATC students.”
CG Schmidt Vice President Sarah Dunn said, “CG Schmidt is proud to partner with J. Jeffers on this impactful project. Not only will it provide affordable housing options for MATC students, it will also bring a long idle building in the heart of Downtown back to life. Having been based right here in Milwaukee for 100 years, we know that these kinds of projects have the potential to put a lot of Milwaukee residents to work with well-paying jobs. Along with J. Jeffers, we’re committed to maximizing diversity and inclusion on this project to help build a stronger Milwaukee.” Financing for the project is provided by U.S. Bank, WHEDA and Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, with support from the Milwaukee Bucks and the City of Milwaukee. Eppstein Uhen Architects is the architect for the project and Cross Management Services of Milwaukee is consulting.
The project, located in the Deer District, also helps provide more of a true campus experience for some of the more than 30,000 students who attend MATC, joining two other such options for the college’s students in downtown Milwaukee and Mequon. The new building, located two blocks from campus adjacent to Pere Marquette Park, will offer many amenities to students, including a fitness center, study lounges, community rooms, and ample underground parking for students living in the facility.
Plans call for the first students to move in by August 2021. The college will soon begin marketing the apartments to students for the Fall 2021 semester.

author: Milwaukee Area Technical College


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MATC-Project_Student-Lounge-2.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 19, 2020

author: Name *


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Post from Community: MATC invites artists to develop works for display at Downtown Milwaukee Campus | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
November 19, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee Area Technical College is soliciting original works of art, including outdoor sculptures, to be created and displayed in the Downtown Milwaukee Campus, 700 W. State St. The campus has recently undergone many renovations. The artwork created by students, alumni and community members will decorate new spaces and celebrate the college’s history and diversity.
Proposals will be accepted until Dec. 1, 2020 for new artwork or work already created in 2019-2020. Up to 20 works of art will be selected. Artists may submit multiple pieces to fit a variety of available spaces. Final artwork must be completed and delivered by Aug. 1, 2021.
Preference may be given to student and alumni artists from the MATC district, and four-year transfer partner colleges including Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Mount Mary University, Alverno College and others. In addition, preference may be given to work that focuses on manufacturing, transportation, construction, community and human services, creative arts, design and media, social justice issues in Milwaukee and the U.S., or to any visual interpretation of MATC’s mission or vision.
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In addition to acquiring art through this RFP process, the MATC Community Arts Committee is also engaged in discussions with the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Black Houlocaust Museum around arts-based programming, including: access to arts activities for students and their families, digital or physical access to the museum’s artwork, and opportunities for students to have reduced or free attendance at the museums. These partnerships emphasize the strategic priorities of cultural competency, diversity, equity and inclusion for all parties involved.
“We are pleased to offer artists, particularly those with connections to  MATC and its partners, this opportunity to help beautify and contribute their vision to the Downtown Milwaukee Campus,” said Dr. Vicki J. Martin, MATC president. “This is another way to connect to the community we serve.”
To learn more about this opportunity, visit the Community Art RFP at this link.

Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. Nearly 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 35 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.


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M-coming-off-S-skywalk-B-2.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 19, 2020


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5 things to do and know the weekend of Nov. 20 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
November 20, 2020
The Bronzeville Collective is hosting a pop-up for Xeroine Illustration on Friday, Nov. 20. (Photo by Xeroine Illustration)
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Kujichagulia store grand opening: Friday, Nov. 20
Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative is opening a store at the Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. The cooperative is a collaboration between two dozen businesses. The grand opening will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.
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2. Xeroine Illustration pop-up shop: Friday, Nov. 20
Xeroine Illustration is having a pop-up shop at the The Bronzeville Collective MKE, 339 W. North Ave., beginning at noon on Friday, Nov. 20. There will be Zodiac art prints, T-shirts, earrings and more available for purchase. Xeroine Illustration is owned and operated by Yessica Jimenez, a local artist and illustrator and member of the LUNA Collective.
3. Housing resource fair: Saturday, Nov. 21
Ald. Milele Coggs and Ald. Russell Stamper II are hosting a housing resource fair. Homeowners or those interested in becoming homeowners can pick up a housing resource packet at the Northcott Neighborhood House, 2460 N. 6th St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  on Saturday, Nov. 21. There will also be several virtual workshops, and each will be followed by a live Q&A. Click the links to watch and register. The credit workshop will begin at 10:30 a.m.; the COVID-19 resources workshop will begin at 11:30 a.m.; and the Buy the Block workshop will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.
4. Vibez Creative Arts Space celebrates National Gingerbread Day: Saturday, Nov. 21
Vibez Creative Arts Space is celebrating National Gingerbread Day. You have the option of crafting a gingerbread house in person or signing up for a to-go kit. Click here to order. The in-person class will be held in the Vibez Creative Arts Space, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.
5. Leaf collection deadline: Sunday, Nov. 22
City of Milwaukee residents have until the end of Sunday, Nov. 22 to rake their leaves into the street. Residents are asked to rake about a foot away from the curb. The Department of Public Works will pick up the leaves. It usually takes about two weeks for the leaf collection operators to sweep through the entire city. For additional information or to request a pickup, call 414-286-2489.
Bonus: Service journalism for Milwaukee: News414
Earlier this year, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Wisconsin Watch and Outlier Media launched News414. News414 is service journalism that works for and with Milwaukee residents to provide them with the information they need regarding housing, mental health and domestic violence, food security, health and safety and jobs and money. Join News414 today by texting MILWAUKEE to 73224.
Bonus: The latest coronavirus coverage from NNS
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters are hard at work bringing readers up-to-date information regarding coronavirus. Stay informed on coronavirus by following us on our Facebook page and subscribing to our daily newsletter. All coronavirus related articles can be found on this landing page. If you have a question or concern about coronavirus, send them in our way. We’re here to serve you.

created: November 20, 2020

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 19, 2020


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Thousands await jobless aid as Wisconsin leaders blame each other for failure | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Marty Hobe (TMJ4 News) and Bram Sable-Smith (Wisconsin Watch/WPR)
November 20, 2020
As Wisconsin businesses shuttered this spring to slow the spread of COVID-19, jobless filings and phone calls flooded the state Department of Workforce Development — too quickly for staffers to keep up. But DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman remained optimistic.
In a May 4 email, Frostman told Unemployment Insurance Division Administrator Mark Reihl to “hang in there.”
“If we can get through May, I think we will be cooking with gas with all the new people on board and call centers up and running,” Frostman wrote.
Three days days later, Frostman emailed Reihl before a meeting with the state’s Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council: “We have a great story to tell of our staff working themselves to the bone on behalf of claimants and we’ve been putting the pieces in place to build that necessary infrastructure to succeed through COVID.”
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Staring down nearly 400,000 unprocessed weekly claims just after Memorial Day, Frostman told a state Senate committee that his department expected to work through the backlog by early October.
Now three weeks into November, a still-raging pandemic is threatening an economic recovery and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has ousted Frostman. Families are still waiting on DWD to process jobless claims filed last spring, with many missing bill payments, racking up credit card debt, facing eviction or worse.
Among those waiting: 50-year-old Karrie Suhr, who worked at a public pool in Cedarburg and was scheduled to work at Milwaukee’s Summerfest when the pandemic hit. She filed her claim in June and has yet to receive benefits, leaving her with no income throughout the summer. During that limbo she learned the cancer she thought she beat had returned.
“I had to borrow money from my family just to pay my own health insurance to make sure that I was covered for all these cancer treatments,” Suhr said. “So that’s been very emotional as far as just — I’ve been paying bills all my life and wanting to have good credit … then something like this happens.”
Wisconsin’s unemployment safety net has buckled under a pandemic stress test. More than 1 million filed initial claims since March 15. As of Saturday, nearly 93,000 applications for regular and federal pandemic aid had yet to be processed or adjudicated, department data show.
Thousands more are applying for benefits each day. More than 17,000 initial claims were filed during the first week of November alone.
Ben Jedd, a DWD spokesman, noted that 7.7 million weekly claims have flowed to the department since March 15 — compared to the 7.2 million claims it handled from 2016 to 2019.
“DWD has been dealing with more than four years of work in eight months,” he told TMJ4 News and Wisconsin Watch.
Wisconsin is not alone in its struggle to distribute jobless aid during the pandemic, but it fares poorer than most states by at least one measure. Wisconsin paid just 42.5% of all initial claims filed between March and Aug. 15 — far below the 56% national average, according to an analysis of federal Department of Labor data by The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank.
Republicans and Democrats have both played roles in Wisconsin’s safety net failures. Party leaders are blaming each other as residents wait.
“There are people who are talking about suicide. Because they’re just waiting and waiting — because the backlog is so bad,” said Victor Forberger, supervising attorney for the University of Wisconsin’s Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic, who has represented dozens of jobless clients during the pandemic.
“Landlords are falling behind. The whole economy is going into a tailspin, because the department is falling through. And I worry about folks — and what’s going to happen if fundamental change doesn’t happen pretty soon.”
Millions of Americans who have received unemployment insurance benefits during the pandemic can thank Wisconsin, where a couple who met at the University of Wisconsin Law School conceived and helped pass a 1932 Wisconsin law that laid the foundation of the country’s unemployment insurance system. The effort came as union members, employers and reformers living through the Great Depression realized that charity alone could not sustain workers through economic upheaval.
But the 2020 pandemic struck after Wisconsin and other states spent recent years toughening rules for accessing unemployment benefits — in the name of reducing fraud — and failed to upgrade antiquated computer systems.
Just 32% of unemployed Wisconsin workers accessed benefits in 2016, down from 50% in 2007, according to a 2017 study by the National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit that advocates for low-wage workers and the unemployed. Nationally, the rate of covered unemployed workers fell from 36% to 27% over the same period.
“The systems in various states were at best neglected and at worst sabotaged,” said Michele Evermore, senior policy analyst with the unemployment law group, adding that Wisconsin’s years-long drop in benefits access was particularly large.
Beginning in 2011, the Legislature under then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, enacted a series of laws that: created a one-week waiting period for benefits (temporarily waived during the pandemic), increased work search requirements for recipients, disqualified people on federal disability from accessing unemployment compensation and increased criminal penalties for making false statements or representations on applications.
Additionally, Walker signed a lame-duck law just before Evers took office that restricts the governor’s ability to waive certain requirements for state-federal benefits programs including unemployment insurance. The Walker administration also made claims filing more confusing, Forberger said, by removing guidance that helped people navigate the process.
Evermore, who recently joined President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, said many states have overemphasized reducing access to benefits, slowing down claims processing when people are most in need.
“These systems that have been designed to stop benefits at every corner are now throwing people out left and right,” she said.
Also behind the backlog: DWD’s 1970s-era technology, a vulnerability that lawmakers in both parties have understood for decades but never bothered to fix.
DWD planned a major overhaul of its computer system more than a decade ago, but Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration pulled the plug in 2007 as the project — contracted to two outside companies — fell behind schedule and looked poised to exceed its $24 million budget.
The department’s IT system requires sequential testing and programming, meaning that new benefits programs — such as those adopted by Congress during the pandemic — must be programmed one at a time, delaying claims processing.
“One of the most glaring lessons learned coming out of the Great Recession — which went unaddressed by previous administrations — was the desperate need to modernize the unemployment insurance base benefits system, yet Wisconsin is still saddled with one of the most antiquated and inflexible systems in the country,” Jedd said.
Evers’ DWD reached out to at least five companies in 2019 to demonstrate replacement software, public records show. Cost estimates ranged in the “tens of millions of dollars,” Jedd said, and DWD was exploring a funding strategy when the pandemic halted its progress.
Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette and co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, has criticized Evers’ DWD for not formally seeking funding to overhaul the system in its most recent budget request.
While the department did not specifically make such a request, Frostman, in a Sept. 15 letter accompanying the budget request, vowed to work with Evers’ office “to develop an appropriate UI modernization funding strategy throughout the budget process.”
Speaking to reporters in late-September, Evers said DWD was still evaluating a technology upgrade.
“And I am really happy to have Rep. Nygren behind this, because we desperately need it.”
Nygren told TMJ4 News and Wisconsin Watch that Republicans are open to funding a computer system upgrade, though he would not concede that the department’s failures were rooted in the old technology. Nygren said Evers was raising the issue as a “red herring” to distract from other mismanagement during the pandemic.
“Let’s move forward. If that’s no longer the problem — if we could check that off the box, let’s identify the other things that are continuing to be a problem,” Nygren said.
Meanwhile, DWD’s shift to online-only claims filings have created headaches for some residents, said Forberger, the unemployment lawyer. Beginning in 2017, DWD began requiring most claimants to initially file online and retired an automated phone system for filers. That was after a 2014 audit found that DWD call centers automatically blocked 80% of calls during times of high volume.
Nygren said the focus on online claims “made the system better, and actually helped get more applications through the process in a seamless way.”
But the singular option to file claims online can be a problem in a state where 43% of rural areas lack broadband coverage.
“You have technological hurdles galore,” Forberger said, which increases the risk of mistakes that lead to denials. “People have to do a lot of stuff on their smartphones. The system isn’t well designed for smartphones.”
Suhr, the Cedarburg woman, said she is unsure what is holding up her claim, which two adjudicators long ago said was settled.
In an Oct. 28 interview, she read a message posted to her online claims portal: “One of these decisions requires additional processing by our central office. Processing normally takes less than two weeks. This message will be removed when processing is complete.”
The message had appeared eight weeks earlier.
DWD staffers worried about the department’s image and urgently sought to fight through the backlog as the crisis escalated this spring, according to emails Wisconsin Watch obtained through an open records request.
“Social media is becoming a bigger and bigger problem,” DWD spokesman Ben Jedd wrote to a colleague on March 26, the day after Evers’ Safer at Home order shuttered businesses. “We are getting more and more questions and negative comments on Facebook and Twitter.”
Jedd suggested setting up an email box for people struggling to reach staffers over the phone and designating an expert to answer questions over social media — as many other states had done.
“People are used to using email and social media to get their questions answered and we may need to reevaluate and modernize some of communications,” he wrote.
Later that Thursday, Frostman wrote to Reihl, the unemployment insurance chief: “We are getting inundated with press inquiries about the long wait times and we can only keep the negative press at bay for so long.”
He added: “I know your team is working hard and doing the best they can within the constraints of the current infrastructure, but we have to find a way to get more answers to more people.”
Frostman wrote that Evers’ team had “voiced their willingness” to shift staff or other resources to the department.
The administration did not reshuffle employees until May, according to staffing records obtained by TMJ4 News.
Wisconsin spent at least $21.2 million through September on contracts to expand DWD call centers and staff for claim adjudication and processing — in some cases forgoing competitive bidding to speed the process, according to department data. The unemployment insurance division also spent nearly $1.2 million in employee overtime, 10 times levels spent in 2019.
DWD initially assigned unemployment insurance experts to answer emails and social media questions, Jedd said. An online chatbot and Frequently Asked Questions posting eventually answered most general questions. Over time, however, email and social media inquiries largely involved individual cases, Jedd said, requiring staff to call claimants and verify their identities before answering questions over email.
Residents — many of whom had never before navigated the unemployment system — overwhelmed DWD phone lines. From mid-March through June, DWD call centers answered just one out of every 200 calls, according to a Legislative Audit Bureau report released in September. About 93% of 41.1 million calls were blocked or prompted busy signals, while frustrated callers abandoned an additional 6.2% of calls.
The call centers were “doomed from the start,” Forberger said.
“If the whole focus is online claims only, and you’ve made this system incredibly complicated and impossible to use, then of course — people are gonna start calling up, because they don’t understand.”
In a letter responding to the audit, DWD Deputy Secretary Robert Cherry, Jr. wrote that wait times and rate of unsuccessful calls began to plummet in July as the agency expanded call center capacity.
DWD through September spent more than $14.6 million on call center staff from two outside firms: Alorica, a global company, and Milwaukee-based Beyond Vision, a nonprofit that hires people who are blind or visually impaired.
Nearly $12.6 million went to Alorica, which in 2019 shuttered a Green Bay call center and laid off 157 workers while shifting many U.S. positions overseas. The company’s DWD contract called for 500 phone operators. Alorica began answering calls in May but was not fully staffed until July 19, according to the Legislative Audit Bureau.
“After updating our systems and onboarding the additional call center vendor staff, almost all calls have been answered on a daily basis,” Jedd wrote in an email.
Some jobless residents questioned the effectiveness of call centers even when calls reach an operator.
Callers might luck out and get a useful answer, said Chenon Times-Rainwater, a 41-year-old small business owner in West Bend, Wisconsin, who organized a support group for unemployed residents after waiting two months on her claim. “Or you would call, and you would get transferred and transferred and transferred. And it would be a three-hour situation, and you would get nowhere.”
DWD through Wednesday added 681 call center workers, including new hires and shifts between departments and divisions, records show. The department added a smaller number of adjudicators and claims processors who could actually work through glitches: 525.
“Staffing up the call center was an important first step so that claimants were able to ask questions and receive assistance in filing their initial claims,” Jedd said.
Said Times-Rainwater: “It tells me that they spent a lot of money for no progress.”
Evers in mid-September asked Frostman to resign as secretary, citing the claims backlog.
“People across our state are struggling to make ends meet, and it is unacceptable that Wisconsinites continue to wait for the support they need during these challenging times,” he said in a statement at the time. Evers also blamed Republicans for making it “harder for folks to get these benefits.”
Frostman told Wisconsin Watch early this year that he understood frustrations with the department as it worked through obstacles.
Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Amy Pechacek has assumed Frostman’s role until a new secretary is appointed. Evers’ office and DWD declined to make Pechacek available for an interview.
A group of Democratic lawmakers in July unveiled legislation to overhaul the state’s unemployment system. The bills would: reverse a ban on benefits for people on federal disability who lose part-time work; permanently eliminate a one-week waiting period for benefits; ease work search requirements; and repeal a Walker-era law that eliminated benefits for workers dismissed for “substantial fault” — a violation less serious than misconduct on the job.
One of those Democrats, Sen. Chris Larson of Milwaukee, said his colleagues also want to simplify applications to reduce instances of simple mistakes being flagged as fraud.
“We’ve had too many neighbors across the state who had to wait weeks and in some cases months to be able to get assistance,” he said.
Larson expects to formally introduce legislation in January when lawmakers return to Madison.
The Republican-controlled Legislature has drawn criticism for doing little to address the claims crisis — or the pandemic. It has not passed a bill since a COVID-19 relief package on April 15, making it the least-active full-time legislative body in the country, according to a WisPolitics.com analysis.
“It’s one of those issues that I think they thought that this will just fix itself,” Larson said. “It’s like the ‘check engine’ light that shows up on your car, and you just kind of hope that it’ll just resolve itself.”
Nygren and fellow Republicans argue Democratic proposals to ease restrictions on benefits could open the door for fraud. They have instead unsuccessfully called on Evers to use $40 million in federal pandemic stimulus funds to offer low-interest, forgivable loans to people waiting on jobless benefits. (Loan applicants under the program would not face the type of restrictions that Republicans put in place for unemployment claims to deter fraud.)
The program would serve only a fraction of those with 93,000 claims still pending or in adjudication, according to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo, depending on the size of individual loans. About 10,800 people could get loans of roughly $3,700, for example, or 30,600 could get about $1,300.
As residents await any substantial fixes to Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance woes, Forberger said DWD should follow the lead of states such as Massachusetts, which in March began holding virtual town halls to explain unemployment insurance bureaucracy. That state delivered benefits to nearly 72% of more than 1 million initial claimants from March to August — a far higher rate than in Wisconsin, according to Century Foundation analysis.
“Why isn’t the department doing something like that? They have the technology. They made everything online,” he said. “Why can’t they answer people’s questions?”
In Cedarburg, Suhr now has some income trickling in after starting part-time work at a local school this fall. But it’s not enough to pay the medical bills that began piling up in April as she continues to wait — and hope — for compensation from the state. She expects more folks to feel similar frustration in the coming months.
“This isn’t going away,” she said. “COVID is getting worse, and I feel like more and more people are going to probably be applying for unemployment.”
Marty Hobe is an investigative producer for TMJ4 News in Milwaukee. Bram Sable-Smith is WPR’s Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Fellow embedded in the newsroom of Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org), which collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.


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Dwayne Burtin
November 19, 2020

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Where to find free meals this Thanksgiving and how you can support those in need | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
November 20, 2020
Though large gatherings are canceled, food pantries like this one at the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, are still open this week. (File photo by Mark Doremus)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary is looking for donations to its food pantries.
This Thanksgiving is set to be unlike any other, with large public gatherings canceled this year. But that doesn’t mean that those in need of a meal are out of options.
We’ve created a list of food pantries, food banks, and meal distribution centers that are open. Note that this is not a complete list, and times and locations may have changed by the time you read this. Please call before visiting a site. We want to keep this list updated. If we have missed a resource, let us know by emailing your information to info@milwaukeenns.org with “meals” in the subject line.
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The Hunger Task Force has created an interactive map complete with food pantries, MPS meal sites, non-MPS meal sites, meal sites for seniors and more. The map is updated daily, but call the location before you visit to make sure it is still open.
Feeding America also has an interactive map of food pantries and meal programs located across eastern Wisconsin. The map is updated regularly but call the location before you visit to make sure it is still open.
Use the 2-1-1 Wisconsin website to find the food pantry in your neighborhood.
Call Impact at 2-1-1, which can connect you to food pantries and meal programs in your area. You can also text your ZIP code to TXT-211.
Large in-person gatherings, like this one at Riverwest Food Pantry in 2011, are canceled this year. But that doesn’t mean those in need are out of options. (File photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
The Dominican Center is distributing 100 Thanksgiving dinner boxes to residents in the Amani neighborhood. Residents can register for a dinner box by completing this survey about neighborhood safety. There will also be a $50 raffle for every 50 surveys completed.
A free turkey giveaway will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kingdom Faith Fellowship Church, 4200 N. Holton Ave. Turkeys will be available for 300 families on a first come, first serve basis and one turkey is available per household. Masks are encouraged for those attending.
The event is made possible thanks to community partners and sponsors El Tenampa, BP Pantry 41 and Kingdom Faith Fellowship Church.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Milwaukee is operating two meal program sites on Wednesday and Thursday. Its South Side location at 931 W. Madison St. will be open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 12:45 p.m. Its North Side location at 2600 N. 2nd St. will only be open Wednesday from noon to 12:45 p.m.
The Neighborhood House pantry, located at 2819 W. Richardson Place, will be open to serve residents of the 53208 and 53233 ZIP codes on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. On Thursday, the pantry is giving away turkeys on a first-come, first-serve basis until turkeys are gone in addition to regular food bags.
COA Youth and Family Centers is keeping its normal hours at its food pantry located at 2320 W. Burleigh St. COA will also be giving out grocery store gift cards at its locations. Hours are available here.
Milwaukee County is giving away 1,500 turkeys at the King Community Center (1531 W. Vliet St.) on Tuesday. The giveaway starts at 10 a.m. and will continue until all turkeys are given away. This event is drive-through only, enter on Vliet Street.
COA also is providing meals to families. Right now slots are full, but you can add yourself to the waiting list by calling 414-265-7689.
Capuchin Community Services is distributing holiday food boxes to seniors this Thanksgiving and families with children during Christmas. Slots are currently full, but you can join a wait list by calling 414-933-1300
The best way to support these organizations is to donate. You can donate to each organization via their website linked above. In addition to these organizations, here are some other opportunities to help out.
In addition to donating here, people can support Neighborhood House’s work by donating non-perishable, healthy food to its food pantry. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to 2819 W. Richardson Pl., Milwaukee, Wi 53208.
MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary is looking for donations to its food pantries. Ideal drop-off times are Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Items needed include canned beef and chicken, spam, sardines, Vienna sausages, baked beans, spaghetti-o’s, canned yams, mac & cheese, cereal, chicken noodle soup, and long grain rice.
Feeding America has taken its annual “Stuff the Bus” Thanksgiving fundraiser virtual this year. You can learn more about how to participate or donate here.

author: Sam Woods


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5 things to do and know this week in Milwaukee: Nov. 23 to Nov. 28 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
November 23, 2020
The Mitchell Park Domes’ annual Poinsettia Promenade is now on display in the Show Dome. (Photo by the Mitchell Park Domes)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by .
1. Become a mentor: Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee is inviting people to learn about its mentorship program. The organization is hosting two virtual information sessions from noon to 12:45 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23. To register for the event, click here. The sessions are a part of the organization’s “Brovember” events and will teach participants how to apply to the program and what the responsibilities entail.
2. Community harvest feast: Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center
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The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center is celebrating Thanksgiving early with a drive-thru community harvest feast. The celebration will take place at the health center, 930 W. Historic Mitchell St., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Participants will receive a to-go meal and a goodie bag.
3. Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival: Ongoing
The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival is back for its 22nd year. As usual, Cathedral Square, 520 E. Wells St., Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave., and Zeidler Union Square, 301 W. Michigan Ave., will be decorated in colorful lights. The festival continues until Friday, Jan. 1.
The Mitchell Park Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd., recently opened its Poinsettia Promenade holiday floral show in the Show Dome. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Domes have limited hours and reservations are required to visit. Currently, The Domes are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The show will be on display through Sunday, Jan. 3.
To celebrate his 40th birthday, Common Council President Cavalier Johnson is hosting a blood drive. The drive, “40 for Life,” will be held at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N. 64th St., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28. Versiti will be running the blood drive and the donations will go toward patients in the Milwaukee community. To schedule a donation, click here.
Bonus: Where to find free meals this Thanksgiving and how you can support those in need
The latest coronavirus coverage from NNS
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters are hard at work bringing readers up-to-date information regarding coronavirus. Stay informed by following us on our Facebook page and subscribing to our daily newsletter. All coronavirus related articles can be found on this landing page. If you have a question or concern about coronavirus, send them in our way. We’re here to serve you.

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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 22, 2020

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Inside the NNS newsroom: Meet Editor Ron Smith | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
November 23, 2020
NNS Editor Ron Smith speaks in 2019 to a new cohort of Public Allies Milwaukee about the role our newsroom plays in the communities we love. (Photo provided by Alea Cross)
Name: Ron “Ronshine” Smith
What I do at NNS: Adam Carr would likely say I send out memes and annoy the staff. And he’s not wrong. As editor and project director, I work with the NNS staff and volunteers to produce high-quality journalism. I am always juggling other duties, including teaching at Marquette University and finding ways to engage with readers and funders.
How long I’ve worked here: I started in January 2019.
Why I love NNS: I’ve worked in many newsrooms, but no other organization fits my mission as much as NNS does. We tell the stories of folks other media outlets often ignore. It’s an honor to be able to tell stories of resilience, instead of ones that focus on conflict and hopelessness. We do journalism that matters for people who matter.
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What are you most proud of? I am so proud of how we’ve covered the coronavirus crisis. We’ve focused on providing readers with resources to help them navigate these chaotic times.
How to help
Make it your business to keep NNS in business by donating. Your money pays for the dedicated staff of reporters and editors who work hard to connect you to our communities.
In case you missed it: New editor vows to ‘proceed until apprehended’


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Post from Community: Ascension Wisconsin and Outreach Community Health Centers expand dental services on Milwaukee’s North Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ascension Wisconsin
November 23, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Driven by a shared commitment to increase access to healthcare for people who are most vulnerable, Ascension Wisconsin and Outreach Community Health Centers (OCHC) are expanding dental services on Milwaukee’s North Side. Through this new agreement, Ascension Seton Dental Clinic professionals will provide preventive, restorative and urgent care dental services to children and adults at various OCHC clinics and community locations throughout Milwaukee County.
“We know that dental health is closely related to a person’s overall health,” explained Reginald Newson, Chief Advocacy Officer, Ascension Wisconsin. “Ascension Wisconsin and Outreach Community Health Centers have worked together to reduce barriers to healthcare for more than 20 years. With this expansion of services, we have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how a health system and Federally Qualified Health Center can work together to improve access to dental care.”
The program launched at OCHC’s Capitol Drive Clinic, 210 W. Capitol Drive, earlier this month. Dental hygienists are located in a lower-level exam room on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.. Services available include screenings, dental cleaning, sealants, fluoride and patient education for new and existing patients. Every Wednesday during the same hours, Ascension Wisconsin’s Seton Mobile Dental Clinic is onsite to provide a full range of restorative dental services, including x-rays, fillings and extractions.
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According to the 2018 Milwaukee County Community Health Needs Assessment, 15 percent of households had insufficient dental access, and 34 percent of those households reported cost as a reason for delaying dental care. “Through this agreement, we can offer much-needed dental services to our clients and the communities we continue to serve,” said Connie Palmer, Chief Executive Officer, Outreach Community Health Centers.
In the last two weeks, more than 20 people have received essential dental care. Program leaders hope to serve an additional 90 patients by December 31, 2020.
To schedule an appointment, patients should call 414-727-6320. COVID-19 safety measures will be in place, including staggered appointment times to reduce the number of patients in a waiting room. All patients and providers are screened upon entry to the facility for COVID-19. Masks/face coverings are required.

author: Ascension Wisconsin


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Post from Community: Greater Together Awards honor impact of four community leaders | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
November 23, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Continuing a longstanding tradition of recognizing the commitment, talent, passion and vision of those working to strengthen the community, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation has honored four local leaders with 2020 Greater Together Awards.
Ricardo Diaz received the 2020 William C. Frye Award for his deep commitment to the Latinx community, particularly through more than 20 years of work at the United Community Center. The award honors exceptional civic contributions to create positive change across our region.
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Diaz retired in May 2020 as executive director of UCC and is credited for helping the multifaceted social service agency broaden its mission, expand its footprint on the south side of Milwaukee and grow its reputation, including through its early learning academy and charter schools.
“Our problems are solvable,” Diaz said. “It’s a question of putting the right people in the right place to do it.”
Read Ricardo Diaz’s full story.
Darryl Johnson received the 2020 Frank Kirkpatrick Award for his work in Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods. The award honors those who have made significant physical improvements to the community, with special emphasis on economic investment in neighborhoods of greatest need.
As executive director of Riverworks Development Corporation, Johnson has worked to strengthen relationships among residents and neighborhood businesses as well as bring in millions of dollars of investment to improve housing, attract new businesses and create jobs in the area.
“My success and the success of the organization is really built on alliances and partnerships and getting people to come together to address those important issues that are negatively impacting our communities,” Johnson said.
Read Darryl Johnson’s full story.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz received the 2020 Doug Jansson Leadership Award, which is named for the Foundation’s former CEO and recognizes nonprofit leaders – either volunteer or staff – particularly those who embrace collaboration, diversity, equity and show integrity in their work.
As founder and executive director of Voces de la Frontera, Neumann-Ortiz focuses on expanding civil rights and labor rights for low-wage and immigrant families. Recognized as Wisconsin’s leading voice on immigration reform, Voces’ efforts include worker training, advocacy and grassroots organizing.
“We bring hope to the community,” Neumann-Ortiz said. “That’s what always is needed. It’s a privilege to be able to do the work that we do.”
Read Christine Neumann-Ortiz’s full story.
Dr. Jeanette Mitchell received the 2020 President’s Leadership in Racial Equity and Social Justice Award in recognition of her longstanding work to connect and develop leaders of color.
Dr. Mitchell’s career has spanned philanthropic, corporate, nonprofit and education sectors, and she has established or partnered to create some of the most prominent leadership development programs in the region, including the African American Leadership Program and the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program. She was instrumental in the creation of the African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee and is currently chief creative officer of Leadership By Dr. Jeanette, a consulting firm.
“In order to grow as a leader, you must be able to have a mindset of learning and service,” Dr. Mitchell said. “It is not for your own benefit; it is for the larger system. If you look at yourself as a servant leader, then you can be more successful.”
Read Dr. Jeanette Mitchell’s full story.
“How do you say ‘thank you’ to those whose life’s work has forever changed the landscape of our community for the better? We offer our Greater Together Awards as a measure of gratitude and as an acknowledgement that the remarkable efforts of each of our honorees ripple out and improve well-being throughout our region as a whole,” said Foundation president and CEO Ellen Gilligan.
About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is Wisconsin’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has inspired philanthropy by connecting generous people to community needs that align with their interests. The Foundation was founded on the premise that generosity can unlock an individual’s potential and strengthen the community as a whole for everyone who lives here. We work in partnership with those who are committed to ensuring greater Milwaukee is a vibrant, economically thriving region that comprises welcoming and inclusive communities providing opportunity, prosperity and a high quality of life for all. More at greatermilwaukeefoundation.org

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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Post from Community: Winter Adventure Days for Kids at Riverside Park and Washington Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
November 23, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
School is out and it’s time to play!
Children K-5 to 3rd grade can join us for a fun, active day of playing in the park. We’ll take a look at what makes Wisconsin Winters special through crafts, games and so much more! Bring your mask and prepare for an adventure!
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Please bring a bag lunch, wear a mask, and dress appropriately for the weather. Space is limited and registration is required, please note that registration for each Adventure Day is to be completed separately.
Need a later pickup? You can also register for our After-Care programming option, with a 5:00pm pick up time.
Winter Adventure Days, 8-3pm
•12/21, 12/22, 12/23 – Riverside Park
•12/22, 12/23 – Washington Park
•12/28, 12/29/, 12/30 – Riverside Park
People sign up for these individually => https://bit.ly/35jFinQ
Pricing: Program Cost $75, Price-Break $45 (Member discounts $60, $36)

author: David Snell


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The NNS coronavirus update for the week of Nov. 23: How to stay safe on Thanksgiving and how to honor public health workers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
November 23, 2020
Miller Park introduced Saturday hours for the first time last week. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Here’s the latest update on COVID-19 in Milwaukee and the resources you need to combat it.
With the holiday season approaching, officials are urging Milwaukeeans to cancel plans with large gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Dr. Ben Weston, director of medical services at the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, discouraged people from gathering with family members outside of their household, and he asked them to consider canceling large family gatherings.
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Weston shared a report from Ohio State University that said that 40% of people surveyed were planning on having Thanksgiving with more than 10 people.
Doctors are preparing for unprecedented surges in COVID-19 following the holiday, according to Milwaukee County Board of Health President Ruthie Weatherly. But officials hope people will heed their warning.
“It can be virtual,” Weston said. “It can be small with those in your household. It can still be special . . . but it cannot be with people outside of your house. It cannot be the impetus for an even worse spike than we’re already experiencing.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also released guidelines for safety during Thanksgiving.
Miller Park’s testing site began offering hours for the first time Saturday. The site will be open for drive-thru and walk-up testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Its weekday hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The site, located at 1 Brewers Way, has been one of the busiest in the city. According to a press release, the site has regularly exceeded its benchmark of providing 2,000 daily tests.
Ascension Wisconsin announced a new clinic for COVID-19 patients who continue to experience symptoms after their diagnosis.
The clinic, located at 8020 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek, is open to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and has persistent symptoms or lingering health issues weeks or months after their test.
Post-acute COVID patients could have symptoms including neurological and cognitive changes, behavioral health needs, heart and lung issues, and sleep problems. The new clinic will have staff who specialize in treating each of these symptoms and more.
The clinic is available by appointment. Those seeking a consultation should call 414-647-7008.
Gov. Tony Evers announced last week that he was declaring a public health emergency via executive order and extending the state’s mask and face covering mandate.
The state’s mask mandate was set to expire on Nov. 21. The order requires any Wisconsin resident over the age of 5 to wear a mask when indoors. The order will last for 60 days before needing to be renewed again.
Monday, Nov. 23 is “Public Health Thank You Day” to honor the people who help keep us healthy and safe. Click here to learn how you can help.
Read our story here.
To obtain a free mask, residents can visit these sites:
• The Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Rd., is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• The Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St., is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
NNS reporters also gathered a list of where to buy locally made masks if you’re looking to show some local business love when masking up.
Check the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s website for the most updated facts and answers to questions about the mask ordinance.
Look here for up-to-date statistics on COVID-19 in the county. More precautions on how to stay safe and information on COVID-19 can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Contact your health provider, call IMPACT 2-1-1 or take a look at the county’s testing site map to find a testing center near you. The free community testing sites at the Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Rd., and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St., are now open and operating. Miller Park is also open.
For more information on testing, including how to identify symptoms and when you should get tested, visit TestUpMKE.com. Available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Burmese and Arabic.
Check out our continuing coronavirus coverage.
Looking for more personalized direction to resources and information during the coronavirus crisis? Get connected with News414, a texting-based news resource from Milwaukee NNS, Wisconsin Watch and Outlier Media. You can text MILWAUKEE to 73224 and begin to receive free, personalized data via text messages.

author: Matt Martinez


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Are Black MPS students still being disproportionately disciplined? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
November 24, 2020
Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope has consistently lobbied MPS to be more transparent in how it addresses racial inequities. Here participants of MICAH’s 2016 “I Am 53206” march call on MPS to support restorative justice measures. (File photo by Naomi Waxman)
Black students in Milwaukee Public Schools received 67% of the disciplinary actions given in October, school district leaders say.
MPS administrators are required to update the school board regularly as part of the district’s 2018 settlement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The department found the state’s largest school district disproportionately disciplines Black male students during a review of data from the 2014-’15 school year.
In a Nov. 10 meeting, the district reported that Black students accounted for 43 out of 64, or 67% of disciplinary actions taken last month. Black students make up 54% of the student population districtwide, according to figures.
MPS officials would not supply demographic data for the current school year or complete discipline data since the beginning of the school year in August despite repeated requests.
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Former MPS superintendent Darienne Driver, pictured here at a school board meeting in 2015, reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education in 2018 to address the district’s racial disparities in discipline. (File photo by Molly Rippinger)
This data would allow for comparisons between a larger sample of discipline data and current demographics.
For October, over 40% of all disciplinary actions were recorded under the “inappropriate use of electronic communication devices” category. Disciplinary actions include contacting a parent, referral to a social worker or a suspension.
Keith Posley took over as MPS’ superintendent after the settlement with the Office of Civil Rights. He said his district has made slow but steady progress.
“As far as stamping out racism, that’s something everyone in this administration wants to do,” Posley said during the Committee on Parent and Community Engagement meeting. “And whether you see it on paper or not, we’re still moving in that direction.”
In addition to collecting discipline data, the district has also offered online training for staff, including a mandatory self-guided module titled “Addressing Disproportionality of Discipline Introduction.”
In addition, voluntary training on interrupting bias in disciplining and during team meetings and on de-escalation and adolescent mental health have been offered.
Angela Harris, chairwoman of the Black Educators Caucus and an MPS teacher, said more training needs to be mandatory. By doing so, she said, MPS would show a stronger commitment to MPS students and families.
“When we make that training mandatory, we set the tone for our district about who we are and what we want to do,” Harris said.
The group Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope, or MICAH, has consistently lobbied MPS to be more transparent in how it is addressing racial inequities in discipline and to reimagine how the district approaches discipline.
The Rev. Walter Lanier, the pastor of the Progressive Baptist Church and chairman of MICAH’s Religious Leaders Caucus, said school leaders must start seeing student behavioral problems as opportunities to connect rather than ones to punish.
“A focus on the dignity of each student, especially our Black students, would lead us to build on their gifts and talents and not focus on mistakes they make,” Lanier said.
“Are we looking at their assets or just putting their deficits on trial?”
The district will hold monthly virtual community conversations around student conduct and classroom management. Members of the community can find out how to submit testimony or register to participate in the conversations here.

created: November 24, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 23, 2020


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OPINION: 5 ways you can stay healthy this holiday season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Bryan Johnston
November 24, 2020
Artist Mauricio Ramirez created this mural on the corner of South Sixth Street and West Lincoln Avenue to honor frontline workers and medical professionals. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Dr. Bryan Johnston, a family physician working on the North Side of Milwaukee, returns again to offer advice on navigating the pandemic.
With COVID-19 looming, nobody I’ve talked to is feeling good about their holiday plans. Over a million Americans tested positive last week, with many more likely infected. As of this writing, Wisconsinites are testing positive at the fifth-highest rate in the country, a rate greater than any country in the world.
Hospitals and ICUs in many areas of the state are full and dozens of residents are dying each day. The pandemic’s second wave, which may last through the winter, looks to be far more devastating than the first. This is not the holiday season we had hoped for.
And yet this is a time we need what the holidays represent more than ever. We need the presence of community, mutuality and love. We need to feel grateful, to feel others’ gratitude. We (I) need a helping or two of my mother’s green bean casserole. Traditions are powerfully important, and many of us can’t imagine a Thanksgiving without family and friends gathering together in the same room for a meal.
As Dr. Anthony Fauci reminds us, COVID-19 doesn’t care about our weariness. It doesn’t care how much we value the image of satisfied faces around a turkey, or how difficult our planning has become. It is a relentless virus that waits for any opening. And what is the risk, exactly? According to a risk assessment tool created by Georgia Institute of Technology and based on local COVID-19 testing data, a gathering of 10 people in Milwaukee County has a 41% chance to include someone who has COVID-19. A gathering of 25 people has a 73% chance.
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Many, many families are going to gather this holiday season, and many, many people are going to get sick.
I believe there are ways to enjoy the most important parts of the holiday season safely. Here are a few tips:
The Milwaukee Health Department and CDC have more guidance and resources—check them out. If you’d like to talk through options with a health professional, call your healthcare provider or the Milwaukee COVID-19 hotline, available through 2-1-1.
This winter is going to be a long one. The strain of missing out on holiday traditions can feel like the breaking point. There is a very human tendency to want to make an exception to months of careful precautions or choose to listen with a more optimistic ear. I am worried about this tendency. The vaccine news in the last few weeks has been incredibly positive. There is a good chance that in the coming year we will be able to have a holiday more in line with our traditions. I want you to see everyone at your table then. Please take care this holiday season.

author: Dr. Bryan Johnston


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Milwaukee gives thanks 2020: Four shout-outs to those who stand out | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
November 24, 2020
First of two parts.
A year of trials and tribulations can also offer a gift — the perspective to see beyond the dark days and appreciate those who brighten our lives.
With this in mind, we asked residents who have contributed to our “Community Voices” feature, “What is a person, project, organization, institution or movement that you are thankful for that’s making an impact in Milwaukee?”
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(Photo provided by Alejandra Gonzalez)
is a DACA recipient and the youth organizing statewide director for Voces de la Frontera and Voces de la Frontera Action. Read Gonzalez’s piece, “OPINION: I want undocumented youth to live their lives without fear.”
Thanksgiving is a holiday rooted in the celebration of colonialism and Indigenous oppression. I, myself, am a product of colonialism and have struggled in celebrating and accepting my Indigenous roots. When my family immigrated to the United States, my brother and I were encouraged to assimilate in order to find success in this country. This is why, this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for Voces de la Frontera and Voces de la Frontera Action, specifically their youth arm, Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) — because they have empowered me to embrace my Latinx and Indigenous roots, and allowed me to help other Latinx youth in Milwaukee do so as well.
I was first introduced to YES in 2016, after becoming a member of Voces myself and supporting its efforts to pass a Safe Haven Resolution through the MPS board. I was impressed and inspired by the leaders’ passion to advocate for themselves, their friends and their families.
Since then, I have had the pleasure of taking on the role as the youth organizing statewide director and developing the future leaders of Milwaukee. The YES membership in Milwaukee is largely made up of MPS high school students who have experienced family separation, religious persecution and racial injustices.
Their resilience and dedication have been key in recent victories in Milwaukee. Earlier this year, they lobbied and fought to win the MPS funding referendum in April, and this fall, YES members knocked on thousands of doors in support of Voces de la Frontera Action’s endorsed candidates. They door-knocked five days a week, averaging 1,000 doors during each canvass outing. This effort culminated in our big Election Day push. We had approximately 80 MPS youth knock on over 7,000 doors.This does not include the young people who were present in our phone-banking efforts and relational voter program. Our chapter leaders played a critical role in recruiting, training and leading this very successful campaign.
Their accumulated efforts to flip the state blue while balancing schoolwork and home duties and navigating a pandemic is nothing short of extraordinary.
It is young people like them that inspire me to rededicate myself to the struggle every year and continue to fight toward racial justice, economic justice and immigration reform. They are a constant reminder of the power in organizing, no matter how young you may be. Through them I have found the strength to participate in the fight for social justice and shape my own identity as someone with Indigenous and Spanish roots.
(Photo by Chris Siegel)
is a cultural and music writer, entrepreneur and health enthusiast. Hickman recently wrote, “OPINION: I am an experienced Black female creative, and I’m done working for free.”
This year, I’m most grateful for my friendships with Black women. I’ve found that aside from my faith, they’ve been my saving grace and refuge.
It’s unfortunate that it took COVID for me to realize how essential these relationships are to me.
Writing this piece has been a bit of a journey. My hope in writing it is that my friends who aren’t Black women don’t feel invisible or that our time together isn’t equally valuable.
But there’s something about Black women sharing space together that feels sacred. It’s why when I moved into my new space, I wanted as many things made by Black women’s hands as possible. Artwork. Laundry soap. Mugs. Paintings. Throw pillows. Coasters.
I’m safe with Black women in a way that I don’t experience in most other spaces. In fact, there’s a lot of spaces I don’t feel safe as a Black woman, especially as I reflect on the egregious thefts of Black lives that have bombarded us during the pandemic. It’s been a lot to take in, while still shouldering the responsibility to show up and be productive.
I’ve struggled.
With Black women, I don’t have to be able to articulate that. They know because they are experiencing it as well. So we can show up in spaces and not talk and still be in community with each other. I miss the deep knowing that happens when Black women are together.
And I’m grateful that while we can’t connect physically… my friends have found creative ways for us to connect.
For a recent book club, we all ordered food themed to match the book we just read. And we shared a meal virtually together while discussing the book. It felt like being in a room with them. We explored the themes of classism and colorism and being our most authentic selves.
In another group I’m in, I had a particularly rough day leading into the meeting. This collective of Black women allowed me to cry (virtually) as I released feelings I didn’t even know I was suppressing.
My Black women mentors remind me to stay true to who I am as I continue to grow in my career, and they remind me of my purpose.
I’m grateful for the Black women I met on the podcast I co-host, where we share stories of just ”being Black.” It’s all of these conversations and interactions that have saved me. That have shaped me long before I recognized it.
It’s these women I run to when the world hasn’t been particularly kind. Black women, it’s your grace and love that propels me forward.
And for that, I’m grateful this year for you. All of you.
is a family physician working on the North Side of Milwaukee. He’s written op-eds on staying safe throughout the pandemic, the latest being, “OPINION: What I want my patients to know as the school year begins.”
In this time of chaos, I’ve never been more thankful to live in this city. We’ve come together in tough times. We’ve shared and connected even while physically distancing. We’ve made hard-won progress toward a more equitable future. As a believer in the practice of gratitude, I’d like to give thanks to a few examples of what makes me excited to be here.
Milwaukee has a long history of leadership in the movement for civil rights and social justice. The current moment is no different. So many — too many to name here — leveraged years of grassroots community organizing work to lead months of daily protests in the Milwaukee area. This movement is transforming conversations in the city and society, grounding us in that “fierce urgency of now” that Dr. King spoke of.
As the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed Milwaukee, there was both a growing understanding of the importance of face masks and a severe shortage of them in the community. MaskUpMKE emerged as a community-driven response. Rebel Converting donated mask-making materials, volunteers across the city donated thousands of hours assembling them, and community organizations across the city leveraged already-existing trust and relationships to get millions of masks where they were most needed. It made a difference in flattening the curve.
Amid the above crises, and targeted by various voter suppression efforts, Milwaukee faced a critical November election. In the April election, only five of the 180 Milwaukee polling places were open — partly due to a drop in poll-worker volunteers. In November, hundreds of new poll-worker volunteers were trained, more than 170 pollingsites were opened, and a huge turnout of Milwaukee voters made their voices heard in our democracy. It was a heroic effort.
I’d also like to mention my gratitude for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. NNS is the absolute go-to for news and perspectives we need on the North Side of Milwaukee, and for elevating voices that need to be heard. It’s been joyful to learn more about the community through this work.
Here’s to another year of gratitude.
(Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
is a local herbalist and entrepreneur who uses her Native heritage to inform everything she does. Read Kingsawan’s recent piece, “OPINION: What Native American Heritage Month means to me.”
I’m very pleased to be invited to share about the person and his organization that I have an abundance of gratitude toward. I was first introduced to Charlie Koenen while working at a nonprofit on the South Side of Milwaukee in 2016. My position required me to begin beekeeping, so Charlie was brought in to assist in my training.
I was immediately taken aback by his kindness, patience and passion for the bees in our urban environment. Through our working together, we got to know each other on a deeper level. Even though we come from completely different backgrounds, Charlie always has shown respect and consideration for my cultural values and beliefs. He has assisted me in morphing traditional beekeeping into a practice that fits my ethics.
I consider Charlie’s organization, BeeVangelists, a blessing for Milwaukee. Many people have become beekeepers because of BeeVangelists, but Charlie shows responsibility in looking to our youth. He patiently spreads education, understanding and advocacy to our future generations.
My daughter, Elena, has been beekeeping with me since she was one year old. Even though more bees are badly needed within our city, Charlie does his due diligence before entrusting anyone with a hive.
I’m very grateful to Charlie and BeeVangelists for the goodness they are spreading out into the world and the responsibility and respect that has been shown to all our relations through his tireless work.


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Milwaukee County sets record for drug overdose deaths | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 25, 2020
A combined 65 residents from the 53215 (35) and 53204 (30) ZIP code areas on the South Side have died from drug overdoses so far in 2020. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Milwaukee County has now broken a record for most drug overdose deaths in a single year.
According to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, there was an all-time high of 435 confirmed drug overdose deaths from Jan. 1 through Oct. 18, with another 65 suspected cases pending toxicology reports. The previous high of 418 drug overdose deaths was recorded in 2019.
Many tie this year’s increase in deaths to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the number of overdose deaths in the county has risen steadily over the past decade. Marisol Cervera, director of human services at the United Community Center, a South Side nonprofit, said her team of treatment specialists is working to reverse the surge in deaths.
“We all need to keep raising awareness on the issue of drug addiction,” said Cervera, who oversees a substance abuse treatment program that served more than 800 individuals last year. “We are not seeing a decline; we continue to receive many requests and referrals for residential treatment.”
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The United Community Center offers a variety of substance use services, including day treatment, outpatient, residential and mental health services. Many of the patients it treats reside on the South Side, which has become the city’s drug overdose hotspot.
A combined 65 residents from the 53215 (35) and 53204 (30) ZIP code areas on the South Side have died from drug overdoses so far in 2020.
Rafael Mercado, leader of Team HAVOC, a volunteer group that conducts needle cleanups and training for Narcan, a drug device used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, said the South Side continues to be a haven for drug activity.
“These areas provide a veil of protection,” Mercado said. “People are tired of it but feel like they have no recourse so they stay quiet and don’t complain.”
One encouraging sign during what has been a bleak year, he said, is that more families are reaching out to his team for help.
“They ask us to come to their residences to inform them of the signs of illicit substance abuse and ask how to use Narcan,” Mercado said. “Many want to be ready now to save a loved one’s life.”
Despite the efforts of Mercado and other advocates working in Milwaukee to stem the tide of overdose deaths, the numbers tell the story of a losing battle.
In addition to 53204 and 53215,  there were several other ZIP code areas across Milwaukee that lost more than 20 residents to drug overdoses, including 53206, which had 22, and 53207, which had 21 as of Oct. 18. The 53212 ZIP code area, which includes the Riverwest, Harambee and Brewers Hill neighborhoods, had 28. The 53214 and 53219 ZIP codes, which include sections of West Allis, West Milwaukee and Milwaukee, lost 24 and 27 residents, respectively.
Data from the Medical Examiner’s Office showed that  the majority of the 435 confirmed victims so far this year were white (58 percent), while 28 percent of the victims were Black, and 9.4 percent Hispanic.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that advocates say is commonly used as a cutting agent for cocaine and other drugs, was a factor in nearly three-fourths of the deaths. Also more common were cases where more than one drug in combination was listed as the cause of death, according to the Medical Examiner Office’s data.
Lt. James Hutchinson, who joined the Milwaukee Police Department in 2001, said his department, which investigates each death that occurs other than in hospitals in the city, expends a great deal of resources responding to drug overdoses.
“It goes up the chain of command, and oftentimes detectives get involved,” he said. “There’s a large amount of services dedicated to each overdose, and each death just multiplies that.”
According to Hutchinson, each overdose incident is investigated on a case-by-case basis to determine what actions should be taken. People who overdose are not automatically charged with crimes, but sometimes information or evidence is collected that could result in an investigation by a drug task force, he added.
Hutchinson said that drugs and crimes go hand in hand, whether it’s people committing crimes to buy their drugs or drug dealers fighting over customers. He urges anyone who witnesses drug use or drug sales to contact the police.
“Don’t interfere but be good observers and be able to communicate to the officer what you’re seeing so that officers might be able to use that information,” he said. “Don’t tolerate that in your community.”
Cervera also has an urgent message for individuals who are struggling with addiction.
“The holiday season can be stressful and dangerous,” she said. “Please know there are people who care and places for help when you are ready.”
Drug treatment services in the Milwaukee area are available at the following places (and others):
•10th Street Comprehensive Treatment Center
•Rogers Behavioral Health
•West Milwaukee Comprehensive Treatment Center
•First Step Community Recovery Center
•Meta House
•West Allis Community Medical Services
•United Community Center

created: November 25, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 24, 2020


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Post from Community: A Milwaukee for All | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
November 25, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
After a global pandemic and a mass call for racial justice, the question we face is not how we rebuild Milwaukee but how we build a better Milwaukee for all.
Join us Dec. 2 for a special event as 88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s Tarik Moody guides the conversation around our new strategic vision. Whatever issues you care about most, there is an important role for you to play in this effort.
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Register at: bit.ly/MKEforAll


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reserve-your-spot-MFA-FB-LI.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 25, 2020


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Post from Community: Beerline Trail equitable implementation plan wins prestigious Spark Award from the American Planners Association Wisconsin Chapter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
November 25, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The Beerline Trail Equitable Implementation Plan received an American Planning Association – Wisconsin Chapter 2020 Planning Excellence award. The project was the first ever SPARK Award for APA Wisconsin. The APA’s annual awards give recognition to outstanding achievements and innovations in planning and publicize persons and organizations whose activities advance planning in Wisconsin.
The Beerline Trail is a formerly underutilized railroad right-of-way that lays diagonally across the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Harambee and Riverwest. Since 2002, the City of Milwaukee and community partners have cleared railroad tracks and made the right-of-way accessible to the neighborhood as a connective corridor and green space, bridging the two unique neighborhoods. Now paved and equipped with public art pieces, seating space, and park programming, the Beerline Trail aims to be a catalyst for community and economic development.
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“The Beerline Trail Equitable Implementation Plan was created to ensure the next phases of trail development was community-focused, and that other development inspired by and centered around the trail space benefits adjacent residents and businesses equitably. To that end, this project has been closely informed by the community and Riverworks Business Improvement District as well as many partners,” said Darryl Johnson, Riverworks Development Corporation, the lead community agency located in the Harambee neighborhood.
Facilitated through a contract with GRAEF, multi-discipline, architectural engineering, planning, and design firm serving clients throughout the United States, the Beerline Trail Equitable Implementation Plan reflects extensive community input and serves as a roadmap for the priority goals and projects. The overall plan includes details on trail extensions and access improvements, design and buildout of the linear park, trail programming and maintenance, a guide to equitable development and entrepreneurship, and success measures.
“As a vibrant public space which bridges neighborhoods and disciplines, the Beerline Trail is a shining example of Milwaukee’s focus on access and equity and what we can accomplish when we work together.  The project has already improved access and connection in the region, and our ongoing work and shared vision will lead to continued benefit for the community.”  said Julia Taylor, President of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
The multi-disciplinary vision of the plan includes connecting neighbors through investments in properties and green space, inclusive communications to build neighbor participation, growing the Riverworks area as a neighborhood-based creative district, and stabilizing the housing market to address economic disparity for current residents.
“The Beerline Trail Linear Park envisioned in the plan, with its design and other green spaces, is a step beyond our traditional view of a park. It connects neighbors with recreational trails and introduces art, sustainability, landscaping, and health to the park.  In the planning, residents and businesses have been engaged so that the park lifts all parts of the neighborhood,” said Mayor Tom Barrett from the City of Milwaukee. The City has already invested more than $2 million into the project.
Kristan Sanchez, VP Awards, for APA-Wisconsin Chapter said the awards jury found the project to be award worthy, the emphasis on equity and ensuring that residents and business owners are front and center, the level of government and private funding and partnerships, and the connection to Rails to Trails Conservancy to ensure the project links to the larger regional trail system.
“The Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project is uniting two intersecting neighborhoods as a hub for artists, makers, and other creative entrepreneurs, as well as offering a healthy, safe recreational environment for residents. The plans include several immediate projects like the “Connector Building” which will serve as a visitor gateway, and home-base for community artisans and entrepreneurs.” Our goal is to spur greater economic growth within this vibrant, predominately African American community,” said Beth Haskovec, Program Officer at LISC Milwaukee. LISC facilitated and funded the Equitable Implementation Plan in partnership with the City of Milwaukee.
Key collaborators in the planning and overall project include the City of Milwaukee, Riverworks Development Corporation, Riverworks Business Improvement District, City of Milwaukee, LISC Milwaukee, Greater Milwaukee Committee, MKE<->LAX, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation, and the Guiding Lenses Group representing residents adjacent to the trail.

author: LISC Milwaukee


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Beerline-Trail-Snip.PNG | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 24, 2020