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Urban Ecology branch manager finds her place in city’s ecosystem | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Carly Wolf
October 10, 2018
Glenna Holstein says she “grew up” with the Urban Ecology Center. (Photo by Carly Wolf)
Each morning, Glenna Holstein walks to work. As she strolls past the two-story, wood-framed homes, she greets her neighbors with a smile.
To Holstein, 33, her daily commute is symbolic. She walks a path that many Milwaukeeans before her have walked; the route from residential Silver City to the industrial Menomonee Valley. The path was highly traveled during Milwaukee’s industrial heyday in the early 20th century, but had largely gone untraveled since the 1985 closure of the Milwaukee Road Shops, a railyard where the company built and serviced train cars and locomotives.
Holstein, branch manager for the Urban Ecology Center in Menomonee Valley, sees these two Milwaukee neighborhoods returning to a prosperous relationship. The key is a connection to the natural environment. Developments within recent years, such as Three Bridges Park and the Menomonee Valley Community Park, are part of the return of natural habitat to an area that hadn’t seen greenspace in generations. The greenspace is one of the features that excites Holstein most about her neighborhood.
Holstein’s appreciation for nature began a stone’s throw north of Milwaukee, in suburban Shorewood. As a child, Holstein explored Cambridge Woods. While her parents allowed her to wander outdoors, there were places she wasn’t allowed to go unaccompanied. She always wondered what lay beyond the Locust Street bridge.
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Silver City artwork stands across from the Urban Ecology Center. (Photo by Carly Wolf)
In 1991, the Urban Ecology Center opened in a double-wide trailer in Riverside Park. Holstein’s parents began to take the budding ecologist to programs at the center. Finally, she crossed the bridge.
As her interest in ecology grew, so did her involvement with the Urban Ecology Center. In high school, she volunteered at the center. During her college years, she became an intern.
“I got to grow up with the center in a way,” Holstein said.
Holstein went across the country, to California, for college. “I really wanted to experience something different. Had I known better, I would have known I could experience something different by going to the other side of our city.”
During her first semester away, she recalls feeling a bit off. One day, she visited a nature center and stumbled across a little freshwater pond.
Suddenly, relief. “I thought, ‘Oh! I’ve missed water this whole time!’” Holstein recalled.
Her experience in California taught her about ecology and introduced her to new people, but ultimately led her back to where she grew up.
“It really became clear to me that I was, as silly as it sounds, part of this ecosystem,” Holstein said. “This was the ecological community that I was a part of, so it’s the one that I really, really cared about.”
Caring for her ecosystem led Holstein to the Urban Ecology Center’s newest branch in Menomonee Valley. Holstein was there to cut the red tape in September of 2012 and has seen the center grow from its infancy.
She began her new role by knocking on peoples’ doors. She wanted to know what the neighbors of the new branch needed and what the center could bring them. She was met with an excited community filled with creative ideas for the center.
Lidia Villazaez, Silver City community outreach manager for Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN), a neighborhood organization for Silver City and two adjacent communities, noted that the opening of the Urban Ecology Center was especially important and exciting for young families.
“Having the Urban Ecology Center so close allowed for better access to services, like their children’s summer camp. Without (the center) families in this area would have less access and options for safe, educational and reliable spaces for their children,” Villazaez said.
Since moving to Silver City, Holstein said neighborhood leaders have inspired her to become an active member of the community. She recently took part in the “Neighbors in Action” course organized by LBWN.
Raina Johnson, a friend who took the course with Holstein, said her work is noticed by others.
“Just like the earth she cares so deeply for, she cares for people that way, too. She sees all these connection points, and quietly leads with dignity and makes sure that all voices are at the table,” Johnson said.
For Holstein, fresh air and greenspace are personal priorities.
“We know access to fresh air is important. We know it’s better for our brains and bodies. And that’s true for everyone,” she said. “I would say it’s also better for our souls.

author: Carly Wolf


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

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: October 9, 2018

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

author: Adam Carr


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Advocates commemorate MSDF inmate deaths on facility’s anniversary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ryeshia Farmer
October 11, 2018
Organizers from Just Leadership USA (JLUSA) and Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) gathered with volunteers, activists, former inmates and loved ones outside of the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) on Oct. 8 to honor the memories of 17 individuals who died in the facility. The demonstration featured displays commemorating the deceased, a vigil and a candlelight procession to MSDF, 1015 N. 10th St.
Advocates for the #closeMSDF campaign said inmates have died from pneumonia, suicide, seizures and at the hands of MSDF guards. They also said Inmates endure extreme heat (as high as 116 degrees) and 20-hour lockdowns while being denied sunlight, time outdoors and in-person visitations. Vigil attendees told the stories of lives lost, then #CloseMSDF organizers asked those present to sign petitions, write to Gov. Scott Walker and attend future campaign events.
Event organizers listed the 17 people who have died at MSDF since 2001 as Moses Black, Jose Casarez, Jeremy Cunningham, James Daczyk, Jesse Davis, Peter Fengier, Robert McKinney, Jamie Medina, Bruce Morgan, Michael Moore, Russell Lee Murray, John Olsen, Cynthia Smith, Rodney Thornton, Myron Weston, James Wilborn and Wallace Williams.
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created: October 11, 2018

author: Ryeshia Farmer


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Fatherhood summit encourages men to participate in children’s lives | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Max Nawara
October 11, 2018
David Banner, a Grammy-Award-winning hip-hop artist, gives the keynote speech at the 2018 Fatherhood Initiative Summit. (Photo by Max Nawara)
After spending 10 years in prison, Andre Farrington turned his life around. He owns a successful business and has three sons, 19, 6 and 8 years old. Despite his recent success, Farrington was still behind on his child support payments from his time in prison.
He was one of hundreds of people who braved the rain and flocked to the 13th annual Fatherhood Summit last weekend. They were greeted by workers from multiple organizations who were there to help fathers become more responsible for their families.
At tables stretched throughout the front room of the Greater New Birth Church, 8237 W. Silver Spring Drive, Fatherhood Initiative workers helped men straighten out their child support payments and recover suspended or revoked drivers’ licenses. They also helped with health screenings, educational services, criminal record expungement and legal counseling. The summit included a health fair as well as a job and resource fair that introduced fathers to potential employers across Milwaukee County.
Jelaqua Tucker, the program director of workforce development at Wisconsin Community Services, said that the most important role of the summit was to provide access to resources that fathers need in a one-stop shop.
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At the event, Wisconsin Community Services specialized in getting fathers’ driver’s licenses back so that the men could apply for a wider range of jobs. Last year, she said, she helped a man get his license, a small loan for a car and a steady job in Waukesha.
Andre Farrington, business owner and father of three, networks at the Fatherhood Initiative Summit’s job fair. (Photo by Max Nawara)
Tucker said she wants people to understand that they can get these resources throughout the year. “You’ve got to get yourself together first before you can be there for your family or partner.”
According to Paula Pitchford, who worked at the check-in desk, more than 160 newly registered fathers signed in half way through the first day of the two-day summit.
“People come for all different reasons, but, when people leave, they’re all smiles,” said Pitchford.
The theme of the 13th annual summit, sponsored by the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, was “We are rising and uplifting our community through our fathers,” reflecting the important role that fathers play.
Speakers included Mayor Tom Barrett, County Executive Chris Abele and hip-hop artist David Banner, who delivered the keynote speech.
Banner, a Grammy-Award-winning music producer and recording artist from Jackson, Mississippi, used humor to bring a lighthearted feel to an otherwise serious event.
“I joke because the stuff we need to talk about is so painful,” said Banner.
In his high-energy speech, he spoke about the integral role that his father played in his life and commented on how important it is for young fathers to actively participate in their children’s lives.
Banner added that prominent black men have to pave the way for others.
“If I want these young men to do better, I have to do better,” he said. “I have to set an example.”
Farrington, the owner of National Food Mart, a convenience store at 530 W. National Ave, found Banner’s presentation compelling.
“I’ve seen his turnaround from hip-hop to political and I think that he’s really impacting people. It’s working for him,” said Farrington. “Everybody that he speaks to can get some form of his knowledge.”
When he got to the summit he said he was blown away by the turnout. He had to take off work to attend but said he didn’t regret it.
Derrick Bowling, another father who attended the event, said he came to get a support system.
“What brought me here was to get … the driver’s license and child support help,” said Bowling. “But, not only that. Just to be able to network and meet with some guys and get a little bit of information from others.”
Added Farrington, “Coming in and learning a lot of other things — you know, it all just kind of came together. It was worth it.”

author: Max Nawara


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 10, 2018

created: October 10, 2018


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‘The Color of Law’: Profound discussions, lingering questions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Rozga
October 11, 2018
Participants in the Milwaukee Department of City Development book club discuss “The Color of Law.” (Photo courtesy of Department of City Development)
Margaret Rozga, poet, civil rights activist and professor emerita of English at UW-Waukesha, writes that many participants in community discussions about Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law” have been shocked to learn of the government’s pervasive role in creating segregation.
Already it’s having an impact on Milwaukeeans. Richard Rothstein’s book “The Color of Law” is being read widely throughout the Milwaukee area. At least 60 different groups have signed on to the “Color of Law” Community Read organized and sponsored by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC) and Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC). In the words of Nicole Anderson, a participant in the Department of City Development’s reading group, “Our discussions were super profound.”
The book analyzes how decades of federal, state and local governmental policies helped shape the patterns of segregation we now live with. Rothstein challenges the concept of de facto segregation, that is, segregation resulting from people choosing to live close to others of their same color. Instead, he argues and documents that housing segregation, confinement of African- Americans to certain neighborhoods, was government policy, that is, de jure, by law. As neighborhoods were built and even where neighborhoods were already integrated, government policy intervened to thwart that natural integration, so that nationwide housing segregation has been established and/or maintained by law.
The participants in the book read include informal groups of friends and neighbors, groups of co-workers and colleagues, members of community organizations and drop-in groups at public libraries. The structure of the discussions also varied. The group of staff and AmeriCorps members at the Milwaukee Christian Center took an open informal approach. Patrick Schrank, who organized the group, simply asked where everyone was in the reading, and the conversation flowed from there.
At the Department of City Development where three chapters were the focus for each meeting, eight volunteers took turns as discussion facilitators. A group of Bay View and south suburban women generally began with each participant in turn recounting a major impression or point, followed by responses to each other’s observations and then more open discussion. A group meeting at the Milwaukee Turners chose a more formal approach. For each of their three meetings, one or several people wrote up a summary of the chapters to be considered and that served to ground the discussion.
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Many readers were shocked to learn of the extensive and pervasive measures that helped construct segregation. They expressed disappointment in school social studies and history curricula that left them so uninformed. Other readers, some of them African-American, said the book reaffirmed what they had always known at least in its general outlines. Paula Mackey, for example, said she has lived within the limitations Rothstein describes, so that was not news, but his book was like getting the official diagnosis; it “brought clarity.”
Once discussions were underway, participants contributed personal experiences. The discussions thus supplemented what Schrank called the book’s policy and “place-centered approach.” Department of City Development participant Sierra Starner-Heffron cited these personal stories as a particular reason she appreciated the discussions. With a master’s degree in Urban Studies from UWM, she already knew much of the information in Rothstein’s book. In the discussions that brought together colleagues from multiple divisions of this large department, these facts took on a personal face in the stories of those who had experienced discrimination. These discussions also gave department members a deeper understanding of their own and each other’s work within this larger picture.
Overall enthusiasm for the book and for the discussions was strong. Some readers were surprised to learn that the 1968 Fair Housing Act required communities receiving federal funds to remedy segregated conditions, a provision never enforced. Many of those participating plan to attend Rothstein’s presentation at MATC, 1015 North 6th St., 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Art Heitzer from the Milwaukee Turners group would like to see a public showing of the film “Anne Braden: Southern Patriot,” whose courageous story Rothstein cites. Several groups have decided to continue to meet for discussions of articles on related topics or for brainstorming ways to work on remedies, the term Rothstein uses to frame consideration of future directions.
A question that lingers for many readers is whether the political will exists to remedy the effects of long-term policies of segregation. This question takes on new urgency, as reader Peggy Serrano pointed out, given the turmoil regarding Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court and Rothstein’s conclusion emphasizing the role of the Supreme Court.
On the local level, will Milwaukee, the city, and Milwaukee, the metropolitan area, examine current policies and new initiatives for their impact on furthering or deconstructing segregation? If so, when and how? How can individual citizens and groups of concerned citizens participate in ways that draw on their new or renewed understanding of racial injustice nurtured by the book’s careful documentation? These are among the key questions many readers will bring to Rothstein’s presentation and community discussion.
To reserve a seat for the free Richard Rothstein presentation, follow this link to the Eventbrite reservation page.

author: Margaret Rozga


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More than 100 new affordable apartments add to Harambee development | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 12, 2018
Dawn Sanders speaks about her father, the late real estate developer Welford Sanders, at the opening celebration of the Welford Sanders Historic Lofts. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Kira Sanchez was attracted to the historic feel of the newly redeveloped Welford Sanders Historic Lofts when she rented a two-bedroom apartment in the building last spring. Raised on the South Side, the 21-year-old moved north to be closer to UWM, where she was a part-time psychology student, and to her restaurant management job downtown.
“It’s really conveniently located just five minutes from both,” said Sanchez.
Community leaders, investors and neighbors recently celebrated the official opening of the Welford Sanders Historic Lofts and Enterprise Center and the neighboring Fifth Street School Apartments, both newly redeveloped in historic buildings in the Harambee neighborhood. Together they bring 107 new apartments, 95 percent of which are offered at reduced rates based on income.
Built in 1916 as a Nunn Bush shoe factory, the loft apartment building was acquired by the late real estate developer and UWM urban planning professor Welford Sanders. Following his death in May 2015, the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp., where Sanders served as executive director for more than 15 years, undertook a joint venture with Wisconsin Redevelopment, a real estate development company. Together they transformed the former factory into 59 rental apartments at 2812 N. 5th St. They also developed 38,000 square feet of office space in the Enterprise Center, adjoining the apartment building at 2821 N. Vel Phillips Ave. Occupants of the fully-leased center are nonprofits and organizations involved in eliminating barriers to employment through job training and other support services.
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The 59 loft apartments include three four-bedroom, two three-bedroom and 54 two-bedroom units. In addition to underground parking, a large sixth floor community room, fitness room and movie theater, the building offers tenants modern spaces with exposed brick walls and timber ceilings, hardwood floors, all kitchen appliances and two full bathrooms.
The Welford Sanders Historic Lofts were open for tours at a recent celebration. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Reduced rate rents range from $687 to $1,100 a month, according to Leo Ries, MLKEDC executive director.
Mamie Jallow, 23, and her cousin occupy the one market-rate apartment, for which they pay $1,200. Ries said the original plan was to offer that apartment at a deeply discounted price in exchange for custodial duties. But after Jallow and her cousin moved in, they decided they could not do all of the required care-taking so they were given a smaller discount, Ries said. Jallow acknowledged that she is worried about the cost.
Tenants started moving into the Welford Sanders Loft apartments in April and there are only three units available, Ries said.
Sanchez said her $840 monthly rent covers water but not other utilities. She feels that the rent is high but is otherwise pleased with her apartment and the building. She has heard about car break-ins in the area and is concerned on behalf of her visitors but hopes that police patrols will increase and put a stop to them.
Her neighbors are elderly people, kids and families and everyone is friendly, Sanchez said. When passing, neighbors usually call out a greeting and wish her a good day. She thinks she may be the only Hispanic among the mostly African-American tenants and one Middle-Eastern family she has seen there, she said.
More than 90 percent of the current occupants are African-American, 80 percent are families with children, 15 percent are young professionals and 5 percent are seniors, Ries said.
Enterprise Center tenants include Milwaukee Job Works, the Alma Center and Project Return.
The $21 million project was funded with historic and affordable tax credits.
Across the street, Gorman & Company has redeveloped the vacant 5th Street School, built in 1888. The $9.7 million apartment project includes 48 studio and one- and two-bedroom rental units for seniors 55 and older. Four will be rented at market rates and the rest at reduced rates on a scale determined by income. Some will be reserved for low-income veterans and homeless people referred by Lutheran Social Services. The nonprofit will provide support services to eligible residents.
The building includes parking, a large community room, business center and fitness room.
As of this week, 32 applications for affordable apartments have been approved and those applicants will begin signing leases immediately, according to Latasha Carter, Gorman & Company property manager. She expects renters to begin moving in at the end of October.
The complex funding package put together by developers and many partners — historic and low-income housing tax credits, TIF financing and grants — enabled the developers to qualify for low-cost mortgages that make it possible to offer reduced rents, Ries explained.
The opportunity for low-income individuals to “live somewhere really nice in this area is great,” said Baboonie Tatum, a co-owner of the nearby Rise & Grind Café at 2737 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Office workers in the Enterprise Center come to the café and place catering orders, she said, but she’s not sure residents have had an impact on her business yet.
Tatum was happy to hear about the movie theater at Welford Sanders Lofts because urban children have little access to movies, she said.
She added that longtime neighborhood residents fear that they will be pushed out by the new development in the area and she hopes that will not occur. Overall, Tatum said the redevelopment projects are “going to be very positive for the neighborhood.”

created: October 12, 2018

author: Andrea Waxman


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 11, 2018


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Spirit of Wakanda Festival highlights African, black art | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
October 12, 2018
The Spirit of Wakanda Festival, an arts festival celebrating African and African-inspired art and community fellowship, took place on Saturday, Oct. 6 the Mobile Design Box, 753 N. 27th St.
Local African dance and drumming group O.N.F.Y.A.H. (Our Nation For Youth Arts & Healing) performed during the opening ceremony and throughout the festival.
Visual artists included Ken Brown, Nubian Star, Ammar Nsoroma, Sonji Hunt, William Muhammed, Mutope Johnson, Darron Reed, Jeffrey Brown, T. Ruth Shank and Rachael Thompson.
Other activities included an arts and crafts table hosted by A.W.E. and music by DJ Sherman.
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author: Sue Vliet


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Youth coach uses football to teach players life lessons on and off field | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Max Nawara
October 13, 2018
Jamar Lockwood and his son, Jaheim, play football in their front yard. (Photo by Max Nawara)
All eyes are on Antwon Compton, running back for the Milwaukee Bears youth football team, as he ducks and weaves past the Milwaukee Steelers’ defensive line. His mother, Zemeca, runs down the sideline alongside her son, cheering at the top of her lungs. The spectators erupt in applause as Antwon scores a touchdown.
Antwon’s mother credits his success with the strong coaching style of the team’s head coach, Jamar Lockwood. Lockwood is more than a coach of football; he tries to coach children’s lives.
“He’s a good role model. My son loves him,” said Compton. “He’s a good father figure toward Antwon … I love him, too!”
Lockwood, 39, coaches football for the Milwaukee Neighborhood Children’s Sports League. The league, which has been operating in Milwaukee for 60 years, is a nonprofit organization that encourages youth development through football and cheerleading. It works to help children develop solid leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills at a young age. Lockwood also fosters a sense of friendship and family.
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“I try to push those kids to new heights,” Lockwood said.
Milwaukee Bears running back Antwon Compton carries the ball for a touchdown. (Photo by Max Nawara)
Originally from Gary, Indiana, Lockwood got involved in football and basketball as a child. His father was a referee when he was growing up, so he was always exposed to sports. He first started playing football in eighth grade but wishes that he had begun earlier.
“I didn’t realize how fun football was,” Lockwood said. “I was like ‘Wow, this is fun. I should have been doing this a long time ago.’”
Lockwood took a liking to the sports teams of the nearest major city, Chicago. His love for Chicago sports, especially football, influenced him to become a coach.
He first started coaching for the Peewee division of the Raiders team. After six-and-a-half years, he became head coach of the Bears, who practice at Johnsons Field in Lindsay Heights. He has been with the Bears for four years, and with the league for about 10 years.
“Coach Lockwood is one of our most outspoken and dedicated coaches,” said Palone Williams, secretary of the league’s executive board of directors. “I’ve been doing this for years and working with him has been phenomenal.”
Williams emphasized Lockwood’s commitment to his team and the league. She said that at every game Lockwood cheers on other teams and is friendly with the other coaches.
“I’ve got kids of my own, so I really started getting into it with the boys — how can I keep them active and committed and keep them busy and balance out their days,” said Lockwood.
Lockwood sees football as a perfect sport to teach kids structure on and off the field. “You’ve got to have kids that buy into you and start playing hard for you. That’s how you build that camaraderie, like a family. That’s how you start winning games.”
His sons, ages 12, 11 and 9, all play for Lockwood on the Bears. “I love playing football because my dad got me into it,” said Lockwood’s son Jordan, 11. “I’ve been playing since I was 5.”
Lockwood also tries to get other families involved with the team as much as possible.
“We do birthday parties, we go out to eat, we go watch high school games with them, go shopping. We try to bring the families, too. It’s more than just football,” Lockwood said.
Tedo Wilson, the mother of one of Lockwood’s players, said that he makes sure the children are doing well in school. He often enforces discipline if grades are slipping.
“He calls and texts parents to make sure homework is done. If it’s not, they do laps,” said Wilson.
“[The Neighborhood Children’s Sports League] keeps football leagues going every year and they keep kids from getting in trouble and off the streets,” said Lockwood’s 12-year-old son, JJ.
“It keeps [kids] locked in for at least half of the year,” Lockwood noted. “They always have something to look forward to. They aren’t just at home playing video games; they’re busy. When you’re bored, time goes slow and you find bad things to do.”

created: October 13, 2018


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 12, 2018


text:
Milwaukee advocacy groups urge victims to report sexual assault | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
October 15, 2018
(Photo by Adam Carr)
While the furor over the sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has quieted down, local sexual assault resource centers are urging victims of sexual violence to seek help.
Carmen Pitre, executive director of Sojourner Family Peace Center, said only an estimated 8-10 percent of victims come forward about their sexual assault. Survivors of sexual assault often internalize their experience, negatively affecting their ability to process certain emotions and relationships.
Sexual assault victims also tend to experience repeat assaults once they have been assaulted the first time, Pitre said. She also said not everyone wants medical treatment or forensics exams, such as rape kits. Rather, they want someone to listen to them and help them emotionally process their encounter.
“If I didn’t fully deal with that pain, it is walking with me in my adult life,” Pitre said. “It’s impacting everything about who I am until I’m given an opportunity to heal. … It’s this layering of hurt and pain … that people have just lived through and lived with.”
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Pitre said sexual assault victim advocates at Sojourner reported an increase in calls during the Kavanaugh hearings. She said her friends and family were affected by the hearing because it brought up older memories.
According to Nicky Glaser, manager of Aurora Healing and Advocacy Services at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, “People who call our hotline might be sharing something that recently happened and they’re looking to get more information, or they’re triggered by something. Or we have folks who, after not having ever disclosed … it’s been years, and they might be ready to delve into it more.”
Carmen Pitre, executive director of Sojourner Family Peace Center, said the center’s victim advocates have reported increased calls in the past month. (Photo by Grace Connatser)
She said the number of calls the center’s 24-hour hotline receives has at least doubled within the past month. “On a typical day, we might get one or two crisis-oriented calls,” Glaser said. “With the conversation on sexual violence at the national front, that number has increased to a minimum of three to four (calls) each day.”
The increase coincided with the spotlight on sexual assault after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh became public throughout September. Ford said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in 1982 when they were both in high school.
Glaser said on Sept. 27 and 28, the last days of the Kavanaugh hearing, the center received at least five or six crisis calls each day, tripling the average number.
Vickie Boneck, director of marketing and communications at IMPACT 211 in southeastern Wisconsin, said that the organization doesn’t have data that substantiates an increase in sexual assault calls. However, Boneck added the organization has received more calls for emotional help in grappling with survivor trauma. She also mentioned that victims are often calling for something else, such as shelter or family services, and through their conversation with an advocate, they reveal their experience with sexual assault. Holding onto that experience without seeking immediate help has affected their lives even decades later.
“We’ve seen an increase in people who are mentioning that they have previous sexual assault experiences,” Boneck said. “People are more comfortable admitting that it is a contributing factor in the situation they are in now.”
Dana World Patterson, chair of the City of Milwaukee Human Trafficking Task Force, said the effects of sexual assault manifest differently in every individual. She said because of the traumatic nature of the incident, people shouldn’t judge those who have been sexually assaulted. “It shows up differently for everyone,” Patterson said. “There’s a lot of mistrust, anger, needing to be reaffirmed and confirmed … They may be at the breaking point where they need help.”
Patterson also said it’s critical to stand with and advocate for victims, because it takes courage to come forward with that experience and share it with others. It’s difficult to go through healing for sexual assault experiences, she said, and victims need a support network. “You go from victim to surviving to thriving, and that’s where I want them to land,” she added.
Glaser said the first step is to believe survivors. “That’s never going to change,” she added. “We’re always going to start with believing survivors. … We’re here to provide support along their healing journey.”
She noted that the conversation around Kavanaugh hearing has helped increase visibility for sexual assault hotlines and treatment centers because people are looking for resources and support for their own experiences. “We just want to do our part to make sure that folks know we are available to the community. We’re available to survivors and loved ones. People can reach us 24/7 with our hotline,” Glaser said. The hotline number is 414-219-5555.
Pitre said the Kavanaugh hearing and the #MeToo movement have not affected how Sojourner conducts its victim advocacy practices.
“It just confirms what we know to be true,” Pitre said. “It’s very difficult to come forward and say you were hurt in this way, that someone sexually violated you. … Our role has always been to make it safe, to walk with people as they’re trying to disclose and make reports.”

created: October 15, 2018

author: Grace Connatser


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 14, 2018

created: October 14, 2018


text:
Nov. 6 election info from League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County
October 15, 2018
★ When does early voting begin?
Early voting is available through Nov. 4 using an absentee ballot at your municipal clerk’s office or at sites in the community in the city of Milwaukee. Early voting is now open in the City of Milwaukee. Contact your local clerk for early voting dates in other municipalities. If you are not already registered to vote, you may register and vote on the same day.
https://www.lwvmilwaukee.org/in-person-voting
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★ What’s on my ballot?
Preview your ballot (any voting address):
https://myvote.wi.gov/en-US/PreviewMyBallot
Preview your ballot (City of Milwaukee residents can view an actual sample ballot):
https://itmdapps.milwaukee.gov/electedreps/pollingElectedReps/checkAddress.jsp
(enter your address, then click Sample Ballot at the bottom of the page)
★ How do I know if I’m registered to vote?
Check your voter registration status here:
https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/MyVoterInfo
★ Can I register to vote online?
Yes, you can register to vote here (Oct. 17 is the last day to be able to complete voter registration online):
https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/RegisterToVote
★ What do I need to bring with me to vote?
To vote, you must prove WHO you are. To register to vote, you must prove WHERE you live. Bring your Wisconsin driver license, or your Wisconsin state ID, or your naturalization certificate to vote. For more Photo ID for Voting information:
https://www.bringitwisconsin.com/do-i-have-right-photo-id
If you need to register to vote on the same day you vote, you must also bring Proof of Residence that has your current name and address.  This can be:  Wisconsin driver license, or your Wisconsin state ID (must include current address), utility bill, bank statement, credit card statement, lease, or any government letter or document that has your name and current address on it. More on acceptable ID to register to vote here:
https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/dwalton/RegistrationPackagewithPORInfo6.pdf
★ What are the online/mail deadlines for registering or to request an absentee ballot?
Wednesday, Oct. 17: Last day to register to vote online or by mail
Thursday, Nov. 1: Last day to request absentee ballots by mail
★ Where do I vote?
Enter your address at this website to see where your polling place is located:
https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/FindMyPollingPlace
★ When do the polls open and close on Election Day?
Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2018
More information: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/
and https://www.lwvmilwaukee.org/november-6-general-election


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Screen Shot 2018-10-15 at 12.04.10 PM | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 15, 2018


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City of Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault statement on Domestic Violence Awareness Month | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
October 16, 2018
The Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is calling on all Milwaukee area residents to wear purple on Purple Thursday, October 18, as a sign of support for local survivors and to honor the lives lost to domestic violence. The effort is part of the annual Domestic Violence Awareness month in Milwaukee.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from a national “Day of Unity” held in October 1981 through the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect advocates across the nation who work to end intimate partner violence. Locally, the Milwaukee Commission of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, along with local organizations come together to:
This year we join our national allies in emphasizing a call to action to bring not only awareness to the issue but demand action to break the cycle. By taking a stand, we intend to remind the nation that there are still countless people impacted by domestic violence including survivors, their children, families, friends and the community. Locally, we ask every individual, employer, and organization to wear purple on Purple Thursday as a message of support for survivors. Through the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and the Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the city remains committed to raising awareness of this issue and engaging all segments of our community in putting an end to domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Milwaukee provides the opportunity for us to unite and expose intimate partner violence. This year, local efforts include a press conference at the City Hall Rotunda on October 18. There are also many local events taking place to honor survivors and advocates throughout the month.
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Starting Tuesday, October 16, purple ribbons will be available, free of charge, in the City Hall Rotunda for community members to show support for this cause. Everyone is encouraged to wear their ribbon throughout October to take a stand against domestic violence.
Those interested in raising awareness and standing with survivors through social media can tag the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention’s Facebook page on Purple Thursday with group photos wearing purple in support of these efforts. Also, use the hashtags #EndDomesticViolenceMKE #PurpleThursday #414Life on all social media outlets.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Milwaukee is coordinated and supported by a collaborative group of organizations, including the City of Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, OVP, Sojourner
Family Peace Center, UMOS, and Asha Family Services.

created: October 16, 2018

author: City of Milwaukee Health Department


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On the Block: The power of women | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
October 16, 2018
Regina Fondren was browsing the internet when she saw a posting about the recent Black Women’s Empowerment March honoring Vel Phillips. The march allowed her to celebrate Phillip’s life and honor the women leading the movement today. Women do so much, she said.

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 15, 2018


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YoungStar ratings are rising, but family providers struggle | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Analise Pruni
October 16, 2018
Hermione Riggins is one of 81 children who attends the Burke Early Education Center. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
While YoungStar ratings for child care centers are improving in Milwaukee County, the number of family providers continues to fall.
The number of children enrolled in high-quality child care (rated four or five stars) more than tripled in Milwaukee County between 2013 and 2018, increasing from 1,693 to 6,077, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
However, 85 percent of certified family childcare providers in Milwaukee County have closed in the last 10 years, according to the Quality Early Care & Education Network, a project of Milwaukee Succeeds. There are now 549 certified or licensed family providers with two or more stars in Milwaukee County, according to the “child care finder” on the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families YoungStar website.
YoungStar evaluates Wisconsin child care centers on a scale of one to five, based on staff education; learning environment and curriculum; business and professional practices; and health and wellness practices. Childcare providers that receive state funding are required to participate in YoungStar.
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Mama Bear’s Family Child Care, at 2311 E. Vollmer Ave., is an example of a high-quality family provider that is struggling to keep the doors open.
Although the center’s YoungStar rating rose from three to four stars in the most recent evaluation, the improvement came at a price.
“I have $18,000 in credit card debt right now just because of all the YoungStar requirements over the years,” said owner Barbara Kelley. “I keep putting it on a credit card because I don’t have the money for it.”
Kelley has an associate’s degree in early childhood education. She has raised five kids of her own, has six grandchildren and started babysitting when she was 13 years old. Despite her years in the field, she plans to close Mama Bear’s as soon as she can afford to. She said she wants to pursue a business degree.
Kelley noted the limitations of a one-person operation. “[According to regulations] you have to be able to see the kids in the bathroom,” she said. “What am I supposed to do, take my walls down? I live in this house.”
Joseph Carey loves watching the lizards when he stays at Mama Bear’s Family Child Care, owned by Barbara Kelley. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Reaching for stars
The Burke Early Education Center, located at the COA Goldin Center at 2320 W. Burleigh St. in Amani, started with a two-star rating and now has four stars.
In addition to evaluating child care quality, YoungStar directs providers toward grants and offers them technical assistance to help improve their ratings. Some of the assistance is specifically aimed at improving two- and three-star providers. DCF offers free college courses, technical consulting and on-site training. It also distributed 1,200 kits containing books, art and play materials, and math and fine motor-skills supplies to two- and three-star centers.
The Burke center, which can enroll up to 116 children, shares best practices with other providers to help them succeed. “We can be a pilot for other programs,” said Ashley Harrell, the center’s director.
Group centers such as Burke tend to rate better and have more resources than family providers, according to the WPF report. Most providers in the state have a two-star rating, the report found.
Insufficient education is a key barrier to improving YoungStar ratings. Family providers often lack the funds and the time to go back to school. There are also fewer opportunities to advance professionally at in-home family operations compared to larger group centers.
“Education is definitely a barrier, but also what we’re giving early education teachers is almost an insult,” Harrell said. “We don’t really treat daycare or early education center teachers as teachers.” The average childcare teacher makes $8.50, according to the Quality Early Care & Education Network.
Harrell said that YoungStar has failed some smaller family providers and programs with one or two stars. “Here at COA we have a development team that helps us write our grants,” Harrell said. “Ma and pa who have a family day care, who helps them write their grants?”
Four- and five-star providers receive a boost in payments from the state, while three-star providers receive the baseline payment. Child care operations with two stars have been penalized 5 percent in their state funding. However, beginning this month the reduction will only be 1 percent.
According to the WPF report, the DCF has begun to address some of the factors that prevent family providers from improving their ratings.
DCF has said that the education requirements to qualify for three stars would change in 2019-2020, stating that the changes will “reduce cost and other structural barriers to higher education completion and support family child care programs.” In lieu of completing college coursework, two-star providers will be able to demonstrate strong knowledge of high-quality program practices to achieve the three-star rating.
Joe Peterangelo, WPF senior researcher, said the changes “point to an awareness that the issue was creating a barrier and it was especially difficult for family providers to overcome. That’s why disproportionately they’ve been stuck at a two-star rating.”
Although some family providers find it difficult to keep up with YoungStar regulations, the number of quality providers in general is on the rise. Between February 2013 and July 2018, four- and five-star child care providers in Milwaukee County increased from 60 to 152, according to the WPF report.

author: Analise Pruni


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Amid praise for stop-and-frisk from Trump, ACLU educates people about their rights | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 17, 2018
Stephen Jansen (from left), Charles Collins and Caleb Roberts were plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Speaking earlier this month in Florida to law enforcement officials gathered for the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, President Donald Trump praised stop-and-frisk policies, the legality of which has been challenged in several U.S. cities, including Milwaukee.
“[Stop-and-frisk] works, and it was meant for problems like Chicago. It was meant for it,” the president said, criticizing the agreement the city of Chicago entered into with the ACLU in 2015 to reform stop-and-frisk policies.
In Milwaukee, ACLU of Wisconsin officials are in the midst of an effort to end the practice and debunk the myth that it is a necessary and effective tool for law enforcement.
According to Jarrett English, senior field organizer for the ACLU of Wisconsin, stop-and-frisk erodes community trust and is one of the main causes of the state’s extreme racial disparities within the prison system.
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“That’s why we’re working to end the practice of racialized policing in the City of Milwaukee,” English said.
The ACLU of Wisconsin reached a $3.4 million settlement in July as a result of a lawsuit filed against the city, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and the Police and Fire Commission related to stop-and-frisk policies and the racial profiling of blacks and Latinos.
Rep. David Crowley, speaking at an unrelated press conference last year, was a plaintiff in the ACLU case. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
One of the plaintiffs in that case, Charles Collins, discussed the lawsuit last weekend at an ACLU event held at Centennial Hall, 733 N. 8th St. There, Collins described the impact of being repeatedly stopped and questioned by Milwaukee police.
“It’s almost like a normalization,” he said. “It’s like you already assume the police are going to stop you,” added Collins, who wore yellow-tinged glasses and a brown-and-tan vest.
Many individuals of color in Milwaukee, including State Rep. David Crowley, Stephen Jansen and Caleb Roberts, who were also plaintiffs in the lawsuit, have been stopped by police for no apparent reason.
“We got pulled over, the doors were opened, flashlights shining and guns being pointed,” said Roberts, who was giving his cousins and friends a ride home after a concert at Summerfest. After a license check and search by police, Roberts was allowed to drive away. He said police never explained why he was stopped. “As we drove off, they pulled over someone else,” Roberts added.
According to Karyn Rotker, senior staff attorney for ACLU of Wisconsin, stop-and-frisk policies became reinvigorated in Milwaukee under former police chief Edward Flynn, who resigned in January.
“He brought in a deliberate and indiscriminate stop-and-frisk policy,” Rotker said.
Flynn’s policy on stop-and-frisk, in addition to data collected as part of the ACLU’s 2013 report, “The War on Marijuana in Black and White,” drew the ACLU’s attention to Milwaukee’s large disparities in arrest rates not just for marijuana possession, but also for other non-violent crimes.
“Disparities in arrests in Milwaukee jumped off the page,” said Jason D. Williamson, deputy director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project.
ACLU officials began collecting and reviewing data on tens of thousands of MPD stops, and talking to residents about what they wanted to see done about the evidence of racial profiling and additional unlawful practices they uncovered.
The process led to a lawsuit and a series of changes to MPD stop-and-frisk policies, new data collection protocols and fulfillment of other community demands.
The organization has since been working to inform the community about the impact of the lawsuit in Milwaukee and the significant reforms aimed at eliminating stop-and-frisk without reasonable suspicion, or based on race or ethnicity, according to Molly Collins, advocacy director for the ACLU of Wisconsin.
“If the community doesn’t know that these changes are supposed to be taking place, they won’t be able to hold the police accountable to these new standards. We want to make sure the people most likely to be stopped and searched know their rights, and know how to file a complaint about the way they were treated if they need to,” she said.
Those in the city who believe they have been mistreated should file a report with the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission or contact the ACLU, NAACP or Voces De La Frontera for assistance in filing, added Collins.
In addition to improving the process of filing a complaint against police, reforms also include improved training and supervision of officers who conduct stops; collection of more thorough data related to police stops; identification and correction of stops deemed unlawful; and creation of a community advisory board that meets regularly with MPD and the Police and Fire Commission, according to the ACLU.
Data collected by MPD related to stop-and-frisk is also now evaluated by an independent consultant and the ACLU to ensure that progress is being made in implementing the reforms and identifying unlawful stops.
Police Chief Alfonso Morales has been proactive in responding to the lawsuit and also starting the process of training officers and reforming Flynn’s policies, acknowledged English.
But, in a city with a “history of police brutality and injustice, trust needs to be earned and verified perpetually afterward,” English said.

created: October 17, 2018

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2018


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HeartLove Place offering culinary, food safety and job readiness program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Tabitha Smith
October 17, 2018
HeartLove Place has announced that they are enrolling for their newest program: Culinary 101 with Servsafe Food Safety Manager. After the long term success of the Servsafe ProStart program, HLP has decided to offer a shorter culinary training program geared towards quickly connecting out of work participants with livable wage positions throughout the greater Milwaukee area.
Under the leadership of Milwaukee Chef Fred Coleman, a contestant from Season 7 on FOX’s Master Chef, program participants will acquire foundational culinary skills and education necessary for food service management positions. Additionally, participants will complete the Servsafe Food Safety Manager’s exam- a nationally accredited certification for food service professionals.
HeartLove Place has been a provider of food service training since 2005. This program is for adults 18 years older. Interested individuals can expect to see additional programs at HeartLove Place in 2019 for both adults and teens between the ages of 15-17.
HeartLove Place is a nonprofit serving Milwaukee’s Harambee Neighborhood. HeartLove Place has been a provider of food service training since 2005. Founded on the principals of Christian values, HLP provides programs and services that empower, develop, and motivate families and strengthen our community.
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author: Tabitha Smith


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logohlp.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
October 16, 2018

author: Name *


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Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division hosting nursing job fair | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Cameron Anglin
October 17, 2018
Meet with BHD’s nurse recruiter to learn about current opportunities. During the job
fair, nurses will have the opportunity to talk to BHD nurses and nurse manager and other members of the leadership team in order to get a real picture of what a day-in-the-life is like here. Learn about current sign-on bonus offers, loan repayment programs and other perks being offered to new nurses.
Please bring a photo I.D and don’t forget to bring your resume. Registration not required. Stop by anytime between 2 and 5 p.m. on October 18.
Location: Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division’s Plank Conference Room
(9455 W Watertown Plank Road Milwaukee, WI 53226)
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author: Cameron Anglin


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BHD_Job_Fair_FB_Image_1000x518.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
October 9, 2018


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Recognizing mental illness in children | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Penfield Children’s Center
October 17, 2018
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 7 children ages 2-8 years old have a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. Believing that a child’s behavior is simply part of the child’s personality or that the child has a difficult temper or short attention span can make it difficult for parents to recognize that their child has a mental illness. While this is true for some children, others might have an underlying mental health condition that, if not treated, could have effects that last throughout their lifetime.
It can also be common for parents to worry about stigma when deciding whether or not to seek mental health services for their child. Will my friends and family think I can’t control my child? Will the child get made fun of at school if others find out?
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While it is never too late to seek treatment for mental health disorders, early intervention can address issues in a child’s development to help prevent serious mental health concerns in the future.
Mental Health Conditions in Children:
While children and adults can develop the same types of mental health disorders, they often present differently. Some of these conditions include:
The above are just a handful of examples of mental health conditions. If you are concerned about your child’s behavior, consult your child’s physician or mental health specialist as he/she can provide an accurate diagnosis.
If your child is diagnosed with a mental health condition, it is important to remember the child can still lead a very healthy life and that the child is not alone.
Types of Help Available:
If your child is diagnosed with a mental illness, it can be helpful to seek out support. Group sessions led by a mental health professional can provide an opportunity to discuss concerns and receive feedback for managing difficult behaviors.

author: Penfield Children’s Center


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43546075770_35650b4d09_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2018


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Mental Health Children | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2018


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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County seeking Senior Account Manager, Resource Development | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
October 17, 2018
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
Senior Account Manager, Resource Development
Envision a world where every community is a strong one, with jobs that pay a livable wage, good schools are available to everyone and a healthy environment is offered to all. Around the world, right now, United Way is engaging people and organizations in innovative solutions that are transforming that vision into reality. Be part of positive social change in our local community and consider joining our team at United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.
We are seeking a Senior Account Manager in our Resource Development department to help develop and implement effective strategies and tactics to increase workplace and corporate giving in the corporate engagement and healthcare division.
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What will you do?
United Way Core Competencies for All Staff
Supervisory Responsibilities
Additional Requirements
Why Should You Apply?
United Way, a recognized national brand, is the largest funder of health and human services outside of the federal government. Funds raised by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County remain local and are invested in nearly 220 programs at over 110 local nonprofit program partners. Make a difference – apply today.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Disability / Female / Minority / Veteran


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Intergenerational participants talk about community at On the Table dinner | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
October 18, 2018
Clara Beamon and Lilo Allen participate in a dinnertime conversation as part of the second On the Table event. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
Volunteers donning red t-shirts with yellow letters that spelled out, “Conversation builds bridges” on the front, and “Understanding helps us cross,” on the back set each table with plates, silverware, notebooks and a bowl of Starbursts.
As about 70 participants filed into Early View Academy of Excellence, 7132 Good Hope Road, they were sent to different tables based on their age, ensuring that someone under 20, between 20-30, between 30-50, and above 50 was at each table. A high school student in a hoodie took a seat next to an elderly woman in a black suit. They were asked to select their favorite color Starburst from the bowl, but not to eat it yet. Before breaking bread, the participants would use the square candies to break the ice.
“If you picked yellow, please stand up, introduce yourself to those at your table, and share a way that you choose to spend your time when you’re alone,” requested Katina Fuller-Scott, the organizer of the On the Table event, part of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s day of community conversations around the city. An estimated 10,000 people gathered at different tables and events at breakfast, lunch and dinner to talk about a wide array of issues they care about and potential solutions.
“It’s time to move past the idea of ‘these young people’ and ‘these old people’ and welcome in a space of transformation,” Fuller-Scott said to the group. “We’re here to take the time to get to know each other.” Then, participants who chose pink divulged anecdotes of the most exciting thing they’ve ever done.
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Fuller-Scott decided to organize this intergenerational dinner conversation event after attending the first On the Table event at City Hall last year. She loved meeting new people and hearing their perspectives and experiences but felt that two important things were missing: the voices of youth at the table, and conversation about where she lives, in the 9th aldermanic district on the northwest tip of the city.
Katina Fuller-Scott organized her own On the Table event after having a powerful experience last year. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Johnson)
Fuller-Scott partnered with Mt. Zion Assembly Healing Temple, the church’s youth group, and Go To Your Destiny Community Services, a nonprofit organization, to ensure that participants “from generation Z all the way to the silent generation” would be present.
“We were very intentional about inviting all generations, but then not necessarily focusing on the generations because a lot of time when we do that, there are stereotypes attached to it,” Fuller-Scott said. “So tonight we’re talking about community: how do we build community, how do we value our voices, what is our responsibility in our community, and how does that change based on when we were born and how we were raised?”
Participants brought different experiences and pieces of Milwaukee’s past and present to the table. Charlotte Scott moved from the South Side of Chicago to 38th and Brown when she was a little girl. She said she has witnessed the ways that neighborhood has changed throughout her life. Jesse McSwain graduated from North Division High School in 1970. He said he advocated to make sure that Black History Month was celebrated at the school. Lilo Allen teaches a creative writing curriculum she wrote called “Black Girl Magic” and just opened up her own business on the corner of North and Vel R. Phillips avenues. Tyasia Maldonado is a senior at Early View Academy.
The participants identified groups of people they are a part of that could use more support: youth, women, homeowners, elderly people, people who have experienced domestic violence, entrepreneurs, students and neighbors. Trauma, hurting, healing and a responsibility to each other’s well-being surfaced organically as common themes from table to table.
Those sitting at Deondray Love’s table talked about how many people they know are in pain but don’t have safe, healing spaces to express themselves, including access to mental healthcare or groups of supportive people they can trust. “That’s why what we’re doing right now is so necessary, sitting around a table having a conversation, being here with each other,” he said.
“Generational post-traumatic stress disorder is widespread in a lot of our communities,” said Clara Fleming. “We can place blame everywhere, but as a community, we take the fault for that in how we care for each other.”
Fleming, a table leader, brought three guests of different generations with her to the event. When asked why she felt spaces like these are necessary, she responded, “We’re becoming a community of I and me, not we.”
Participants offered ideas on how they could better care for each other and act more neighborly, building the kinds of communities they’d like to see.
“I want young people to have pride in who they are and to know their value,” said McSwain. “We can’t walk around afraid in our community. We have to positively engage with the young people around us.” McSwain said he does this by respectfully approaching teenagers at places such as McDonald’s, questioning their word choice if he hears them cussing, and striking up a friendly conversation.
“The ability to effectively communicate requires you to understand and believe in what an individual can bring to a conversation,” Scott agreed. “Talk to them, not at them”
“A lot of change can come from just listening,” said Maldonado, 17. “I learned that older people actually think a lot of the same things I do. I thought we didn’t agree on anything, but a lot of the people at my table want the same things that I do.”

created: October 18, 2018

author: Allison Dikanovic


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 17, 2018


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MANDI nomination deadline fast approaching, due October 24th | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
October 18, 2018
Nominate for the MANDIs before October 24th!
Sponsored by U.S. Bank, in partnership with LISC Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (known as the MANDIs) recognize excellence in community development. Join us as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the MANDIs and continue to celebrate the good news of successful efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen our great community.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
To nominate a deserving individual, nonprofit organization or business working to make Milwaukee communities better, stronger and more sustainable, visit mandiawards.org to complete the online application.
The MANDI Award categories, criteria, and selection process are outlined on the website. Nominations will be accepted through midnight, October 24, 2018.
Finalists in each category will be announced on December 4th, which also serves as LISC’s Holiday Celebration. Join us for live music, famous food, and delightful drinks at one of Milwaukee’s most premier venues, the Grain Exchange.
Winners will be announced at the official MANDI Awards Gala on Thursday, April 11th, 2019, at Potawatomi Event Center.

author: LISC Milwaukee


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 18, 2018

author: Adam Carr


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South Siders optimistic about new beat cop initiative | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sarah Lipo
October 19, 2018
Police officers gather for the announcement of a new beat initiative in District 2. (Photo by Sarah Lipo)
David Stachnik, the owner of Lindsay Foods Inc. on National Avenue, said some of his employees are afraid to walk to their cars at night, and the loitering and prostitution in the alley behind the meat wholesaler are not conducive to running a business. Stachnik has also heard gunshots in the back alley of his business’ parking lot.
Stachnik said he hopes a new South Side police initiative that will increase the number of officers on foot and bicycles in District 2 will eliminate these problems.
Paul Grippe, a Clarke Square resident who served asa block watch captain, said when he grew up, he knew the names of beat officers, and they knew him. Grippe added that safety is the biggest issue in District 2. “It’s just that we need to get the residents more involved, and they’re not,” he said.
According to Ald. Bob Donovan, it’s important for residents to develop trust and familiarity with officers. “I want officers patrolling these streets that know the difference between the church pastor and the drug dealer. The only way you can accomplish that is the same officers patrolling the same area day in and day out,” he said.
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David Stachnik stands beside the Lindsay Foods’ truck outside his meat wholesaler business on National Avenue. (Photo by Sarah Lipo)
Other police districts have different initiatives, said Sheronda Grant, a spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department. “Each District Captain has been given the autonomy to allocate their officers to meet the specific needs of their unique district,” Grant wrote in an email.
Omar Bravo, the community liaison for Christ St. Peter, 2229 W. Greenfield Ave., has been working in the neighborhood for three years. He said he hopes to see more cops walking around the neighborhood and patrolling, adding, “I think it makes such a difference.”
Retired MPS teacher Pamela Gustafson said she believes deeply in crime prevention. “As a teacher, I always worry about the safety of our children. I want the kids who walk to school, the elderly who walk to their doctor appointments and anyone just to be safe,” added Gustafson, who lives in District 6. She helped organize Operation Impact, a Facebook group dedicated to crime prevention and public safety.
According to Donovan, beat cops will have access to the addresses and phone numbers of business owners and block watch leaders in the neighborhood. “The connection that occurs, the trust that develops and the rapport gained is essential to improving police-community relations and restoring order to the area,” he said.
As part of the initiative, officers will attend church and school events to meet community members, according to a news release.
Stachnik said he has contacted the alderman’s office many times, without productive results. “The old police leadership didn’t put a big emphasis on this. They were more concerned with violent crime,” he said.
Response times for all crimes in ZIP code 53204 in District 2 are better than the citywide average, according to a Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service analysis. In 53204, the average response time was 31.3 minutes in 2016 and 31minutes in 2017. Citywide, the average response time was 38.5 minutes in 2016 and 33.5 minutes in 2017.
The appointment of Police Chief Alfonso Morales in April was essential to creating change in District 2, according to Grippe, who noted that change will take time.
Added Bravo, “(Morales) knows what is happening in the neighborhood, and wants to work with us.”
Donovan said the initiative will not solve all of Milwaukee’s problems. “This is not going to somehow eliminate crime in our neighborhoods, but what it will do is begin the process of restoring trust between police and the people they serve. It will begin to restore order and stability.”

created: October 19, 2018

author: Sarah Lipo


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‘Talking shop’ event to recall hip-hop origins on South Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 22, 2018
Marco Carrasquillo, owner of Follicle, cuts the hair of longtime customer Jose Flores. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
It was the early ’80s, recalled Joaquin Altoro, when he first walked into the Cuteria Barber Shop, which was located where Mitchell Street angles into Forest Home Avenue, across the street from where a Big Boy restaurant and a farmer’s market once stood.
“Someone told me to go there and get cleaned up,” said Altoro, at the time an Allen-Field Elementary School student and part of a breakdancing crew. He didn’t know what to expect when he walked in, said Altoro, now vice president of commercial banking at Town Bank and a board member at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
After all, this was  Milwaukee’s South Side, and although Hispanics had been in the area for decades, the neighborhood and culture were still very much German and Polish. But times were changing and the Hispanic population in the city had grown. According to U.S. Census Data, there were 26,000 Hispanics living in Milwaukee by 1980 and that number would increase to 39,000 by 1990. That burgeoning population, which consisted of many teenagers and other young people, was looking to create its own identity, and some were finding it at places like a barber shop on Mitchell Street, recalled Altoro.
“The beautiful thing about Cuteria is that it was something different. It was a place that supported the hip-hop scene and the movement, and where I got to see people that looked like me and that I could identify with,” he said.
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It wasn’t just the barber shop that drew Altoro and other Hispanic youth from the neighborhood to Mitchell Street, then considered the downtown of the South Side. There were clothing stores, martial arts classes, an annual Sun Fair, room to breakdance and other spaces that drew crowds, recalled Marco Carrasquillo, owner of Follicle Hair Studio, 817 S. 5th St. Carrasquillo had been cutting hair out of his home on West Grant Street when he got his first job in 1982 as a barber at Cuteria. At first, he said, it was an old school shop.
Cuteria and other businesses frequented by youth in the 1980s were located along this row of storefronts where Mitchell Street curves into West Forest Home Avenue. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“The owner was Eddie Siegel, an eccentric kind of guy,  and then there was my mentor, George Arribe. I called him Pops,” said Carrasquillo, who was 21 years old at the time. Carrasquillo had a reputation for being able to hook up the freshest new styles at the time, fashioning tails and dying hair, he said. That brought in a younger clientele, which was already drawn to Mitchell Street by all the other activity. Jose Flores, a longtime friend and customer of Carrasquillo’s, was among those who frequented the scene.
“We’d work out, practice and teach martial arts, listen to music and hang out,” recalled Flores. “It was better than reading the paper because it was where we learned all the biz from the neighborhood,” he added.
That crowd also included Ald. Jose Perez, whose stories about Cuteria and the hip-hop scene on Mitchell Street in the ’80s intrigued artists Adam Carr and Sonja Thomsen. At the time, they  were in the midst of creating “Listening to Mitchell,” an interactive art project that shared decades of sights, sounds and other collected experiences from Mitchell Street.
Carr and Thomsen decided in 2014, when Listening to Mitchell debuted, that one day they would revisit the story of Cuteria and hip-hop’s origins on the South Side. The artists, who are consultants for Gathering Art, Stories and Place, a project of Milwaukee Public Libraries, along with Perez and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, are co-hosting “Talking Shop: Hip Hop on Mitchell Street,” a discussion about the time when hip-hop came to Milwaukee’s Latino community and that street was the place to be.
“We thought it’d be a perfect way to introduce more stories from Mitchell Street into the public consciousness and continue the energy from the first project,” Carr said. The event, fittingly, will take place at Mitchell Street Library on Oct. 23, and will feature a discussion including Perez, Carrasquillo and others. They hope to connect today’s generation with the time and essence of Mitchell Street in the 1980s, and to a conversation that continues to this day — how young people can use their talents to become entrepreneurs and find their way, Carr added.
“The activity of the young people drew music stores, clothing shops; [it] created commerce and brought new economic activity to Mitchell Street at a time when some of the bigger stores were starting to leave,” Altoro said.
Carrasquillo’s experience at Cuteria helped propel his career as a barber; he opened his own shop, Follicle, 15 years ago. The story of Mitchell Street in the ’80s is also one about entrepreneurship and culture, he said.
“This area is where it all began. The era of breakdancing, the music and even the wave of young barbers that took over an industry that had been dominated by older guys forever,” he said.
That spirit of coming together through music, shared culture and resilient spaces drew parallels to “In the Heights,” the Lin-Manuel Miranda play running at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre through October, which is why event organizers thought it would be a great idea to connect the stories.
“’In the Heights’ is about a Latino neighborhood in New York where young people chase their dreams. We thought it would be cool and also connect to our mission to be able to connect our stories on the stage with the stories of Milwaukee,” said Cortney McEniry, director of community engagement at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
Those who attend “Talking Shop,” will have the opportunity to purchase an advance seat for $20 to attend a bus tour of Mitchell Street led by Carr, which will conclude with a trip to see that evening’s performance of “In the Heights.”
Carr believes that those who attend both events will see a natural connection.
“The story featured in the play is a lot like the story of Mitchell Street,” Carr said.
“Talking Shop” begins at 5 p.m., with the bus tour and play beginning at 6:40 p.m.
Editor’s note: Adam Carr is a staff member at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.

created: October 22, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 21, 2018

created: October 21, 2018


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WPCA celebrates Día de Los Muertos with exhibition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
October 22, 2018
Between now and Nov. 17, the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, 839 S. 5th St., will be featuring the 26th annual Dia de los Muertos exhibition, the longest-running commemoration of the Day of the Dead in Milwaukee.
The opening reception was held on Friday, Oct. 19.
Dia de los Muertos celebrates live, rich indigenous traditions and Mexican culture. The exhibition includes altares (alters) created by community groups and WPCA members.
The exhibit includes community altares constructed by:
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Visual Artist presenting sculpture and 2-D artwork include:


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Alderman Stamper announces Metcalfe Park Building Bridges sessions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II
October 23, 2018
Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II invites all residents to attend the “Building Bridges – Metcalfe Park” Police and Resident Listening Circles meetings at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30 and Monday, November 26, 2018 (and February 25, March 25, April 23, 2019). The meetings are coordinated by the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion and will take place at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center St.
Attendees will get to know their neighborhood police officers as well as fellow residents who live, work, learn, and worship in Metcalfe Park. A free community meal is provided at each event and $10 stipends will be offered to the first 20 youth participants (ages 14-24) on each date.
“I encourage residents to attend these sessions as an opportunity for members of the Metcalfe Park community and members of the police community to get to know each other and build relationships,” said Ald. Stamper.
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The sessions are sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.
Anyone with questions about the sessions should call (414) 239-8555.

created: October 23, 2018

author: Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II


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City’s Office of Violence Prevention partners with community campaign to call for an end to gun violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
October 23, 2018
The City of Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) launched a series of ad campaigns aimed at promoting pride and peace throughout the city and empowering residents to take a stand against violence in their community. OVP sponsored two campaigns in the city: We Live Here and Guns Down Miltown. The ads consist of print and digital billboards, as well as bus shelters.
“We have to do everything possible to elevate the positive. We have to make LIFE louder than death,” said Reggie Moore, director of OVP.  “When we saw the Guns Down Miltown t-shirts we immediately reached out to its creators and offered to amplify the message through a city-wide ad campaign in partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor.”
The “We Live Here” ad was developed by OVP and features images from the Blueprint for Peace. The imagery features local residents and promotes the Blueprint for Peace. The phrase “We Live Here” promotes pride in our city and elevates the promotion of LIFE over death.
The second campaign, “Guns Down Miltown,” is the brainchild of local designers Gideon Verdin and Denzel Johnson, who created the message to promote peace. OVP teamed up with Guns Down Miltown to amplify the call for ending gun violence in Milwaukee. In 2017, OVP released the Blueprint for Peace – the first community-driven plan to prevent and reduce violence in Milwaukee. Goal one of the plan is “Stop the shooting.” The partnership with Guns Down Miltown is vital to promote a message of peace and unity.
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“Although the idea behind this campaign has been years in the making, the message is more important today than ever. After going nearly four weeks without a homicide, four lives have been taken from us within the last 48 hours. The loss of one life in our city is unacceptable and our campaign is a reminder of that. We are grateful for the partnership with the Office of Violence Prevention and Clear Channel Outdoor,” said Gideon Verdin, designer of Guns Down Miltown.
For more information about OVP visit: www.milwaukee.gov/staysafe. To read the Blueprint for Peace, visit www.414LIFE.com. To learn about Guns Down Miltown visit: www.gunsdownmiltown.com


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Don’t be tricked; Candy-flavored tobacco is not a treat | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Yara Hernandez, WHLTPN FACT
October 23, 2018
Candy corn, gummy bear and chocolate. These are candy flavors that many local youth will see in their trick-or-treat bags this year. Unfortunately, they’re also some of the e-cigarette flavors that are seen by teens at convenience stores across Wisconsin.
Our local FACT group knows that these flavored product, including JUUL e-cigarettes, are not as innocent as they seem. FACT is Wisconsin’s youth tobacco prevention movement and we’re spreading the truth that no matter what you call them, JUULs, hookah pens or vape mods, they’re definitely e-cigarettes and they’re not harmless.  E-cigarettes or e-juices can be confusing to youth since they come with flavors like cotton candy, vanilla, chocolate and juice peach.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about e-cigarettes. For example, a lot of our friends and classmates believe that JUUL e-cigarettes don’t contain any nicotine at all. The truth is every JUUL has nicotine. Some JUUL pods contain as much addictive nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes. We been presenting to our community, school peers, and elected representatives regarding e-cigarettes and how youth are being target with color and flavor. Our FACT group has been creating human billboard to spread the truth about e-cigarettes.
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Remember, these seemingly innocent candy flavors could still lure you into addiction. Don’t let yourself get tricked! For more information on the FACT Movement, visit FACTmovement.org.
Yara Hernandez
WHLTPN FACT

author: Yara Hernandez, WHLTPN FACT


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6279781185_e474999c48_z.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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October 22, 2018


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“Make Change Happen” video contest to support four school initiatives in local communities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
North Shore Bank
October 23, 2018
North Shore Bank today announced that it is seeking entries for “Make Change Happen,” a 95th anniversary video contest to help support school initiatives in the local communities that the bank serves. Winning organizations will receive $1,923, matching the year the bank first opened its doors.
The contest will support four projects – one each for the bank’s north, south and central regions, and one specifically for Milwaukee Public Schools. Video entries will be accepted now through Friday, Oct. 26. Entrants can be school, classroom, academic, arts, athletics, technology and club initiatives that will have a positive impact on public or private school students from 4k to 12th grade.
Video entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges and contest finalists will be announced on Monday, Nov. 5. Then through Friday, Nov. 9, the public will have the opportunity to go online to vote for the organization they best think embodies “Make Change Happen.” Winners will be announced the week of Nov. 12.  Complete contest rules and instructions are available at https://www.northshorebank.com/make-change-happen-video-contest.aspx.
“North Shore Bank was founded by a group of teachers in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and as we honor our 95th anniversary, we wanted to continue to support projects that support education and benefit children in our local communities,” said Susan T. Doyle, North Shore Bank’s senior vice president of retail banking. “As a community-minded bank, we have a long relationship and history with schools, and we recognize the need to back efforts that benefit students and that encourage lasting life skills for success. I could not think of a better way to celebrate 95 years.”
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To enter, a video must be submitted that is no longer than two minutes in length. It needs to explain why the project deserves $1,923 to benefit children and how the funds will be spent. Video entries will be considered for their creativity, enthusiasm, and passion in petitioning for the donated funds, as well as, the need and degree of merit it possesses for supporting local students.
North Shore Bank, headquartered in Brookfield, has assets of $2 billion and 45 offices throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Wisconsin locations are in metro Milwaukee, Ozaukee County, Racine, Kenosha, Appleton, Menasha, Green Bay and surrounding areas, Burlington, Union Grove, Muskego, and Door County. . You can also connect with the bank on , , , and .

author: North Shore Bank


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Milwaukee launches Children’s Savings Account initiative | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
October 23, 2018
Beginning in fall 2019, K-5 students in Milwaukee Public Schools will be automatically enrolled in Children’s Savings Accounts. (Photo by Ryeshia Farmer)
For children from low-income families, the thought of attending college may not even cross their minds. Recent studies have shown that post-secondary education goals of black and brown students are incredibly low compared to white students. While white students often see a bright future ahead of them, black and brown students struggle to see beyond high school graduation.
With a new program starting in 2019, the City of Milwaukee hopes to change that perception.
“If you can’t envision something you can’t do it,” said Mayor Tom Barrett in an interview.
Beginning in fall 2019, K-5 students in Milwaukee Public Schools will be automatically enrolled in Children’s Savings Accounts (CSA), although parents can opt out. In its pilot year, 15 schools will be chosen. Under the program, a college saving account will be established for each student. Students will begin with $25 in their account, and organizers hope that amount will grow over time.
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“Our belief is that by having the automatic enrollment [we’re] more likely to enroll disadvantaged families,” said Barrett. He said that he hopes that the new initiative will give students a jumping off point and encourage them to seek higher education.
Parents will have control over their child’s account, which can only be used for educational purposes. United Way, one of the city’s partners, will be raising funds and serving as the fiscal agent. The agency will provide the initial $25 for every account. Parents will be asked to open an account so that they can contribute as well. Schools also may offer monetary incentives for attendance or good behavior, which would be deposited in the accounts through United Way.
Fund My Future Milwaukee, a City of Milwaukee initiative, has budgeted about $1.4 million for CSA over the next three years. The estimated cost for the first year is $407,515.
Fund My Future, which aims to encourage and prepare families for higher education, is one of the strategies outlined in the city’s strategic plan “Growing Prosperity: An Action Agenda for Economic Development.”
In preparation for a fundraising launch in November, Nicole Angresano, vice president of community impact at United Way, has been working to gather partners to help fund the initiative. So far, individuals and corporations have expressed an interest.
Mayor Tom Barrett said he hopes that the new Children’s Savings Account program will encourage young students to seek higher education. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Angresano said those providing funds like the idea of children saving money, but also that their donations go toward education.
“When children believe they can go to college, it goes a long way” in encouraging kids to seek a higher education, said Angresano.
Because students may choose not to go to college because they lack the funds, the savings accounts can change the “trajectory of hope,” Angresano explained. In other words, children may feel more inspired to continue their education if they know others are invested in them.
“Even a small amount of money makes a difference,” she said.
Students can also use the accounts to pursue a trade at a technical college.
Angresano believes the CSA program will cause a ripple effect through the community. Seeing a sibling or child save for college may inspire others to do the same. People may decide to open a college savings account, or they may consider post-secondary education as an option for themselves.
Sharon Robinson, director of the city’s Department of Administration, said there’s a large achievement gap between black and brown students compared to their white counterparts, based on standardized testing results.
The city is composed of 39 percent African-Americans, 18 percent Latinos and 36 percent Caucasians. However, only 17 percent of African-Americans and 5 percent of Latinos have an undergraduate degree, according to Fund My Future. Approximately 70 percent of white residents have a degree.
Robinson noted that children, especially those from low-income families, don’t have higher education on their radar. Students are the key to Milwaukee’s future economic success and they need to be prepared for 21st-century jobs, she said.
“The final goal is to close those gaps and [increase the] aspiration rate,” Robinson said.
One way to encourage young people to attend college is to give them a college experience. A partnership among UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College and MPS called M3 (pronounced M-Cubed), allows all 9th- and 10th-grade students to visit UWM and MATC. The field trips are funded by the Herb Kohl Philanthropies.
According to Natalie Anderson, Academic Career Planning coordinator at MPS, high school freshmen visit UWM to get comfortable on campus. Students take a campus tour, discuss certain majors and interact with UWM students. Sophomores visit MATC and explore specific focus areas. For example, students with an interest in cosmetology visited MATC’s barber shop and learned how to braid hair.
Anderson said the purpose of the visits is to expose students to different colleges and careers. Beginning in sixth-grade, MPS students are introduced to Career Cruising, a software program funded through the state that encourages students to know themselves, explore their interests, create a plan and implement it.
“All students in sixth-grade have a plan of action,” Anderson said.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 22, 2018


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On the Block: A solution to everything | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
October 23, 2018
South Side native Jose Ruiz, 50, says his four daughters have grown up around Harambee and parts of the East Side. While he says Harambee has its neighborhood violence issues, he’s hopeful that there will be an end to the violence one day.


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Supervisor Taylor Calls for Reform of Expungement Laws | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Supervisor Sequanna Taylor
October 23, 2018
Supervisor Sequanna Taylor is calling for reform of laws and practices relating to the sealing of criminal records that make it difficult for people to obtain employment and pursue opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. Taylor has introduced a resolution that calls for the Wisconsin Legislature to reform and expand upon current expungement laws by adopting several recommendations of the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
“Expungement allows people who have completed their sentences to be given a real chance to pursue economic security for themselves and their families. In a city that already has one of the highest unemployment rates and that is known to be the worst place in the country to raise a black child, adding a conviction on to these other factors makes it difficult to obtain lawful employment and secure the basic necessities in life. We have a duty to eliminate barriers to successful re-entry by reducing these material causes of recidivism. Expungement allows former non-violent offenders to become truly rehabilitated by enabling them to gain employment, secure housing, and go back to school. These are tools that, once put into place, assist those who have completed their sentences to become successful citizens,” said Supervisor Taylor.
Supervisor Taylor worked with the Office on African American Affairs to craft the proposal.
“The Office on African American Affairs (OAAA) was created to serve an integral role in recognizing and advising policymakers on recommendations for changes in laws. The recent partnership with the Wisconsin Policy Forum allowed OAAA an opportunity to study the issue of criminal records and the impact of Wisconsin’s strict expungement laws on individuals, especially males of color. This study highlighted our agency’s need to work towards legislative reform and expand expungement and non-conviction laws and practices,” said Nicole Brookshire, Director of the Office on African American Affairs.
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The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently issued a report on Wisconsin’s expungement laws and noted that “Wisconsin appears to have a stricter expungement law than all of its neighboring states except Iowa.”
Members of the Committee on Intergovernmental Relations unanimously recommended Taylor’s resolution for adoption at their October 18 meeting. The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will consider the resolution on November 1 at 9:30 a.m.

author: Supervisor Sequanna Taylor