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Sheriff-elect Earnell Lucas rejects immigration policies of predecessor | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Max Nawara
November 30, 2018
Sheriff-elect Earnell Lucas responds to community-submitted questions from moderator Ryeshia Farmer. (Photo by Max Nawara)
When Earnell Lucas first entered the race for Milwaukee County Sheriff in March 2017 he had his doubts about running. Now, Lucas is excited to take on the role of sheriff on Jan. 7 and walk back decisions about immigration and relations with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) made by his predecessor, David Clarke.
“I’m going to be the sheriff of all people in this community,” he said.
Lucas recently invited Milwaukee County residents to the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center St., for a community discussion about his plans for the sheriff’s office. Lucas covered topics ranging from the nation’s opioid crisis to prison reform, but his main focus was immigration.
“I can’t forget or turn my back on immigrants or LGBTQ or anyone more than I can my own family,” he said. “I’m pledging right now, in front of all these witnesses, that I am going to be supportive of the immigrant concerns in this community.”
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In response to a question, Lucas criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on immigrants taken into custody in Milwaukee County prisons. According to the questioner, Clarke released the names to ICE if they were Spanish-sounding.
Clarke faced backlash from the Coalition for a People’s Sheriff, Voces de la Frontera and Working Families Party (WFP) in 2017 for what they called “mistreatment and dehumanization” of Milwaukee County prisoners. Lucas said he will not enforce the federal 287(g) program, which grants local police the ability to act on immigration laws.
“I said over the course of my campaign that I was not supportive of cooperating with ICE because it divides a wedge in our community,” said Lucas. “I think that immigration enforcement and cooperation with ICE as it relates to a detainer … would be a violation of their constitutional rights.
Arkesia Jackson, program director for BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing Communities), addresses the audience. (Photo by Max Nawara)
A detainer is a letter or request that ICE makes to a local law enforcement agency to hold inmates beyond the time that is required based on the charges against them.
“We’ve got to work to restore the trust that’s been so lost and so broken here in our community,” Lucas said. “If we begin to make small steps then we can start working on the larger, more intractable problems.”
Another problem he discussed is the relationship between the sheriff’s office and MPD. In the past, MPD was vocal about its dislike for Clarke. Lucas said that he has been meeting with Police Chief Alfonso Morales to build a positive relationship and tackle community issues head on.
“I’m confident that we are going to work together on solving a lot of the issues that plague our community,” he said. “We have a host of problems here, but it’s not just Chief Morales and myself working together that will help us solve those problems. It’s all of us in this room and everyone in this community.”
Lucas vowed to work with MPD on Milwaukee’s opioid addiction crisis, gun violence and human trafficking issues. However, he added that if MPD officers continued to use excessive force, the punishment would be “swift and public.”
Dozens of residents turned out to the event, put together by Coalition for A People’s Sheriff, BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing for Communities), Wisconsin Voices, Voces de la Frontera, and the Wisconsin Working Families Party. Some residents expressed concern that this kind of event doesn’t reach the right people.
“It’s good any time the community follows up after an election, but it would’ve been nice to see three times the turnout and see more diversity,” said Harrison Kern, who previously worked with Lucas as a Milwaukee police officer.
Kern said he thinks Lucas is a “great guy” with great ideas, but the Sheriff’s Office needs to get more involved in the community. Most of the event’s attendees were from community organizations across Milwaukee. No one from the surrounding neighborhoods, Amani and Metcalfe Park, was there to offer input, he noted.
Danielle McClendon-Williams, a former Democratic candidate for the state legislature in Wisconsin’s 16th Assembly District and safety chair of resident-run Amani United, agreed with Kern.
“We’re basically preaching to the choir,” she said. “It’s always the same people (at these events) and never anyone from the community.”
Lucas acknowledged that he needs to get more involved more in the community, specifically with youth, to make an impact as sheriff.
“We’ve got to come together and determine that we have to do what’s in the best interest of this community,” he said. “That’s how we’re going to solve the problems that we face in our community.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 29, 2018

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: November 29, 2018

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

author: Adam Carr


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Kohl’s associates deliver 750 holiday gifts to Penfield Children’s Center | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kohl’s
December 3, 2018
(Photo courtesy of Kohl’s)
Today, Kohl’s associates delivered and sorted more than 750 presents, that were donated by Kohl’s associates, to gift to the nearly 1,000 children and families served by Penfield Children’s Center at its annual holiday party on Saturday, Dec. 1. For many years, Kohl’s associates have enjoyed unloading and sorting gifts to assist Penfield Children’s Center staff as they prepare for the holiday party.
(Photo courtesy of Kohl’s)

created: December 3, 2018

author: Kohl’s


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 3, 2018


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Not guilty ruling doesn’t make things all right. Not even close. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 3, 2018
Edgar Mendez took this photo as police ran his ID on West Lincoln Avenue in August. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
It has been almost four months to the day since I was pulled over, handcuffed and placed in the back of a paddy wagon, and then handcuffed to a bench at Milwaukee Police Department’s District 2 headquarters for more than a half an hour. I also was fingerprinted, photographed and interrogated by two officers for an additional 45 minutes.
Monday, Municipal Court Judge Derek C. Mosley ruled “not guilty” on the original charge of trespassing. I was issued a $50 parking ticket for violating a “no parking” ordinance, but if I’d been charged with that violation the day I was arrested, I would have been spared the experience of being treated like a criminal.
My crime: entering the District 2 parking lot at 245 W. Lincoln Ave., to take photos of squad cars for a story I’d written about MPD response times. It wasn’t as if I’d come in under the cover of darkness. It was about noon on Aug. 5 when I entered the lot, parked and readied my camera to take photos for a story that was to be published the next morning. Shortly after parking, I spoke to non-uniformed MPD officer Dustin Frank in the lot, identifying myself as “Edgar Mendez, a reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.” I told him I was  taking photos for a story I’d written. His response was “that’s fine.”
On the stand during the trial, where I was represented pro bono by Jim Gramling, a former municipal court judge, Frank testified that he wasn’t exactly sure what I’d said. He stated  that I either said I was a reporter or that I was working with other officers who were in the lot at the time. Nevertheless, he testified that after he said “that’s fine,” he continued to his vehicle and drove away.
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The original “no trespassing” sign is circled in this screenshot from Google Street View.
Shortly afterwards, a second officer, Chris Ottaway, who also testified in court against me, acknowledged that he, too, saw me in the lot, and that I’d waved at him with one arm, cradling a camera with the other arm. Rather than approaching and speaking with me, he entered the police station, according to his testimony. Eventually, he followed me in a squad car  and pulled me over on South 9th Street and West Lincoln Avenue, after I’d spent a few minutes taking photos and was on my way home to my family. He asked me if I saw the “no trespassing” sign in the lot, and I replied that I had not.
At the trial, City Attorney Jay Unora based his case on the assumption that I’d seen the “no trespassing” sign and ignored it. The sign was not posted at the entrance of the lot and I had not seen it.  (A new “no trespassing” sign was posted at the entrance after my arrest.) According to the testimony of Ottaway and Frank, the sign is posted about 60 feet to the right of the path where vehicles entering the lot would drive, and hangs above a parking spot.
In his closing statement, my attorney pointed out that the sign was not clearly visible, was small and inconspicuous, and was placed far from where someone who was driving forward should be focusing his attention.
Mosley, while ruling that I had in fact violated a “no parking” order, agreed that the sign was not clearly visible and that Frank’s own testimony gave me reason to believe I could take photos in the lot. Four officers were listed as witnesses in the case against me and were present, though only Frank and Ottaway testified. Both agreed that I was cooperative during my arrest.
Though I emerged with my integrity and shaky trust in our justice system intact, I can’t say that I walked out of court with a smile, or even feeling vindicated. The truth is that the entire experience was traumatic. In addition to being placed in the paddy wagon and handcuffed, fingerprinted and  interrogated, the police officers erased some of the photos I took that day, threatening to confiscate my camera if I didn’t agree. I also was informed that if I asked for a lawyer while being interrogated there was a chance that I’d have to sit in county jail while the process played itself out.
A new “no trespassing,” sign was placed at the entrance to the lot after Mendez was arrested in August. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Even the fact that I had to defend myself in a trial was troubling. I had never imagined that while taking photos for an article — working to support my family — I’d be arrested and interrogated. Of course I’d seen people interrogated on TV while watching “The First 48,” but I never thought I’d go through it myself.  I couldn’t believe that I was being grilled about a sign that I didn’t see, what my article was about, what my true intentions were that day and the whereabouts of my family.
I wondered afterwards if what happened to me was because of my brown skin, or because I was a reporter writing about the MPD. You have to remember that my arrest occurred at a time when President Trump had attacked people of Hispanic descent, repeatedly declared that all the news he didn’t agree with was “fake news,” and begun to call the press the “enemy of the people,” a sentiment he continues to espouse.
“Could it be all of these things — or none?” I’ve wondered many times since. It is important to note that my arrest occurred weeks after the murder of MPD officer Michael J. Michalski, a devastating crime I’d also written about. Surely MPD was under a heightened sense of threat. However, from the moment I encountered the first officer in the lot, and as I came into contact with each of the five additional officers that afternoon, it was evident that I was a reporter and in the lot only to take photos for my story. None of that seemed to matter, nor did the fact that the “no trespassing” sign was awkwardly placed inside the lot and was obstructed by trees.
As a reporter, I understand that this case brings up broader issues, including whether these types of incidents could have a “chilling effect,” discouraging reporters from carrying out their mission to inform the public. That is one reason it was important for me to fight the charge.
But, more personally, I believe the  broadest issue my case brings forth — which goes beyond the judge’s ruling of not guilty on a trespassing charge — is that in Milwaukee, relations between people of color and MPD officers are already strained. Treating people as I was treated is part of the reason that the relationship is frayed. I was fortunate enough to have a good lawyer and a news organization behind me; not everyone is that fortunate.
Police Chief Alfonso Morales, who, like me, grew up on the South Side of Milwaukee, has spent much of his time in his new position speaking about how he’s implementing new policies, and working to retrain current officers and better train new ones.
Here’s a new policy that can be implemented right away, without millions of dollars in training costs. Why can’t officers simply treat persons of color the way they would like to be treated or the way they’d want their children to be treated? A simple change like that could work wonders in improving community/police relations and could help spare residents from traumatic and humiliating experiences such as the one I endured.

author: Edgar Mendez


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Teens and police strive to surmount barriers through personal interactions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
December 3, 2018
Officer Letitia Holloway and listening circle participants exchange views on relationships between youth and police officers. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Keontay Avery’s parents were taken from him by the police when he was 5 years old.
“They were part of a crime but didn’t really do anything,” he said.
Now 17, Avery told his story to a small group that included a police officer, a police recruit in training, five teens, an adult facilitator and a youth facilitator. He was responding to Officer Letitia Holloway’s inquiry into his reasons for disliking the police.
Holloway followed up by inquiring whether Avery was also angry at his parents for their part in creating the situation that led to this separation.
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“I want to challenge you to think more about the fact that (the police) don’t make the law. We just enforce the law. I want to challenge you to forgive us for doing our jobs.”
Avery was one of 44 young people ages 13 to 24 participating in a recent Police & Youth Listening Circle at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N. 64th St. Eight officers from the Milwaukee Police Department and two recruits from the Police Academy also participated.
The circle is the first in a three-part program at the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion that aims to improve relations between youth and police. The goal is to give them an opportunity to talk to each other about their personal experiences, perceptions and feelings; build trust; and see each other as individuals.
“It is often the first positive experience either side has had with a member of the other side,” said Katherine Wilson, executive director of the Zeidler Center.
The event began with a pasta dinner at which participants were able talk informally. Following an icebreaker activity that brought everyone to their feet and moving around the large room, participants were divided into small groups. Sitting in a circle, youth and police were led through a structured conversation by facilitators.
They explained the rules or “circle agreements,” which included a promise to speak only for oneself about personal experiences, to speak respectfully and not put others down, interrupt or use cell phones.
Participants began by sharing two things about themselves. One youth wants to become a veterinarian; another hopes to join the Air Force. Avery, an Assata High School student, said he used to play basketball and volleyball.
Keontay Avery, 17, attended the listening circle at the suggestion of a Silver Spring Neighborhood Center youth director. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Responding to written prompts, circle members took turns contributing thoughts, observations or experiences. With each round, the comments grew deeper and more personal. From describing a time when it was easy or difficult to build trust with another person, the questions moved to “how can we increase trust between youth and police officers?”
Several teens in the circle expressed frustration with the negative portrayal of black youth constantly projected by the media.
Police recruit Joseph LaCroix II, who is white, seemed surprised to hear this. Although he is a product of Milwaukee Public Schools and said he feels comfortable with all kinds of people, the youths’ discussion of their image in the media “absolutely made an impression on me,” he said. He had never participated in a discussion with black youth before, he said.
“This is absolutely a totally new experience for me,” LaCroix said.
Avery attended the listening circle at the suggestion of the youth director at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, where he goes every day after school. Assured that he could leave at any point if he didn’t like it, he stayed for the whole program. It was difficult, he said, because he fears speaking in public and isn’t sure if he will attend again. But he said he felt that LaCroix “was understanding what the black community was going through” and would think about Holloway’s challenge to consider both sides of his parents’ removal by police.
Holloway, who works in MPD’s Office of Community Outreach and Education, said she was amazed by the way the young participants opened up.
Regarding her exchange with Avery, she said, “Sometimes the kids don’t know how to deal with the anger emotions and how to get over it and get through it and face it. And they just harbor (the anger) and they hold grudges and then they develop this dislike for police.”
She welcomed the opportunity to give Avery some information to help him see things from both viewpoints, she said.
“I grew up just like him. I had the same thoughts. I don’t like the police because they did this to these relatives of mine … I got beyond that because I grew up and I understood both sides of it,” she said.
“This listening circle is a really good way to help bridge the gap.”
Interested young people can join additional listening circles, and those who are 18 or younger can participate in the second part of Zeidler’s program, the more-intensive Youth Police Initiative workshop added this year.
YPI is based on a program established in 2003 by North American Family Institute (NAFI), a Boston nonprofit. It provides youth with tools for setting goals, leadership and making decisions. The week-long workshops include relationship–building activities, exchanges of personal experiences between officers and youth, and preparing presentations given by each participant at the end of the workshop. YPI workshops have been held in the Sherman Park, Muskego Way/Clarke Square, Metcalfe Park and Silver Spring neighborhoods this year.
Youths who complete the workshop can attend a graduation celebration, where they are awarded a diploma and an $80 stipend, Wilson said.
She noted that data shows that the program is making an impact. “Of the youth we’ve polled so far, we’ve had a 54 percent increase in youth who can identify an officer who they would trust to call in times of crisis,” she said.
The third part of Zeidler’s program is a one-day Youth Facilitator Training at which teenagers ages 14 to 18 are paired with a mentor for a year to hone their skills. During that year they help facilitate six discussions. The focus is on discussions with police officers, but youth facilitators are also invited to Zeidler’s broader range of community discussions, Wilson said. “We have a goal of training 20 youth by the end of 2019 and we’re already more than halfway there,” she said.
Youth facilitator Victor Hudson, a 16-year-old Alexander Hamilton High School junior, said that getting the stipend is “cool” but he did not participate in the facilitator training for the money.  “I was in it to meet people and progress in my communication skills,” he said, adding, “I enjoy coming here and (working with) young kids because I can help them improve their life and make better choices.”
The Zeidler Center started organizing discussions between residents and police officers in the Amani, Metcalfe Park and Harambee neighborhoods in 2015. It did a year-long series with adults, youth and police the following year and in 2017, expanded to the Clarke Square and Sherman Park neighborhoods.
This year, local philanthropists Ronald and Micky Sadoff, who had become interested in NAFI’s Youth Police Initiative, brought that program to the Zeidler Center, where they are funding a two-year pilot.  Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Bader Philanthropies also provide support for Zeidler’s work with police in neighborhoods.

author: Andrea Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 2, 2018

created: December 2, 2018


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 “The Milwaukee Human Rights Celebration: Born Free & Equal, Now More than Ever!” Celebrating International Human Rights Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
United Nations Association
December 3, 2018
You are invited to participate in…
“The Milwaukee Human Rights Celebration:  Born Free & Equal, Now More than Ever!”  Celebrating International Human Rights Day
Sponsored By:
Free & Open to the Public
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Saturday – December 8th, 2018                                                                                America’s Black Holocaust Museum                                                                                401 W. North Ave. – Milwaukee, WI
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”                      Article I – United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Please join us in celebrating National Human Rights Day through music, storytelling, performances, awards, networking, and refreshments.  Local and global issues related to Human Rights will be addressed.
Reasonable accommodations, of an auxiliary aid or service required due to a disability, will be provided upon request.  Contact the City of Milwaukee ADA Coordinator:  414.286.3475 or adacoordinator@milwaukee.gov
For further information, contact Debbie Metke at 414.881.0904 (phone)  dmetke@gmail.com (e-mail)

author: United Nations Association


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UNA-USA IMAGE.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
December 2, 2018

author: Name *


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On the block: A lifetime activist | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
December 4, 2018
Rocky Coe, a retired attorney who has lived in the Sherman Park neighborhood for 35 years, said that his experiences growing up in public housing in Chicago then attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign inspired him to become an activist and a leader.
When Coe moved to Milwaukee in the 1970s to practice employment law, he also worked with the group Community Called to Vote to register more than 14,000 voters. In the past few years, he successfully reached out to the City of Milwaukee to request that the streets in his neighborhood be repaired and kept in better condition.
Coe said his favorite part of his neighborhood is the people, which is why he has been coming to the Sherman Perk coffee shop regularly since it opened, to read the paper, write poetry and work on cases in the company of neighbors.
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created: December 4, 2018

author: Allison Dikanovic


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 4, 2018


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Advocate Aurora Health increases wages to $15 per hour | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Cavalier Johnson
December 5, 2018
I commend Advocate Aurora Health’s recent decision to increase the minimum wage for its employees to $15.00 per hour by 2021. Advocate Aurora Health now joins the many other private companies in the United States such as Amazon, Target, and Aetna Inc. who have decided to ensure that their employees earn a living wage.
Advocate Aurora Health plans to increase wages to $13.00 per hour in mid-2019, $14.00 per hour in early 2020, and $15.00 by 2021. This strategy establishes a stable and well-charted plan in order to invest in the health provider’s most valuable resource: its employees.
With so many people struggling to make ends meet and some even working multiple jobs, it’s heartening to learn that Wisconsin’s largest private employer will be raising wages for employees. With a significant number of people spending an outsized portion of their income on housing, this investment in people should help to further stabilize families, homes, neighborhoods, and our city.
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The current Wisconsin minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is unacceptable and does not allow for hardworking residents to sufficiently pay for their basic expenses. The Milwaukee Bucks’ recent decision to also increase wages for contractors to $15.00 per hour is an encouraging sign that private businesses in Milwaukee truly care about their workers and believe in every employee’s right to a living wage.
I will continue to push for increased wages in the City of Milwaukee and fight to ensure that all working residents earn enough to provide for themselves and their families.

created: December 5, 2018

author: Ald. Cavalier Johnson


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Circulate MKE Local Entrepreneur Market on Sat. Dec 8th | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Shalina S Ali
December 5, 2018
Circulate MKE, a creative entrepreneur marketplace, was created to provide a fun-shopping alternative to the traditional retail experience. By organizing local entrepreneurs and artists to sell their crafts, food, and unique goods in a family-friendly marketplace, we have helped create new opportunities for partnerships, startups, and most importantly, have helped build community while our dollars ‘Circulate’!
We will be hosting a market this Saturday, December 8th from 11 AM- 4 PM at Salvation Army West Corp, 1645 N 25th (& Walnut), Milwaukee, WI. This will be a great opportunity to do some last-minute holiday shopping– there will be gift wrapping available!
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author: Shalina S Ali


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Circulate MKE 12.8.png | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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December 4, 2018


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Five myths about the flu | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Michelle Graham, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin
December 5, 2018
Most people have likely had the flu at some point – with symptoms such as a constant cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches and fatigue – yet many myths and misperceptions remain. Here are five myths and facts that can help you and your loved ones reduce the risk of catching the flu.
Myth: Flu shots don’t really work.
Fact: The flu vaccine reduces the risk of contracting and spreading the disease by up to 60 percent, according to the CDC. The vaccine’s effectiveness depends on multiple factors — including the amount of time between vaccination and exposure to the disease, your age and health status — yet studies show that the flu vaccination benefits public health, especially when the vaccine is well matched to that year’s circulating viruses.
Myth: I got vaccinated last year, so I should be good for this year, too.
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Fact: The flu virus changes each year, so flu vaccines change to keep pace. Plus, the body’s immune response to a flu vaccine declines over time, which means a yearly vaccination is the best option.
Myth: I exercise and eat healthy, so I don’t need to get vaccinated.
Fact: It is true being healthy may help you recover from illness more quickly, but it won’t prevent you from getting or spreading the flu virus. Even healthy people can be infected and spread the flu virus without showing symptoms.
Myth: The flu vaccine is only necessary for the old and very young.
Fact: The CDC recommends flu shots for everyone six months and older. Getting vaccinated later in the flu season — through Jan. or even after — can still be beneficial. It is important to start early in the season for children, as two doses of the vaccine may be necessary, with the shots given at least four weeks apart.
Myth: Getting the flu is not that serious.
Fact: The CDC reports that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications each year, while 36,000 die from it. Reducing the risk of flu is especially important for people who have certain medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes or chronic lung disease; and for pregnant women, young children and people 65 and older. Even for people without those complications, flu symptoms can disrupt work, school or social life for several weeks or more.
Now is the time to get a flu vaccine, which is considered preventive and in most cases is covered through employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare and Medicaid health plans. Vaccines are available through primary care physicians and convenience care clinics. Visit the CDC website at cdc.gov/flu to search for a nearby care provider based on your ZIP code.


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OR_HouseCallsWomaninChair | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 4, 2018


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Food, culture, wellness entrepreneurs celebrate at Sherman Phoenix grand opening | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 5, 2018
From left: Angela Mallett and Meshika Stewart, co-owners of HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary, hope that Sherman Phoenix inspires Milwaukee and the world.  (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Milwaukeeans Angela Mallett and Meshika Stewart met when they were children through their church. Eventually, circumstances pulled them in different directions and by the time of the Sherman Park unrest following the police killing of Sylville K. Smith, neither Mallett nor Stewart was in the state. When they heard about what had happened, Mallett and Stewart recalled being heartbroken and shocked by the news.
Earlier this year, Mallett and Stewart partnered up, and together they co-own HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary. It is one of 29 businesses housed in the renovated building known as Sherman Phoenix at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Hundreds of people gathered recently at the Sherman Phoenix grand opening to celebrate a dream come to life.
Maintaining the structure of the building, which was formerly a BMO Harris bank branch, developers Juli Kaufmann and JoAnne Johnson-Sabir renovated the inside to accommodate a variety of businesses. HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary, for example, is located in what was previously the vault. It offers a variety of crystals, candles and herbal remedies.
Before returning to Milwaukee, Mallett worked in Tennessee as a massage therapist and Stewart was climbing the corporate ladder in Arkansas.
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Realizing her talents were needed in Milwaukee, in October 2017 Mallett decided it was time to come home. In 2016, Stewart was employed at Walmart, after having worked for Ernst & Young and Johnson Controls.
“When I saw the riot, I felt like I left my city; like they needed people with a more positive mindset,” Stewart said.
Mallett and Stewart eventually reconnected at Alice’s Garden, where they trained to be herbal apprentices. Mallett persuaded Stewart to join HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary at Sherman Phoenix.
JoAnne Johnson-Sabir (left) and Juli Kaufmann address the gathering. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Akilah Adams, a local resident who attended the grand opening, grew up four blocks from Sherman Phoenix. As the violent protest began at the bank, Adams was driving past to pick up her daughter from her parents’ house near Sherman Park.
“It really was disheartening,” Adams said.
When she heard about Sherman Phoenix, she felt overjoyed. The various vendors are providing wellness and health to the community, she said, noting that tasty and healthy treats are available, as well as herbs and alternative treatments. These options are especially helpful to people who are susceptible to high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers, she added.
The businesses fall into one of three categories: health and wellness, food, and culture.
None Above, owned by Noel Alvarado, offers customized airbrush shoe designs for Milwaukee residents and professional athletes. Alvarado has been customizing shoes for about four years. His business gained traction through social media.
He first heard about Sherman Phoenix after he did a radio interview about the business. Maanaan Sabir listened to the interview and reached out to him about becoming a tenant. Sabir owns Shindig Coffee, another business in Sherman Phoenix, and is the husband of Johnson-Sabir.
Alvarado said part of the reason he decided to rent at Sherman Phoenix was the shared vision the tenants have: to bring Milwaukee together. Sherman Phoenix is shining a new light on Milwaukee, and it’s giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to succeed, he added.
Kaufmann said she hopes that Sherman Phoenix can set an example for the rest of Milwaukee. When community members come together, it can change the trajectory of disinvested neighborhoods, she said.
“Creating spaces for all of us takes belief, patience and persistence, and support will need to keep coming to encourage entrepreneurial success,” Kaufmann said.
Mayor Tom Barrett praised Johnson-Sabir and Kaufmann, calling them visionaries. He also thanked Ald. Khalif Rainey, who represents Sherman Park.
“This is our Milwaukee,” Barrett said.
Sherman Phoenix was possible because people believed in individuals, the community and the city, he added.
Johnson-Sabir, who also co-owns The Juice Kitchen in Lindsay Heights, said the official opening of Sherman Phoenix felt amazing.
“To be able to bring this to fruition on behalf of my community is an ultimate gift,” she said.

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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Milwaukee Transitional Jobs Collaborative to Thank DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson for Leadership on Life-Changing Employment Initiative | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Transitional Jobs Collaborative
December 5, 2018


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TJ celebration flyer.png | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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December 4, 2018


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12 Finalists named for improving central city neighborhoods for 20th MANDI anniversary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
December 6, 2018
Developer, Sports Camps, Music Venue, Holistic Healing Center, and more selected for the 2019 Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI).
The Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (known as the MANDIs) will celebrate its 20 year anniversary and continue to celebrate the “good news” of successful efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen the community. From public nominations, a volunteer Selection Committee has named 12 finalists for awards this year.
Finalists in six categories were announced at a public event at the Grain Exchange located in the historic Mackie Building to an audience on Tuesday night. Joshua Jeffers of J. Jeffers & Co. was the event sponsor.
Sponsored by U.S. Bank, in partnership with LISC Milwaukee, the MANDIs recognize individuals, organizations, and projects that are improving conditions in Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. Finalists are selected from public nominations by a 40-member, independent, cross-sector volunteer committee. Winners will be announced at an Oscar-style gala at the 20 Annual MANDIs on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. The event draws a diverse audience of more than 700 leaders from the private, philanthropic and nonprofit communities.
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The “Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award” for public space that helps build the community.
The “BMO Harris Cornerstone Award” for commitment and effectiveness over time.
The “Chase Economic Development Award” for economic and business development
The “Northern Trust Navigator Award” for individual leadership
The “Associated Bank Trail Blazer Award” for an innovative approach to a community problem.
The “State Farm Building Blocks Award” for a real estate project that advances the community.
The “Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award” will be given to finalists who receive the most public votes in April. The “Northwestern Mutual Collaboration Award” will also be given to a note-worthy nonprofit collaboration during the event.
About LISC: Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is the recognized leader in neighborhood development. Since 1980, LISC national has marshaled $13 billion from investors, lenders and donors to foster the revitalization of more than 300 urban neighborhoods and rural communities. Since 1995, LISC Milwaukee has invested $148 million in Milwaukee’s neighborhoods through grants, loans and technical assistance to neighborhood-based community development efforts. More information is available at www.lisc.org or www.lisc.org/milwaukee.

created: December 6, 2018

author: LISC Milwaukee


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Anti-Immigration policies prompt fear, not hope, for local refugees, panelists say | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Analise Pruni
December 6, 2018
Immigration historian Rachel Ida Buff emphasizes the importance of knowing the history of immigration rights, to understand the present. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
When Janan Atta-Najeeb speaks in rural areas about immigration, she is sometimes escorted by police because her hijab and her faith make her a “scary” person. As president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, she said people need to “wage a war of information” when it comes to immigration.
“Most people are not intentionally hateful,” Atta-Najeeb said. “They’re just ignorant.”
At a recent panel at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, moderated by Urban Studies director Joel Rast, five panelists addressed “Immigration and the City in the Trump Era” and the implications of immigration policies.
“History is what hurts,” said panelist Rachel Ida Buff, immigration historian, and Community and Cultures director at UWM. “In times of crisis we look to the past to examine its lessons for how we might go forward.”
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She said that the white land-owning men who wrote the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which grants citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” and ensures “equal protection of the laws” was never meant to include races such as Asian-Americans.
Long after it became clear that these protections were only to be afforded to white citizens, Buff said the idea of a “sanctuary” or safe space for immigrants and refugees began to spread in churches in the 1980s. The notion of sanctuary spaces has now been extended to encompass some campuses and entire cities.
Some Milwaukee organizations and campuses offer immigration rights training to encourage resistance to illegal detention policies. In 2017, the Milwaukee School Board voted unanimously on a resolution declaring it a “safe haven” and strongly encouraged legal means to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to protect students and families at risk of deportation.
Panelist Janan Atta-Najeeb encourages people to mobilize against exclusionary immigration policies that she says continue to define America. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Buff became a member of a UWM sanctuary campus task force that began in 2017, to help protect historic public sanctuary spaces such as churches and universities that may increasingly come under attack.
“It’s very clear in the current administration that these spaces are going to become more and more dangerous for foreign-born students, for transgender people, for people of color,” Buff said.
Panelist Karyn Rotker, senior staff attorney at American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, explained that detention of immigrant families can happen to legal citizens. Something as simple as not registering a change of address can lead to suspicion and separation.
Rotker said that U.S. Border Patrol agents are separating people “in a way where they didn’t even keep track in many cases of which child belonged to which parent.”
In May, the Justice Department and border authorities began prosecuting every adult who crossed the southwest border illegally, causing more than 2,300 children to be separated from their parents. After an international outcry, President Trump signed an executive order on June 20 to stop the separations.
“I want folks to know that being undocumented is not a crime,” Rotker said. Unlawful presence, or physically being in the U.S. without documentation, is a civil violation, not a criminal one.
She said that 83 people were arrested in September in Wisconsin regarding documentation status, almost half of whom had no previous criminal history.
ACLU immigration rights efforts include dissuading local law enforcement from being part of President Trump’s deportation force, as well as encouraging immigrants, refugees and allies to participate in “know your rights” training, she said.
Protecting and expanding immigrants’ civil rights are an essential part of the mission of Voces de la Frontera. Voces has put pressure on the state legislature to address immigration issues and organized “A Day Without Latinos” on Feb.13, 2017, when thousands of people in Milwaukee left their schools and jobs to march to protest the 287(g) program.
The program allows the Department of Homeland Security to enter into formal agreements with state and local police to perform the functions of federal immigration agents, under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Former Sheriff David Clarke proposed 287(g) training for Milwaukee County in 2017, but it was not approved. However, Waukesha County Sheriff Eric J. Severson endorsed the program and in July, amid heavy protest from groups such as Voces, Waukesha County jail officers received the training.
“The way things have changed now under Trump is that all of this anti-immigrant sentiment is now clear,” said Jasmine Gonzalez, communications coordinator for Voces. “He started his campaign calling Mexicans rapists and has debased and dehumanized these people who are good [people] and contributing towards society.”
Panelists emphasized that immigrants and refugees want to do well and be active contributors to their communities.
“The goal of refugee resettlement is self-sufficiency,” said Mary Flynn, program manager of refugee resettlement for Lutheran Social Services.
However, she has noticed the growth of anti-immigration sentiments and said that where she used to see hope among refugees entering this country, she now sees mostly fear.
Atta-Najeeb and Gonzalez said people should take note that in the November midterm election, Muslims, LatinX and allied populations mobilized to reject candidates that promoted “bigotry and hate.”
“People who had been citizens for years who thought, ‘my voice doesn’t matter, my vote won’t count,’ went out because this was their last hope that they could do something,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez and Atta-Najeeb said they hope that more compassionate legislation would emerge under newly elected Gov. Tony Evers, who defeated incumbent Scott Walker.
For example, Evers said he would support granting state driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, as well as in-state tuition for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students, in a debate with Walker in October.
Community members are experiencing a great deal of anxiety about legislation on immigration, said Herbert De Leon, a Latino UWM student. His parents are naturalized citizens and while he does not fear for himself and his family, he is concerned for others.
“There are people who are scared to the point where they keep the lowest possible profile they can, which means that they don’t become informed about their own situations,” he said. He added that rather than feeling hope, he expects the worst and wishes for the best.

author: Analise Pruni


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 5, 2018


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Job fair aims to set students up with life-long careers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Max Nawara
December 7, 2018
Rayshawn Simpson, a Bradley Tech senior, practices welding a pipe at the Career Life Mentor and Trades Fair. (Photo by Max Nawara)
Khari Pleas-Carnie, an 18-year-old senior at the Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School inherited an interest in the trades from his father, a tradesman at Rockwell Automation. He spent his freshman and sophomore years at Milwaukee Lutheran High School but transferred to Bradley Tech before his junior year after his father encouraged him to get more involved in pursuing a trade.
At a recent Bradley Tech Career Life Mentor and Trade Fair, Pleas-Carnie demonstrated stick welding, a specialized type of welding. The fourth annual fair gives Bradley Tech students — and middle school students from the Milwaukee area — a chance to work hands-on with skilled members of 18 different trades to get a feel for what they like or dislike.
“I got into the welding trade here,” Pleas-Carnie said, referring to the trades fair last year. “It’s a fun experience. The trades here help you get more jobs and more job training. It opens up your eyes; you don’t have to go just to college, you can be a tradesman.”
Dan Bukiewicz, president of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council, has been working with Bradley Tech since the program’s inception.
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“We come out and we really let the kids get a hands-on feel for what the trades are going to be. It’s easy to watch a video, look at a wage card or read a job description, but this is when kids can start to sort it out and see if they’re a good fit or not.”
Khari Pleas-Carnie, a senior at Bradley Tech, demonstrates the tools used for stick welding. (Photo by Max Nawara)
Rayshawn Simpson, a 19-year-old senior, has been attending the fair since its first year at Bradley Tech. He learned about the program from his freshman woodworking teacher, and credits him for igniting his passion for carpentry.
“He saw me working on a birdhouse and said I did very well on it and said I should look into the trades,” said Simpson. “He introduced me to all of these trades my freshman year, so I came [to the fair] and tried out everything.”
Simpson enjoyed working with wood so much that he began creating new project ideas in his free time. He noticed that painters at Bradley Tech were spilling and tracking paint, so he designed and built a painting room in the workshop to contain the mess.
“I came up with an idea, designed it on the computer and put it together,” he said.
He added that working with skilled tradesmen he met at the fair has helped him learn how to be a member of a team, plan things out and network with other carpenters. He said he is now able to help his classmates with their projects and has built a bench for his mother on his own time.
Bukiewicz’s role at the trade fair is to educate students on the process of getting started with working in trades and encouraging them to get an apprenticeship.
“We have to talk to them about attitude, attendance and our drug-free workforce,” he said. “They have to be 18 years old to work in a trade, but if they’re 17 we can prepare them to start in the workforce. Some kids we get days after they graduate.”
Pleas-Carnie has an apprenticeship with We Energies as a power line mechanic. He has the opportunity to begin working full-time next fall.
Bukiewicz emphasized how important the Career Life Mentor and Trades Fair is for getting kids involved with a lifelong career at an early age.
“The opportunities are huge and hopefully the kids are taking advantage of what they’re seeing here,” he said.
“These are family-supporting careers. Not only are the wages substantial, but they pay benefits and they pay a pension that will take care of you in retirement. I can’t think of a better alternative for somebody that’s not going to pursue the college route.”

created: December 7, 2018

author: Max Nawara


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 6, 2018


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Milwaukee City and County budgets calm this year, but… | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wisconsin Policy Forum
December 7, 2018
Budget briefs released this fall by the nonpartisan, independent Wisconsin Policy Forum found that while the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County adopted their 2019 budgets with relatively little controversy, clouds remain on the horizon for Wisconsin’s two largest local governments.
In a new report, WPF researchers examine major areas of financial stress for the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County and compare them with the state’s other largest municipalities. The latest issue of The Wisconsin Taxpayer, “Juggling Priorities,” concludes that although other large city and county governments in Wisconsin face similar fiscal challenges, those facing the city and county of Milwaukee “are of a higher magnitude.”
The report notes the city faces future budget pressures over public safety demands, with police costs consuming just under half of its projected general fund revenue increase in 2019. Infrastructure needs are another major concern: although the mayor’s proposed budget exceeded its in-house limit for borrowing for capital projects, $44 million in requested projects still went unfunded.
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For the county, WPF researchers note that the comptroller estimates a $12.8 million annual structural deficit in future years because of an ongoing imbalance between needed spending and local revenue growth. Long-term challenges include addressing delayed infrastructure needs, most notably construction of a $300 million public safety building, and balancing discretionary spending (such as transit, parks, and recreation) against state-mandated services.
The report found that among Wisconsin’s 10 most populous cities, both police and debt costs tend to dominate local budgets. In 2016, Milwaukee ranked highest for per person police spending ($511), followed by Racine ($403), with Oshkosh spending the least ($195). Racine (31.3%) outpaced both Oshkosh (30%) and Milwaukee (24%) for the share of general fund spending dedicated to debt service; the report notes that Oshkosh has plans to reduce its debt load within the next decade.
Among the state’s 10 most populous counties, WPF researchers found that only Brown County spends a larger portion of its operating and capital budget on parks and cultural programming than Milwaukee County (14% versus 12%). The report found no other counties spend more than 8% of their budget on these programs. Similarly, only Kenosha County has higher per capita debt service spending than Milwaukee County ($710 versus $620), followed by Brown ($472) and Dane ($422).
What most separates Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee from their peers, however, is their employer pension contributions. The city and county each have their own pension systems; all other state and local government employees participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
In the city’s case, in 2017, “if Milwaukee had a required contribution similar to Madison’s at 10% of covered payroll, then the city would have realized $12.4 million in savings to put toward other operations or capital projects,” WPR researchers conclude.
Similarly, the report notes, “the other most populous counties in the state – all of which are part of the WRS – contributed between 7 and 9% of their covered payroll amount to pensions in 2017,” compared to Milwaukee County’s 27%. The county would have saved $44 million if its contributions were similar to Racine County’s contributions of 9.3% of payroll.
The report concludes that efforts to address both specific spending pressures in Milwaukee—including consideration of whether the city and county should maintain distinct pension systems—would appear to be merited, as would consideration of different revenue approaches “to address the extraordinary challenges facing Wisconsin’s largest city and county.”
A copy of The Wisconsin Taxpayer, “Juggling Priorities,” can be downloaded here.

author: Wisconsin Policy Forum


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Open letter to District Attorney’s office | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Markasa Tucker, Director of African-American Roundtable
December 8, 2018
Dear District Attorney John Chisholm and Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern,
The community is deeply disturbed by your decision to rule the shooting of Jerry Smith Jr., by Milwaukee Police Officers Adam Stahl and Melvin Finkley, justified. Officers Stahl and Finkley should be held accountable for their actions.
In this case, like in many others, there has been a lack of transparency around the investigation.The community, has been anticipating a decision from your office since the shooting occurred on Aug. 31, 2017.
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However, on Nov. 23, 2018 we learned about the decision that was made June 2018 through social media and other news outlets. To learn of the decision five months later shows a complete disregard and lack of respect for Smith, his family and the community. Why did your office not issue a press statement or host a press conference when the decision was made? Does the community not deserve transparency?
In other cases of police misconduct and officer involved shootings (i.e., the murder of Dontre Hamilton in 2014), press conferences have been held where details have been shared about investigations and explanations of rulings provided to the community. As the city of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Police Department continue to fail in holding police officers accountable for shooting unarmed black people, continuity in their public response to such incidents is expected. The lack of a public response from your office and other city officials is inadequate.
Thankfully, the shooting of Jerry Smith Jr. was not fatal. However, the injuries and the trauma he, his family and friends, and our community continue to suffer is ongoing. This incident has now gained national attention, once again highlighting not only lack of transparency within the city, but also the continuing erosion of trust between the police and the community.
We understand it is your office’s responsibility to prosecute violations of state laws. According to the decision made by your office, neither officer violated state law in shooting Smith, who was unarmed and who did not threaten the life of either officer. Your ruling is a clear and continual reminder that your office, along with other public agencies, is a part of the problem.
The Common Council’s Steering and Rules Committee filed a communication and asked that someone from your office be present along with the Milwaukee Police Department at its meeting on Dec. 6, 2018. Subsequently, we were told no one from your office was available to attend the meeting, nor was a statement issued from your office. It is disappointing and challenging to live in a city where the community does not hear from the District Attorney, Office of the Mayor, Milwaukee Police Department, Fire and Police Commission, or other city officials in response to yet another police involved shooting of an unarmed person, most of whom have been black men. Time and time again, the community listens to public and elected officials in our city say they will be transparent and participatory in police reform efforts. Yet, we find ourselves repeating and demanding the same message of transparency and accountability.
Once again, we are demanding that your office addresses the community publicly about the shooting of Jerry Smith Jr., as it should become common practice in all police-involved shootings, whether fatal or non-fatal, that your office rules on.
The Office of the City Attorney works for the people, and should be readily available to serve with the highest level of professionalism and integrity. We look forward to your response, and to a further discussion about the the safety and protection of our community.
Sincerely,
Markasa Tucker
Director of the African American Roundtable
African American Roundtable unifies a network of powerful partners in Milwaukee around achieving shared goals to build a thriving community through civic engagement. We collaborate and support each other to demonstrate people power to amplify the voices of our community to nurture leadership, promote racial equity and accessibility, relationships, and transparent policies that will radically change the lives of African-Americans.

created: December 8, 2018


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Alliance students attend legislative breakfast to discussion tobacco prevention | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Zane Cassel and Kweli Brumfield
December 9, 2018
Local representatives of Alliance School FACT, Wisconsin’s youth tobacco prevention program, met with Representative Christine Sinicki during a legislative breakfast on Saturday, November 17th at Employ Milwaukee.
Two high school students attended the meeting, where they discussed tobacco use in anime and Representative Sinicki’s personal connection to FACT, as her son was a former FACT member. Pictured is Kweli Brumfield, Representative Sinicki, and Zane Cassel.  For more on FACT check out FACTmovement.org
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created: December 9, 2018

author: Zane Cassel and Kweli Brumfield


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
December 7, 2018


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Green Bay Packers Foundation awards grant to St. Thomas More High School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
St. Thomas More High School
December 9, 2018
St. Thomas More High School is proud to announce that the school has received a $6,000 grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation to support the continued growth of our Academic Support Services. The Packers Foundation awarded grants to 230 Wisconsin nonprofit organizations at a Lambeau Field luncheon on December 5, 2018.
Providing our diverse student body with individualized support that keeps them on track for success in college and beyond, St. Thomas More’s Academic Support Services includes our MORE Enrichment afterschool program, the Academic Resource Center, and the Enrichment Period. Managed by our student services department, these programs offer personalized academic interventions through supplemental, applied instruction; interactive math, reading, grammar, and writing software; and training in soft, 21 Century skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication.
“The Academic Resource Center and MORE Enrichment provide our students with more opportunities to meet with their teachers and tutors individually across different subject areas,” explained dean of academics Kevin Dineen. “Students who participate in MORE Enrichment and the Academic Resource Center consistently improve their skills and class performances, thus having a greater positive impact on their academic confidence.”
Open throughout the school day, the Academic Resource Center is staffed by rotating teachers from different academic departments, providing students with supplemental instruction from subject experts. The afterschool extension of the Academic Resource Center, MORE Enrichment started in 2016 with a focus on math, and the program now offers supplemental instruction in five subjects. Along with St. Thomas More classroom teachers, undergraduates at the Marquette University College of Education also assist students during MORE Enrichment. Part of our new block class schedule, the Enrichment Period provides students with additional time to access support services and participate in seminars to build their collegiate and professional skills, such as note taking, time management, collaboration, and critical thinking.
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“Because of the support of grantmakers like the Green Bay Packers Foundation, our Academic Support Services, especially MORE Enrichment, have grown into an incredibly effective and unique resource for our students,” president Mary McIntosh said. “We thank the Packers for their commitment to the Wisconsin community and hope that the team’s support encourages other donors to give back as well.”
“We’re proud to recognize these outstanding recipient organizations, who are all doing incredible work in our communities,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said at the luncheon and in a press release. “As a community-owned team, we are inspired by the efforts of these organizations and the positive impact they have on those that they serve.”
About St. Thomas More High School
Located on Milwaukee’s historic and diverse south side, St. Thomas More High School provides young men and women with the foundation to lead humbly, to always seek truth and knowledge, and to answer God’s call to serve. St. Thomas More’s teaching staff includes two Ph.Ds., five Kohl Teacher Fellows, two fellows at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for the Study of the American Constitution, a Project Lead the Way Master teacher, and the 2017 & 2018 Wisconsin Art Teacher of the Year. For more information about St. Thomas More High School, please visit tmore.org.

author: St. Thomas More High School


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Packers Foundation luncheon Kevin Russell Dan Steffes 1499.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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December 7, 2018


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Celebrating its 160th anniversary, Milwaukee YMCA adjusts focus | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sarah Lipo
December 10, 2018
The Northside YMCA offers an Early Childhood Education program. (Photo by Sarah Lipo)
When Cavalier Johnson was growing up, his family moved frequently around the Milwaukee area. At 14, the YMCA became one of the constants in his life.
Johnson was involved in the Y’s Sponsor a Scholar program as a teen. “It is a program that tries to find young people who are from challenged neighborhoods in Milwaukee. The program did a really good job of pairing the young people with mentors who were in the field the young people were trying to go into themselves,” he said.
“The same year I got involved with the Y, 9/11 happened. When I saw [President George W.] Bush go to the World Trade Center, I know right then at 14 years old that I wanted to go into government.”
Johnson, 32, is the alderman of the 2nd District.
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Now celebrating its 160th year, the Y is pledging to focus more on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
According to its 2018-2021 strategic plan, the Y hopes to be the primary place for children to go when they are not in school. It also will pursue local partnerships to ensure healthy living for community members. The Y hopes to collaborate with other nonprofit organizations to fill service gaps.
Right now, the Y has 28 before- and after-school sites. Under the restructuring plan, there will be fewer of these sites. “After speaking with the key leaders, we came to the realization that we don’t need to own as many buildings, but need to partner with more organizations,” said YMCA President Carrie Wall.
A mom registers her children at the Northside YMCA Healthy Kids Day. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
“We are not going to make [people] come to us; we are going to meet them where they live and work,” said Wall. She added that the Y currently serves 36,500 people were year, and hopes to reach 60,000 individuals by 2021.
The YMCA now has three main branches in metropolitan Milwaukee: the North Side YMCA, Downtown YMCA and the Rite-Hite Family YMCA in Brown Deer. On Dec. 1, it converted the Parklawn branch, which was the first YMCA to be built in a public housing community, to a program-only center, according to a news release. The fitness facilities were closed, but the older adult programming, the achievers program, a career development program for youth, and the meal program remain.
“The Y will no longer operate the fitness center within the Parklawn branch and members will have their memberships transferred to one of three Milwaukee Y membership branches for continued fitness center access,” the release said.
Ald. Khalif J. Rainey has urged the YMCA to rethink its facility restructuring. “The activities and facility currently available to youth at the Parklawn YMCA have been a refuge to me, my neighbors and the community as a whole,” he said. He also noted the Parklawn location is located in one of the ZIP codes with the highest obesity rates.
Kalan Haywood Sr., a YMCA board member, said the organization aims to serve the city in the best way possible, and the programs that will remain at the Parklawn location provide the most positive effects.
Dominique Carlson, a longtime Milwaukee YMCA staff member, became a member of the Illinois Y when she was 13. She said the YMCA is focused on serving others.
“We ask the communities we serve to tell us what impact they need. In my time at the YMCA we have had programs around health such as diabetes prevention, programs on financial responsibility, programs on how to live a balanced life and how to eat healthy,” Carlson said.
She said she took advantage of the Y’s child care when she was a new mom.  She also met her husband through the YMCA. “The people that I have met through the YMCA will forever be in my life and have become not only colleagues or mentors, but my family,” she said.
Wall said involving more churches, schools and nonprofits is vital to the YMCA’s growth, adding, “seamless healthy living programs that complement our program” also will be implemented.
Johnson said his experience at the YMCA and the relationships he formed continue to affect him to this day. “I remember hearing that one in three humans in America have some sort of YMCA touch.” He said it is important to have these touches in communities that need it the most.

created: December 10, 2018

author: Sarah Lipo


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 9, 2018

author: Adam Carr


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Construction professionals use their skills to help feed the hungry | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
December 11, 2018
Yes, they canned.
Engineers, architects and builders recently engaged in “Canstruction” — a friendly competition to see who could build the most impressive structures out of canned food. The sculptures were displayed in Milwaukee’s City Hall during the festival of Hanukkah and judged by Mayor Tom Barrett and 15 Ward Ald. Russell Stamper. More than 6,000 cans were then donated to the Jewish Community Pantry in Stamper’s ward.
Participating organizations included GRAEF, Hunzinger Construction Company, Plunkett Raysich Architects and Korb and Associates. Mosaic Construction, Berghammer Builders, Inc. Dickenschrauf Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Drexel Building Supply, Henderson Group, Inc., Miron Construction Company, Inc. and Valley Cabinet also sponsored the event.
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created: December 11, 2018

author: Jim McGowan


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Fight continues for law to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented people | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
December 11, 2018
Voces de la Frontera is renewing its commitment to getting a law passed that would allow undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin to obtain driver’s licenses. Advocates of the bill say the law would make roads safer, keep families together by avoiding threats of deportation and improve police-community relations by taking the fear out of police interactions such as traffic stops.
About 50 people attended a recent informational meeting hosted by Voces de la Frontera at Allen-Field Elementary School, 730 W. Lapham Blvd. Attendees discussed their concerns for the future of the bill and their plans to push it through the Wisconsin legislature.
Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz said a similar bill nearly passed in 2009. She said the organization is working with State Representatives JoCasta Zamarripa and David Crowley to draft and sponsor the bill. They hope to include it as part of the 2019-2021 state budget or pass it as stand-alone legislation.
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“When you think about Wisconsin’s economy, there are so many parts where immigrants make very critical contributions,” Neumann-Ortiz said. “If we have a hostile environment where we’re doing nothing to make Wisconsin more welcoming … we all suffer.”
Michelle Velasquez, an attorney at Civitas Law Group, works with undocumented immigrants, especially those from low-income backgrounds who may not be able to afford the typical legal representation fees. Velasquez said undocumented people must jump over various hurdles when they lack valid driver’s licenses.
“There’s the anxiety and the fear around having to do everyday simple things like having to go to work, take your kids to school, go grocery shopping,” Velasquez said. “Without driver’s licenses, life is much more difficult.”
Audience members watch as several speakers explain how the bill can be beneficial to undocumented people. (Photo by Grace Connatser)
Undocumented people used to have access to driver’s licenses, Neumann-Ortiz said. But a federal law called the REAL ID Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005 and was implemented in 2007. It prevents license applicants who are not U.S. citizens or do not have legal status from getting a license. In addition, a Wisconsin law specifically prevents those without a Social Security number from getting a driver’s license.
The biggest threat facing undocumented people is deportation, and Neumann-Ortiz said it’s becoming a more common occurrence stemming from minor infractions during traffic stops. She said once officers realize the drivers are undocumented, they are treated like criminals, even for something as small as not wearing a seatbelt.
“An immigrant who is undocumented and receives charges … (is) at risk of deportation,” Neumann-Ortiz said. “Even one ‘driving without a license’ infraction, not even a second one, is leading to more cases of deportation.”
Neumann-Ortiz said she hopes to change the reality for undocumented immigrants across the state because they fill many of the jobs that keep the dairy and agricultural industries afloat, contributing significant revenue to the Wisconsin economy. In rural areas, public transportation is practically nonexistent, and cars are required to travel between work, home and such places as grocery stores and hospitals.
She said that low-income people also are targeted by the state’s driving infractions policies. A “vicious cycle” confronts drivers suffering from poverty: They receive fines they can’t pay and then their licenses are suspended. They can’t get around without a license and they need to drive their children to school or go to work, Neumann-Ortiz said.
Velasquez said the lack of fast, efficient and far-reaching public transportation in Milwaukee and other cities with a large undocumented population also hurts their ability to get around in both the inner city and the suburbs.
For many Americans, driving is a necessity. A 2016 study by the Highway Administration estimated that there were about 222 million licensed drivers in the U.S., more than two-thirds of the national population. Nearly three-quarters of Wisconsin residents were licensed drivers.
Sarai Melendez, a receptionist at Voces de la Frontera who attended the meeting, said she has witnessed the effects the issue has on families of undocumented immigrants. She said the state government should do more to help them out, and allowing undocumented people to receive driver’s licenses is one of the first steps.
“It’s not something abstract,” Melendez said. “A lot of times, low-income people … are committing infractions, but are being treated as criminals and getting singled out. It’s already making them spend time in the court and spend money when they could be feeding their kids or paying their bills.”
Raul Varela, who attended the event, said many public safety concerns would be resolved if undocumented people had driver’s licenses. He said having qualified professionals test individuals before they are licensed would discourage undocumented immigrants from circumventing the system altogether. He also said it’s unfair that most undocumented workers pay taxes, but don’t have the same rights as legal residents.
“Those taxes go towards our representatives to pay their salaries,” Varela said. “There’s the cops, officers, firemen. All that money comes from everybody. It doesn’t come from a specific type of group. If our money goes to a better society, a better community, we deserve the privilege of driving.”
Neumann-Ortiz said the issue boils down to class, race and employer prejudice against undocumented people, many of whom have been in Wisconsin for decades, but still suffer from discriminatory practices.
“It’s really about beating back some of the hateful rhetoric, standing up for people in our community and defining the kind of community we want.”

author: Grace Connatser


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 10, 2018


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46178517551_ecd4b95cf0_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 10, 2018


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On the Block: Adjusting to Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 11, 2018
During the Sherman Phoenix grand opening, Taj Pearsall expressed his excitement over the visible diversity in the crowd. As a Brooklyn native, Pearsall grew up on a block inhabited by people of multiple ethnicities. When he came to Milwaukee, he struggled to adjust to the blatant segregation that still exists in the city.


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Community members share stories, make memes to remember civil rights history | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Analise Pruni
December 12, 2018
Participants make memes using photographs of civil rights leader Vel Phillips, the first African-American to serve on Milwaukee’s Common Council. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Marquette professor Dr. Robert Smith asked the audience at the fifth and final installment of MKE Monumental, a series of community dialogues, to say the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the civil rights movement.
Violence, anger, youth, sacrifice and pride were among their answers.
“We ask you to join us in this examination of the historical record,” Smith said. “So many of us in this room took part in a particular moment that redefined the trajectory of this nation’s history and redefined race relations.”
The event, which was facilitated by Still Waters Collective founder Dasha Kelly and the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, included a historical presentation and also gave participants a sneak peek inside the exhibit section of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, which is about 25 percent complete.
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For some of the attendees, memories of the city’s civil rights history are very much alive, while others were hearing about it for the first time. An evening of storytelling, open dialogue and meme-making brought these community narratives together under one roof.
Facilitators told the audience of about 100 people not to worry if they did not know what making a meme meant. They explained that memes are images with captions or comments. An example is a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his “I have a dream” speech with the caption altered to read “I have a meme.”
Lifelong Milwaukeean Noel Waheed, who lives on the North Side, said he enjoyed writing in silver Sharpie over black-and-white photographs depicting scenes he remembered, and then transforming them into memes.
“I like the old photos; they bring back old memories,” Waheed said. “I remember Father Groppi.”
The Rev.  James Groppi was an advisor for the NAACP Youth Council in the 1960s.
Waheed thumbed through photographs of Groppi and Vel Phillips, the first African-American woman to serve on Milwaukee’s Common Council and to become a judge in Wisconsin. Phillips was instrumental in the fight for fair and open housing.
Facilitator Dasha Kelly of Still Waters Collective offers suggestions to participants. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
One meme pictured a young Phillips on the Common Council with the caption, “Nevertheless she persisted,” referring to a statement popularized by the feminist movement in 2017. It brings together Vel Phillips’ unwavering commitment to open housing with the persistence of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in her opposition to the confirmation of Sen. Jeff Sessions for U.S. Attorney General.
Adam Carr, who delivered the historical presentation with Smith, said that in the 1960s, NAACP adults were nervous about the Youth Council’s actions and “thought that a nerdy-looking white priest would calm them down.” Groppi, however, followed the lead of the young members, Carr said.
He added that rather than going to after-school activities such as basketball or forensics, Milwaukee’s Youth Council members marched 10, 15 or even 20 miles for 200 consecutive days.
Mary Arms, who marched in 1967 for open housing, said it means a lot to her to see people, especially youth, discussing the implications of Milwaukee’s long black freedom struggle.
“Generating the interest with all these young people, that’s what’s really nice about this,” Arms said. “As long as we continue to encourage the young, it will get better.”
Kelly added that young people are heading in the right direction, but the community needs to invite them to engage more in conversations about Milwaukee’s incomplete historical narrative, which is biased against people of color.
“That gives them the invitation to change how they see themselves,” Kelly said. They aren’t going to have all the answers right away, because they have algebra and Snapchat to contend with, she said.
History can be easily forgotten, especially when people don’t see themselves reflected in their own city, Kelly noted.
She said that Milwaukee lacks reminders of important civil rights stories, and the history that is taught in schools often lacks positive representations of young people of color, which discourages the habit of inquiry. “You interact with other neighbors who have been conditioned to see you in a particular way or to not see you at all,” Kelly said.
She noted that she lives near a part of the Underground Railroad, which was used to help former slaves escape through Wisconsin to safety in Canada. However, the sign marking the bus stop is bigger than the historical marker for the Underground Railroad, she said.
When the Home Owners Loan Corp., a federal agency, started assigning grades of A for “best,” B for “still desirable,” C for “definitely declining” or D for “hazardous” to communities throughout the nation in the 1930s, the D or “red” areas designated African-American communities. Despite this, areas rich in black cultural history, such as Walnut Street in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, had the highest concentration of black-owned businesses in Wisconsin, Carr said. Other D areas included the South Side, where Latinos and Polish immigrants lived.
“What they are saying with these maps is that if you are a bank or an insurance company it’s too risky to invest in one of these red areas,” Carr said.
This process, known as redlining, played a large role in sparking the initiative for fair and open housing in Milwaukee. Carr said that African-Americans grew extremely frustrated because they could afford better housing, but were denied loans and opportunities because of their race.
Event facilitators are working to find funding for a route of historical markers that would help to better commemorate the important battlegrounds of the city’s civil rights movement. Places such as the second Youth Council Freedom House or Kosciuszko Park, which was the destination of the original open housing march, have become virtually invisible.
Brad Pruitt, ABHM’s interim executive, said that sharing stories and images from the past plays an important role in changing the perception that Milwaukee is, first and foremost, one of the most segregated cities in America.
Dr. James Cameron, who founded the original museum and is one of the only known survivors of a lynching in American history, spent a lifetime dedicated to acknowledging the truths of Milwaukee’s civil rights history, according to Pruitt.
“So what we’re doing here tonight is a full manifestation of Dr. Cameron’s vision for coming together, to exchange and to learn.”

created: December 12, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 11, 2018


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Holiday tips for families affected by Alzheimer’s | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Mike Lynch, Alzheimer’s Association
December 12, 2018
Holiday celebrations are often joyous occasions that families look forward to all year, but they can be challenging for the millions of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5.7 million people in the U.S., and more than nearly 16 million people care for someone with the disease.
To help families navigate holiday-related challenges, the Alzheimer’s Association is offering these simple tips to ensure an enjoyable holiday for all.
The holidays are full of emotions, so let guests know what to expect before they arrive and tell them how they can help. Suggest activities to engage the person with Alzheimer’s or best ways to communicate. Cross talk or simultaneous conversations can be challenging for people living with Alzheimer’s, so try engaging them one-on-one or in smaller group settings.
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: Take time to experiment with new traditions that might be less stressful or a better fit with your caregiving responsibilities. If evening confusion and agitation are a problem, turn your holiday dinner into a holiday lunch or brunch.
: Depending on abilities and preferences, make sure to keep the person with Alzheimer’s involved in the celebrations, such as packing cookies in tins or helping wrap gifts.
: When attending a holiday party, prepare the host for special needs, such as a quiet room for the person to rest, away from the noise and distractions.
: Diminishing capacity may make some gifts unusable or even dangerous to a person with dementia. If someone asks for gift ideas, suggest items people living with the disease can easily enjoy, such as comfortable clothing, favorite music, videos and photo albums.
More holiday tips can be found by visiting the Alzheimer’s Association website.

author: Mike Lynch, Alzheimer’s Association


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City of Milwaukee Health Department launches K2 public awareness campaign | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
December 13, 2018
The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) launched a series of ad campaigns to highlight the dangers of K2. MHD partnered with Ellastic Designs to develop a comprehensive public awareness campaign after a number of hospitalizations from the use of K2 occurred throughout the City, including one death in Milwaukee County. The ads consist of billboards, buses, and bus shelters.
“K2 is marketed as a safe alternative to marijuana,” said Tiffinie Cobb, Substance Abuse and Injury Prevention Manager. “But they are not safe – they are dangerous and can have a number of powerful side effects, including death.”
The campaign was launched in various areas across the city with the message that “K2 is not better, it’s dangerous.” K2 consists of a lot different mind-altering chemicals that are made and sprayed on dried plant material or sold as liquids to be inhaled in products like e-cigarettes or other vaping devices. Since K2 consists of a number of different chemicals, it is hard for consumers to know what they are getting when buying or using this product. The most recent batch that has circulated in Milwaukee consisted of rat poison, which led to severe bleeding, bruising, hospitalizations and death.
“We are glad to partner with local design firm Ellastic Designs, LLC on this campaign,” said Tiffinie Cobb. “It is our hope that people will see these ads and think twice before buying and using K2.”
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The MHD is continuing to remind residents to steer clear of synthetic marijuana, or K2. These products can be found in convenience stores, gas stations and drug paraphernalia shops. If you, or someone you know, have purchased these products, we encourage you to throw them away. If you have used K2 and are experiencing a serious reaction, call 911 immediately or go to an emergency room.
For more information on K2, visit milwaukee.gov/synthetic-weed.

created: December 13, 2018

author: City of Milwaukee Health Department


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City of Milwaukee named semi-finalist for prestigious health award | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Mayor Tom Barrett
December 13, 2018
The City of Milwaukee has been named a semi-finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) 2019 Culture of Health Prize. The nationally-prestigious award is given annually to 10 winning communities committed to health, opportunity, and equity through collaboration and inclusion, recognizing that where we live profoundly affects our health and well-being. The City of Milwaukee’s public/private partnerships and the important public health work happening at the neighborhood level on a variety of impactful initiatives over the past years positioned Milwaukee to be considered a strong semi-finalist for the award.  Some of those accomplishments include:
The winning communities will be awarded a $25,000 cash prize and receive national promotion of their accomplishments. There are two more phases in the selection process and winners will be announced Fall 2019.
Learn more about the RWJF 2018 Culture of Health Prize: rwjf.org/en/library/funding-opportunities/2018/2019-rwjf-culture-of-health-prize.html
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author: Mayor Tom Barrett


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Nearby Nature encourages neighborhood kids to explore outdoors | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 13, 2018
Madison Campbell (left) informs instructor Olivia Raasch and classmates how to classify rocks based on texture and appearance. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Ten-year-old Madison Campbell thinks she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She’s also interested in meteorology and has some knowledge of geology. While she learns some science during school, she takes advantage of other opportunities to learn more. One such opportunity is Nearby Nature, an after-school program at the Lighthouse Youth Center, where Madison and other students can dive more deeply into the realm of science.
Nearby Nature was established by the Great Waters Group, part of the Sierra Club of Wisconsin’s John Muir Chapter. It began last year when the Sierra Club awarded six $20,000 grants to certain cities to make environmental action more inclusive and diverse. As one of the winners, the Milwaukee group decided to use the money to create youth programs, and Nearby Nature was born.
David Thomas, one of the founders of Nearby Nature, is a longtime member of the Sierra Club and other organizations including Friends of Lincoln Park. Thomas had noticed a lack of diversity in environmental programming. A lot of effort was made to engage people in suburban neighborhoods, while impoverished neighborhoods were often ignored, he said.
Thomas noted that while neglected land could become a nature preserve, an area such as Lincoln Creek within the 30th Street Corridor was used as a dumping ground for spare tires, empty water bottles and other trash. Through the grant, Thomas created a partnership with the Urban Ecology Center. In exchange for approximately half the grant money, the UEC would curate and teach science and nature classes. The rest of the grant went towards community outreach.
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Nyllah Allen wants to be an astronomer after reading about astronomy during a Nearby Nature class. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
During the summer, community program educators from UEC began teaching children at the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club, at 4834 N. 35th St. That program’s success led to after-school programs at the Lighthouse Youth Center, 2475 W. Roosevelt Drive, and Samuel Clemens Elementary, 3600 W. Hope Ave.
Meghan Forseth, the interim branch manager for UEC’s Riverside Park location, explained that the classes and programs depend on the season. During the summer, UEC takes kids on bike rides to Lake Michigan or rock climbing at Riverside. During the winter, the children might go snowshoeing or sledding.
Amariona Barbee, who participated in the pilot summer program, said she particularly enjoyed bird watching. Instructors helped the children look through books and choose a bird to look out for. Amariona chose a bluebird. Although she didn’t spot one, she said it was her favorite activity.
“Our goal is always to get kids outside in nature and enjoying it,” Forseth said. “By taking them regularly it becomes woven into the fabric of their lives.”
Often educators bring native animals to the classroom so that students can engage with them and learn more about their habitats. According to student Da’Bresha Cobbs, one time she and her friends were able to touch snake skins. This fostered her interest in snakes and spiders; her favorite is the daddy long legs.
Instructors such as Olivia Raasch work hard to get the children excited about the program so that they are more likely to participate each week. Games and activities that call on the children’s knowledge keep them engaged.
Madison said part of the reason she participates in Nearby Nature is the fun games. She particularly enjoys playing charades, where the children mime animals such as sharks and lions or celebrities such as Beyoncé and Cardi B. During the program, Madison also enjoyed sharing her knowledge about different cloud classifications and specific rocks.
After reading “Backyard Scientists,” the students drew a picture of themselves studying different sciences. Nyllah Allen, who attends Nearby Nature at the Lighthouse Youth Center, drew herself as an astronomer because she enjoys looking at the night sky and studying the stars.
Several of the young participants said they don’t learn a lot of science during school and Nearby Nature gives them the opportunity to learn more. Da’Bresha recalled learning about hibernation techniques for bears and squirrels. The kids also learned how to tap a tree for sap.
“Ultimately, we’re teaching our next generation of what we hope are stewards of the earth,” Forseth said.
Amariona said she always makes an effort to clean up the yard and street by her house. She added that she would like people to be more considerate by not throwing their trash into bodies of water. Likewise, Da’Bresha called for people to think twice before clearing away trees, since animals live in trees.
Thomas isn’t sure if the Sierra Club will award another grant. In the meantime, he’s doing all he can to raise money to continue the program. Nearby Nature recently became part of the Milwaukee Environmental Consortium. Under the MEC, it can continue into 2019, hire personnel and apply for more grants.
“We’ve got these opportunities waiting to happen if we get the funding,” he said. “There’s a very vibrant movement in the central city.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct which organization established Nearby Nature. We apologize for the error.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 12, 2018


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Riverside Tigers win 2018 MPS Drumline Competition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
December 14, 2018
Jordan Cook-Carter, a senior at Riverside University High School, walked into the 2018 Milwaukee Public Schools Drumline Competition feeling cool and confident. With his experience, he felt as if his team was ready to face rival Rufus King High School again after Riverside’s second-place finish behind Rufus King last year.
“I’ve been a percussionist for about seven years,” Cook-Carter said. “I’ve been playing on the Riverside drumline for three years. This is my final year.”
As it turned out, that confidence would push Cook-Carter and his team to capture Riverside’s first win at the annual competition, which began in 2002. This year’s competition was held at Rufus King High School, 1801 W. Olive St. While the Rufus King Generals came in second place this year, the Riverside Tigers managed to overtake them on home turf.
“The difference (from last year) is we got a lot of experience,” Cook-Carter said. “This is my first time being captain of anything. … (Last year) we were just trying stuff out, trying to piece stuff together real fast. This year, we took our time, we had everybody in, and everybody was on the same page. Everybody was ready to go.”
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Riverside University, Rufus King varsity and junior varsity, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, North Division, Ronald W. Reagan College Preparatory and Washington high schools participated. Golda Meir Middle School, Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts and Wedgewood Park International School competed in middle school-age content, with Golda Meir winning first place.
Isaiah Benson, who works with the Riverside drumline team, said before the competition that facing Rufus King was exciting, but made him a little nervous. He said the competition this year was fierce. “It’s the returning house of the King,” he said. “Just two years ago, we had Milwaukee High School of the Arts take home the championship (its) first year. It’s getting back to the basics of beating King.”
Promise Bruce, a radio DJ for V100.7 FM, emceed the event. “I didn’t really know how proficient some of them would be, because they are high school and middle school students,” he said. “I didn’t know how serious they took it. … Some of these kids are very good at what they do and I could see them doing it (at) a college level as well.”
Cook-Carter said what got his team through the competition was the feeling of togetherness and teamwork. “You do your homework and everything, and all your extracurricular activity, but when you go home and practice for your team, it’s like how you practice for any other team. We’re a group. We’re family.”

created: December 14, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 13, 2018


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NNS announces partnership with WGLB 1560AM | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
December 17, 2018
Dennis Walton and Saryea Murchison with Milwaukee NNS Staff
We are excited to announce a new partnership with WGLB 1560AM’s morning show hosts, Dennis Walton and Saryea Murchison. Our reporters will join them to offer an in-depth look at recently published articles, sharing stories and insights picked up while reporting.
To kick off the partnership, NNS’s deputy editor, Adam Carr, joined Dennis and Saryea in the WGLB studios. The conversation gives an overview of the NNS project and some behind-the-scene details from the NNS newsroom.
Moving forward, look out for NNS reporters joining Dennis and Sarye’s WGLB morning show on a biweekly basis. We will continue to publish the audio of these interviews shortly after the segment airs.
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created: December 17, 2018

author: Dwayne Burtin


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nns-photo | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
December 18, 2018

created: December 18, 2018


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NNS partnership with WGLB 1560AM | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
December 17, 2018
“Track 1” from Untitled – 12-07-18. Track 1.


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WGLB_Logo_white2-1024×768 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
December 17, 2018