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5 things to know this week in Milwaukee: Sept. 9 to Sept. 14 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 9, 2019
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some events we think you shouldn’t miss. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Milwaukee’s BID-NID Week: Monday, Sept. 9 to Saturday, Sept. 14
Milwaukee will be celebrating BID-NID Week starting Monday, Sept. 9 and continuing through Saturday, Sept. 14. At events throughout the city, residents will have the opportunity to explore various neighborhoods and see the efforts of the Business Improvement Districts and Neighborhood Improvement Districts, click here.
2. “Puerto Rican Identity: Movement on Mitchell Street”: Monday, Sept. 9  The Milwaukee Repertory Theater is hosting a series of conversations on Puerto Rican identity inspired by The Rep’s performance of “West Side Story.” This week’s session, which focuses on hip-hop, is taking place at the Mitchell Street Library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St., on Monday, Sept. 9. The workshop begins at 6 p.m. and pre-registration is required. To register, click here or call (414) 286-3011.
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3. Learn about Career Online High School at MPL: Thursday, Sept. 12
Milwaukee Public Library is hosting an informational session about Career Online High School on Thursday, Sept. 12. The program is designed for Milwaukee residents, who are at least 23 years old and have completed the eighth grade. The event will take place at the Center Street Branch, 2727 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
4. Minority Health Film Festival: Thursday, Sept. 12 to Sunday, Sept. 15 Milwaukee Film Festival, along with its partners, Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, is hosting the Minority Health Film Festival, Thursday, Sept. 12 to Sunday, Sept. 15. The event includes film screenings and discussions with several featured speakers such as Charlamagne Tha God. For the full list of events, click here. For tickets to see Charlamagne Tha God, click here.
5. Ninth annual Harvest Fest at the Guest House: Thursday, Sept. 12 Guest House of Milwaukee, 1216 N. 13th St., is hosting its ninth annual Harvest Fest on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. All ages are invited to attend. The event is free and includes live music, s’mores and more.
About Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Ana serves as NNS’ newly
created community engagement reporter and is responsible for writing stories that help our readers navigate their lives as well as
making sure they know the fun things that are happening in their neighborhoods.
You can email her here or call (414) 604-6397.

created: September 9, 2019


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The-Interrupters | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 8, 2019

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: September 8, 2019

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

author: Adam Carr


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OPINION: Yes, I am watching what happens at St. Joe’s. But I’m using the hospital, too. Here’s why you should as well. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
George Hinton, Social Development Commission
September 9, 2019
Editor’s note: Got something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
George Hinton, chief executive officer of the Social Development Commission, writes that the community must do more than criticize Ascension St. Joseph Hospital, it must also use it.
As CEO of the Social Development Commission, also known as the SDC, the largest community action agency in the state, it’s time for me to speak out about Ascension St. Joseph Hospital again.
You may recall last year reporters wrote about medical cutsplanned for the only hospital serving Milwaukee’s northwest side and beyond. Advocatingfor Milwaukee County residents, SDC took a hard stand. We publicly criticizedthe proposed cuts of surgical and inpatient services stating the plan was a contradictionto the hospital’s governing mission.
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Conversations between SDC and Ascension St. Joseph Hospital(affectionately called St. Joe’s) were uncomfortable at that time. Perhaps that’swhy a friend was surprised to see me – of all people – wandering the halls atSt. Joe’s on a day off.  Iexplained to him, like I’m explaining to you, St. Joe’s is my hospital. My kidswere born here. On this particular day, my doctor ordered some diagnostic tests,and I was here to take them. The outstanding quality of St. Joe’s medical care hasnever been in question.
So why wouldn’t I be here? And shame on me if I’m not.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we take the pressure offSt. Joe’s. The hospital must meet our health care needs. Customer service and clinicaloutcomes should be second to none. However, as patients, we have a role to playtoo.
We must use the hospital.
As someone with commercial insurance, I have moreopportunity to pick and choose where I want to go for medical care. When Ileave my community and bypass hospitals like St. Joe’s for just the aestheticsof a more luxurious hospital, I become part of the problem. Too often peoplethink hospitals in underserved communities offer substandard care. As a formerpresident of one of the larger hospitals in an underserved area, I can tell younothing is further from the truth.
Think about it.
Hospitals that serve a sicker population have doctors andnurses that regularly treat a wide range of medical conditions. They seeeverything. And often, their patients seek treatment when a condition is in anadvanced stage or there is an emergency situation. It takes good, experiencedproviders and support staff to address those healthcare needs. You will findthem at St. Joe’s.
St. Joe’s may never have all the fancy artwork or waterfallsthat other hospitals have. Personally, I don’t need them. What I need is moreavailable staff to provide high-quality care with great customer service.
Here’s a second reason to use St. Joe’s.
Recently, my friend’s sick mother went to the hospital (notSt. Joe’s). She spent three days waiting in the emergency room before ahospital inpatient bed was available. Maybe these long waits have happened toyou or someone you love.
Here’s my point.
If a hospital like St. Joe’s further reduces or eliminatesservice, it will negatively impact the balance of healthcare coverage in Milwaukee’sunder-served communities. With less resources available, there will be more patientswaiting to get a bed or other services.
Here’s the third and final reason I suggest you make St.Joe’s your hospital. Ascension says it’s committed to the community. It reverseddecisions to move or cut additional critical services.
That means, the next move is on me.  And you, too. Especially if you havecommercial insurance.
Hear me clearly.
I say let’s continue to hold St. Joe’s accountable to thecommunity. SDC will continue to work with organizations like the St. JosephAccountability Coalition. But just as healthcare systems are accountable to us,we must do our part by doing business with the hospital. Otherwise, ourconcerns and protests are in vain.
If you can choose which hospital you use, I encourage you tochoose Ascension St. Joseph hospital. That’s where you’ll find me.  I’m going to stay, fight and invest inSt. Joe’s so it can serve our community for generations to come.


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Hinton Photo | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 8, 2019


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hinton | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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image | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 8, 2019


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Post from the Community: May yer Thao Resigns as Executive Director of Hmong Wisconsin | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce
September 9, 2019
The Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce (HWCC) announced that May yer Thao has officially resigned as Executive Director, effective September 8, 2019. As a testament of her transformative work with HWCC, Thao has been selected by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to serve as Assistant Deputy Director for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). May yer is the first Asian American to serve in an Executive Office position.
“May yer has been a strong advocate and change agent for the Chamber, of which our reach extends to communities throughout Wisconsin; and given May yer’s statewide involvement, it was only a matter of time before she got tapped to serve a larger role,” said Rebecca Yang, co-chair of Board of Directors for the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. “So, while the news is bittersweet, we are proud and fully supportive of her decision to serve the state of Wisconsin.”
Thao has served as Executive Director for the past five years and under her leadership, HWCC has deployed business loans and provided technical assistance to underserved communities throughout Wisconsin, leveraging near $10 million in community financing for diverse-owned businesses. She opened the Chamber’s first satellite office in Wausau, Wisconsin; piloted a bilingual/bicultural Hmong financial literacy curriculum; and helped launched young professional groups throughout the state. Through strategic partnerships, Thao increased HWCC’s revenue and visibility tremendously and developed a staff that has been and will continue to be a working force behind HWCC with her departure.
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“It’s been an honor to serve my community, and while I’m proud of the Chamber’s successes and growth over the years, I’m most proud of the team,” said Thao. “As the drivers of our programming and the backbone of the organization, I have complete confidence in their abilities, passion and diligence to carry forth our great work and continue growing the Chamber under a new leadership.”
HWCC is committed to identifying a strong successor as quickly as possible. To do so, HWCC is partnering with Colorful Connections, a diversity talent agency, to ensure a thorough and thoughtful executive search process. Colorful Connections, a member of HWCC, will guide the organization through a collaborative approach that incorporates community input, as well as inclusion of May yer within the extended search team.
To apply for the interim Executive Director and/or permanent Executive Director role, professionals can send resumes to Resumes@ColorfulConnections.com. For more information about HWCC and upcoming program and activities, such as HWCC’s 13th Annual Banquet, please visit www.HmongChamber.org.

author: Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce


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SPECIAL REPORT: A tale of two cities: How New York and Milwaukee approach juvenile justice | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
September 9, 2019
First of three parts
Editor’s note: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has changed the names of youths in New York’s justice system upon request to ensure their safety and privacy.
NEW YORK — The walk from a subway station in Brooklyn, New York, to a secure facility for kids in the criminal justice system takes all of five minutes. The route passes by a laundromat, a Chinese takeout restaurant, a bodega with fresh flowers on the sidewalk and a college preparatory high school.
It’s a little different than the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Milwaukee through fields and farms to Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons in the unincorporated town of Irma, Wisconsin.
In Brooklyn, the gray stone apartment building is indistinguishable from other homes on the block. A hip-level black gate with decorative trim opens up to a concrete courtyard with a space for recycling bins. Blue stairs lead to a glass-paned locked door. Once opened, another locked door is just inside, an additional yet subtle security measure.
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The windows have bars on them that match the aesthetic of the gate. No razor barbed wire is in sight.
Young people whom family courts deem to be the highest risk to the community are placed in this limited-secure facility, right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, across the street from a school.
The front room has two couches by the window and a box of board games for when families come to visit the kids, usually at least once a week.
In the winter, the youths help shovel neighbors’ sidewalks, and in the summer, they help garden, said Lisa Crook, vice president of justice for youth and families programs at Rising Ground, one of the nonprofits that operates these homes.
“There’s this mindset, like ‘oh, you need to be punished for your crime,’ but what I’ve often said is just because we have a homelike setting, and we have therapeutic intervention, does not mean that the kids are not acutely aware of the accountability and what led them to be placed with us in the first place,” Crook said.
“If you have a program that looksinstitutional and treats a kid institutionally, you teach someone how to beinstitutionalized,” she added.
In the year and a half since the Wisconsin legislature passed a bill to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake and replace the state’s youth prisons with smaller regional facilities, local and state leaders have proposed various replacement plans. Leaders from Milwaukee County—including County Executive Chris Abele—have looked to best practices in places across the country to use as inspiration for changes locally. They have continually referenced New York’s Close to Home reform initiative as a model to learn from.
New York’s approach
Felipe Franco, deputy commissioner for New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, said: “We believe that kids should be served in their homes or close to their homes, and we value that these communities and these families are actually part of the solution.”
This wasn’t always the mindset in New York.
In 2012, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation called Close to Home, which restructured the way New York’s youth justice system worked as a whole. The initiative moved all of the state’s young people from state-run youth prison facilities upstate into community-based programs, and, in some situations, into small residential care homes with limited security measures, in the city.
More robust alternative-to-incarceration programs were put in place to give judges sentencing options that wouldn’t remove youths from their homes. The criteria for who was considered “high risk” and in need of residential placement were changed, with the goal to keep more kids at home and limit the number of youths who are placed in the Close to Home facilities.
For those who the courts decide do need to be placed, these 29 home-like facilities—which can house up to 12 youths but these days usually have fewer than five—adhere to a therapeutic model of care that focuses on shifting the way young people make decisions.
The emphasis is on family engagement and involvement in the broader community to prepare the youths for returning home. Girls are housed separately from boys. Nonprofits receive contracts from the city to operate the homes, so as the needs change and as the number of youths being placed declines, the city can easily close homes or change their purpose.
The sweeping reforms came in the wake of a declining youth crime rate, a significantly increasing cost of housing a young person in one of the upstate prisons and mounting pressure from advocates as investigations and reports of abuse surfaced from the state facilities. Leaders have acknowledged that the youth prison model they were using was no longer effective for New York’s young people.
Wisconsin’s approach
Just one year before New York passed Close to Home, in 2011, Wisconsin took a drastically different approach to shifting how it handled youths in the justice system.
Rather than shuttering large prison-like institutions and moving Milwaukee youths back to the city, the state closed its correctional facility in Southeastern Wisconsin, Ethan Allen in Delafield, Wisconsin, and transferred all of the youths to Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
Since then, in line with national trends, New York and Wisconsin have both continued to experience a decline in youth arrests and residential placement in correctional facilities. They both also arrest and lock up black and brown youths at much higher rates than their white counterparts.
However, other than that, the states’ two approaches have yielded vastly different outcomes.
In Wisconsin, Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake fell into a state of well-documented disarray that has cost taxpayers more than $25 million in legal fees to date. Criminal investigations have opened and closed. Youths have sued for allegations of abuse, injury, sexual assault and neglect at the institution. The facilities experienced severe understaffing and inadequate training.
Expenses have soared. It now costs more than $144,000 a year to incarcerate each young person at Lincoln Hills or Copper Lake and is expected to surpass $200,000 in the next year. The most recent recidivism rate for youths at Lincoln Hills within the three- year period from 2014 to 2017 was 58.8%, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Meanwhile in New York, from 2014 to 2016, only 7.6% of youths violated their probation and 14% were readmitted to a Close to Home facility. From 2013 to 2018, the number of youths placed in residential facilities in New York dropped by 71%, in effect shrinking the whole system. In the 2018 fiscal year, only 154 youths in all of New York City were placed in Close to Home facilities, according to New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services.
But possibly more revealing than just recidivism or a decline in placements, the Close to Home reforms in New York seem to be creating additional positive outcomes for youths, according to a report from the Columbia Justice Lab, a research organization at Columbia University studying justice system reform. In the 2016-’17 school year, 91% of youths in the facilities passed their academic classes. In 2016, 91% of youths enrolled in a community-based program after being released from a facility and 67% successfully completed their aftercare program.
“I think the Close to Home programs they have now are reasonable,” said Nathan, a 13-year-old who completed a placement in a Close to Home facility. “If you’re going to commit a crime, it’s not like you’re just going to get a walk in the park. I’m not saying that it’s lit, but it’s actually reasonable. It’s not like you’re in jail.”
“I really matured when I was in there,” he said. “They taught me how to look at things differently, and it helped me mature.”
Lessons for Wisconsin?
The changes that Wisconsin and Milwaukee makein the wake of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake closing have the potential toaffect the future of some of the state’s most vulnerable youths.
In its most recent application to the statejuvenile justice grant committee, Milwaukee County submitted a proposal that insome ways resembles the Close to Home model.
The county’s latest plan includes renovationsto existing residential facilities, including the Vel R. Phillips YouthDetention Center, and possibly leasing other spaces in partnership withexisting service providers to create 32 total beds for Milwaukee youths placedin residential correctional settings. The plan would also build out more local,community‐based programs to accommodate youths in the system instead of sendingthem upstate or placing them in correctional settings.
However, the state grant committee has yet todetermine which counties will receive funding for their replacement plans.
Other counties across Wisconsin have alsoapplied, and their proposals include building new secure correctionalfacilities and renovating detention centers.
Additionally, the state Department ofCorrections has released renderings of a youth prison with 35 beds that itseeks to build in Milwaukee County for youths deemed “serious juvenileoffenders.” The state also plans to build a youth prison in Hortonia and tosignificantly expand Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, which is a securecorrectional facility in Madison, increasing the number of beds across the statefor youth in the justice system.
In New York, Crook stressed the importance ofmaking sure kids are connected to supports in their communities.
“We have to be real,” Crook said. “The kidsare going back to the same places they’re coming from, and so they have tolearn how to make better decisions in the same communities where they’re at.”
How we reported this story: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporter Allison Dikanovic received a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network to travel to New York City earlier this summer to report this story. She visited two Close to Home youth justice facilities, two mentoring groups and met with various stakeholders in the system, including youths, parents, nonprofit organizations, advocates, researchers and city officials to learn about changes that New York made to its system.
Wednesday: A day in the life of a Close to Home facility.

author: Allison Dikanovic


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ny-pt1-familyroom | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 7, 2019

created: September 7, 2019

author: Dwayne Burtin


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ny-pt1-home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 7, 2019


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ny-pt1-house | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 7, 2019


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ny-pt1-plants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 7, 2019


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Back to school: Where you can find affordable clothing for your child | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 10, 2019
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional resources.
Every parent knows the drill. When summer starts to fade away, it’s time to get ready for school.  Parents want their kid to succeed and part of that is having the proper attire.
Just becauseschool has started does not mean children have everything they need.
Here is a list of places where parents and guardians can find free or affordable clothing options.
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1. Ladies of Charity
Ladies of Charity, 1936 Vel R. Phillips Ave., provides clothing to children in need through a voucher program. Each child receives shirts, pants, a winter jacket, a uniform if required and more. The Children’s Clothing Center is open every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and the second Saturday of each month. Schools or social workers may provide families with a voucher, otherwise they can contact Sally Lautmann at (414) 526-2574.
2. United Methodist Children’s Services
United Methodist Children’s Services, 3910 W. Lisbon Ave., has a free closet bank. It is open on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from noon until 4 p.m.
3. House of Peace Community Center
House of Peace Community Center, 1702 W. Walnut St., has a free clothing bank. Patrons can visit the clothing bank through appointment only. It is open in the afternoons. To schedule an appointment call (414) 933-1300.
4. Salvation Army
Salvation Army works throughout the year to help low-income families. In addition to its winter coat drive, it also has thrift store locations throughout the county. Find the thrift store closest to you by clicking here.
5. Atonement Lutheran Church
Atonement Lutheran Church offers clothing to all those in need at its clothing bank, 4542 N. Sherman Blvd. The clothing center is open on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. The church also hosts an annual rummage sale every July.  6
6.  Christ Child Society
Christ Child Society, 4033 Good Hope Rd, a local Milwaukee organization run by volunteers, has a resale shop, which provides clothes, toys and books for children. The shop is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The shop also has adult clothing, furniture and household items. For more information, call 414-540-0489.
During thesummer local organizations such as COA, Heal the Hood and House of Peace holdschool supplies drive. If you missed one of the drives and need school supplies for your child, consider speaking with yourschool’s social worker about obtaining supplies.
Did we
miss a place that offers school supplies and clothing for low-income families?
Feel free to leave a note in the comments or send us an email at info@milwaukeenns.org.
About
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Ana serves as NNS’
newly created community engagement reporter and is responsible for writing stories that help our
readers navigate their lives as well as making sure they know the fun things
that are happening in their neighborhoods. You can email her here or call (414) 604-6397.

created: September 10, 2019

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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43675882004_a7281b5cb1_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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OPINION: How questioning a simple checkout procedure led to complex questions of racial profiling and ‘pent up anger against whites’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Portia Cobb
September 10, 2019
Editor’s note: Got something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Portia Cobb, a professor at UWM and a filmmaker, writes about how a $6 purchase at what used to be one of her favorite east side eateries has led her to reassess how she navigates between segregated and privileged communities.
How does a person who hasexperienced racial profiling or profiling of any kind articulate it to othersoutside of that experience? What will make them believe it actuallyhappened-even if they have never experienced it in the spaces they describe asinclusive, safe or liberal?
In my own experience of beingprofiled at an east side eatery last spring, the reality of an isolated momentthat may have been interpreted as a slight has grown into enormousproportions because I talked about it.
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I was recently called out onsocial media by one rogue sympathizer of the aforementioned establishment for“looking for a cause to hate white people” and for holding on to my own “pentup anger against whites.” This person posted that they could call me outbecause they themselves were Native American with drops of African ancestry.They felt I was out of line to presume that my single experience was based onrace at a place where black people held jobs. They felt I was trying to shutdown a perfectly good business over a $6 purchase.
Here is a summary of myexperience:
This all began last May whenI questioned a checkout procedure for me that didn’t apply to a woman ahead ofme in line who happened to be white and was purchasing similar items. I hadbeen a regular customer at this eatery for the nearly 28 years I’ve lived inMilwaukee.
I am familiar that hot itemsrequire a separate process than other retail items. On that day, at the deli, Iordered a hot item, and as I presented the additional retail item, I rememberedthat I would need to pay for it separately at the main cash register. This wasnot the problem.
The young person behind thedeli counter said I had the option to pay for both at the register (I had donethat before.). However, she then said, “Pay for both over there and return hereto me with this stamped chit” and gingerly handed me the chit. My food item wasalready packaged and in a bag. She said she would hold it for me behind thedeli counter to retrieve after I paid. I was confused and annoyed but followedthe protocol.
The woman in front of me atthe general register placed her basket on the counter. Her basket contained amix of items from the retail part of the store and about 10 other hot fooditems that hadn’t yet been paid for. In my mind, an alarm sounded and afamiliar sixth sense of some kind.
When I witnessed thattransaction, I realized that I was being treated differently. Did the deliserver think I would steal a burrito while the lady in front of me had walkedaround the store with her items and didn’t have to follow the same protocol? Ipushed that thought into the recesses of my mind but remained annoyed. I wantedanswers.
I turned to see the deliserver observing me from behind the counter as I stood in line at the generalcheckout area with my chit. I racked my brain, as I didn’t remember thatprocedure being handled in that way in the past. I questioned the “I
will hold your food item here for you until you return with the chit showing
proof of purchase” part.
After I had my chit stampedand returned for my burrito, the young woman behind the counter handed me mypurchase. When I questioned why the woman ahead of me didn’t have to follow thesame protocol, she offered that she didn’t know-but that she, herself, followedstore policy and couldn’t vouch for what others did or didn’t do. She thenbecame agitated and asked if I would like to speak with her manager. I said“sure.”
She marched to the manager’soffice, and I moved toward the end of the deli counter to witness her gesturingtoward me (The office is visible through a window.). The manager stood and cameout to greet me. He began with, “I’m sorry if you feel that you wereprofiled.” I was speechless, as I hadn’t used this verb in my question to herabout the method of the transaction and hadn’t begun to frame a question forhim. So once again an alarm rang in my subconsciousness. Aha! That is what shewas doing!
I explained that I hadwitnessed another customer ahead of me with similar items who didn’t have tofollow policy. He said he didn’t witness that happen and couldn’t speak to itbut offered again his apology for me “feeling” profiled and being made unhappy.I asked about any posted signage about this policy, and he said there wasn’tany, but he realized-in that moment-they would now need to place some signsnear the registers to avoid confusion.
I left with my burrito andone retail item feeling conflicted and preoccupied about what had taken place,replaying the tape in my head.
I went back to my workspaceand stared at the bag with its bright red logo for about an hour before Idecided to write across the top of that logo with a bright red Sharpie marker,“I was racially profiled today @__________.
I stared at the bag, and thewords I had written seemed to validate my experience, not make it a question,but a reality . . . a fact! I shared it on my two socialmedia accounts with a question and statement in my status.
“When you ask yourself why your monetary transactionwas handled differently from another customer who is “white presenting,” butyou don’t describe them as such & you are assured that it is policy…that,“you were not being Profiled!” without you even using the words “white” or“profiled” then you realize, because you are calling into question a
policy that seems only to apply to you by example…Yes! You were profiled!”
A few days after thishappened, and my social media blew up with commentary, one of the owners of theestablishment sent me an email, asking to meet, and I obliged to meet him anywherebut at his store. When we met, he immediately extended a verbal apology andshared his empathy about the experience. He said, “I believe it happened. Noquestion.” I believed him. I believed he was remorseful. This put me at ease,as did his pledge to work with me toward planning a community action toaddress, apologize and train his employees to prevent this from happeningagain.  We framed it around acommunity-involved teach-in/forum/table with trained mediators. This hasn’thappened.
Time got in between, with thestart of summer and following up with him months later. I eventually was sent alukewarm response that said the business was working to resolve these matters internally.
Where are we now?
I was a self-professedloyalist before this occurred. But now? I’m woke.
I’ve kept a promise to myselfthat I would not cross the threshold of that store again. I have not been back.I have also reminded friends, colleagues and associates about my experiencewhen they mention eating or ordering food from there.
When asked by others how theycould support me, I’ve asked folks to stand in solidarity with me-if theybelieved it happened, if they cared that it shouldn’t happen to anyone.In turn, folks have written letters, sent notes and called the business abouttheir disappointment that this occurred there and that no actions have beentaken to resolve or reconcile.
I am asked what I want.
I hold out hope that theowners demonstrate they are intolerant of biased behaviors by their employeesby not framing it as a flaw in their checkout procedure. Furthermore, I wouldlike them to take what has happened seriously-whether on or off Facebook andInstagram. Move the needle, raise the vibration and sustain actions to changeany and all types of biases and gestures leading to discrimination of any kind.
I was born in the mid-50s. Iam no stranger to racial profiling, yet I was caught off-guard, was shockedwhen all the feels were present. I am usually self-aware in spaces where thereis a climate of distrust of otherness; of blackness; of brown-ness. I navigatebetween the Midwest and the South, so I am self-aware of the spaces that areinclusive and those that are not. Before this encounter, I hadn’t felt unwelcomedor distrusted in that space.
That I would need to reframemy experience again and again to persuade skeptics that this happened, that Iwould have to second guess my own intuition about this type of behavior-onethat I have long been familiar with-is profoundly distressing. I am reminded ofmy childhood and of learning to navigate between segregated and privilegedcommunities. What I experienced is not new, is not something I didn’trecognize, is not something I imagined or projected and is not something I willsoon forget. This is NOT something thatshould be dismissed, diminished or made out to be a lie by those who have neverexperienced it.

author: Portia Cobb


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70424982_422404848395321_6769567524552966144_n | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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Portia Cobb-051 (1) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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Portia Cobb-051 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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receipt | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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Screen Shot 2019-09-09 at 8.29.51 PM | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 9, 2019


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Post from the Community: Am I Latina enough? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LUNA
September 11, 2019
“Am I Latina enough?” is a question often voiced from new members entering Latinas Unidas en las Artes, otherwise known as LUNA – a Latinx art collective based in Milwaukee, WI. We will be answering this question directly as a part of our next group exhibition, HOOPS, opening on September 12at Urban Ecology Menomonee Valley from 5pm-7pm and this October/November in our Pop Up MKE temporary space on S. Cesar Chavez Drive.
Hoop earrings are tied to Latinx identity and symbolize anything from strength to culture & tradition to ritual. Most LUNA members grew up wearing them as a second skin, and there are some members who did not. Does this make them any less Latina? Latinx identity is layered and complex, and each member is on their own journey towards reconnecting with their roots. To be a Latinx artist in today’s world means we’re constantly working to reject stigmas, that we’re unwavering in the pursuit of inclusive and safe spaces, that we refuse to conform for others’ comfortability and we won’t stand for diluting and policing of our ethnicities, cultures and traditions.
Some artists have been hesitant to join because: “I don’t speak Spanish, am I Latina enough?” or “I’m half Latina, can I still join?” and even, “I just moved to Milwaukee, and I’m trying to find other Latina artists.” The answer will always be YES. No matter your background, being a part of LUNA not only challenges and pushes you artistically but allows for difficult conversations that are often not talked about in Latinx spaces. Many of these discussions have driven our shows themes, who we’re inviting into the group and also who we choose as partners. Many of LUNA’s members have been shut out of art conversations and galleries but together we’ve created spaces that are inclusive and empower each other to celebrate and take pride in our Latinx identities.
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We’re excited to announce our partnership with the Cesar Chavez BID,Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiativeand the Pop Up MKE program. Beginning this October LUNA will run a small art gallery space and store located at 1037 S. Cesar Chavez Drive. This gallery will also house art studios for collective members to create art and hold art workshops for the community. Please join us on September 16th at 6pm for the Pop Up MKE Launch Party for a special meet & greet with LUNA and to learn more about our new residency with Pop Up MKE.
“I used to think that identifying as Latina was a series of checks and boxes. Not consciously, but deep down. Anytime I met someone Latina it was obvious. They spoke Spanish. They had an accent. They have traditions. They have roots.”-Lauren WilliamsAm I Latina Enough?is question always at the forefront of our group. And through the HOOPS show and now as a POP UP MKE resident on S. Cesar Chavez Drive, we intend to continue the exploration of our Latinidad within the community and through our art.
*Latinas Unidas en las Artes (LUNA) is a collective made of diverse Latinx artists based in Milwaukee, WI. For more information regarding upcoming shows, partnerships or bookings please contact us at lunamkeofficial@gmail.comYou can also follow us on social media @lunkamkeofficial.

created: September 11, 2019

author: LUNA


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Post from the Community: Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center to host Vida y Esperanza, a support and celebration event tailored to the Latinx community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Holly Botsford
September 11, 2019
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement program will host Vida y Esperanza 2019: Triunfando con Cancer (Life and Hope: Conquering Life with Cancer) on Saturday, Sept. 14. This will be southeastern Wisconsin’s first event specifically for members of the Latinx community who have been touched by cancer, including those living with cancer at all stages of treatment, recovery and survivorship and their caregivers, support networks, families and friends.
The mission of Vida y Esperanza is two-fold, according to Ana Manriquez, a community research coordinator at MCW studying cancer disparities and coordinator of the event: To celebrate and empower Latinx community members whose lives have been touched by cancer in a safe and intentional space, and to stimulate a foundation of support, trust and collaboration amongst community members touched by cancer and the institutions, entities and organizations that support them.
The event will offer a variety of community resources including glucose and blood pressure screenings, demonstrations from the 16th Street Community Health Center Healthy Choices Program, haircuts, performances by local groups, giveaways and more. The event and all services are free of charge, childcare will be provided, and food will be available from Milwaukee’s Algo Dulce. Vida y Esperanza 2019 will take place Saturday, September 14th, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, 2607 S. 5th St. in Milwaukee.
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About the Medical College of Wisconsin
With a history dating back to 1893, The Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW’s School of Pharmacy opened in 2017. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY2016, faculty received more than $184 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,100 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,500 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 525,000 patients annually

author: Holly Botsford


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MCWLogo_green.png | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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September 10, 2019

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SPECIAL REPORT: A tale of two cities: New York juvenile justice program stresses ‘safety by relationships’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
September 11, 2019
Second of three parts
Editor’s note: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has changed the names of youths in New York’s justice system upon request to ensure their safety and privacy.
NEW YORK — Four teenage young men stand in a circle around a long wooden dining room table. Staff members, some of whom wear polo shirts and on-trend khaki pants with elastic around the ankles—matching the kids’ attire—stand in the circle as well. Colorful tissue paper decorations hang from the ceiling, and taco toppings are spread out on the table ready for lunch.
After waiting for their court date in a more traditional detention center, the young men around the table were placed in this Close to Home facility in Brooklyn operated by the nonprofit Rising Ground. It is one of the small facilities for six to 12 kids that replaced the state’s youth prisons, and it’s meant to resemble a homelike environment. The idea is a shift from the traditional idea of “corrections” to make the space and program less punitive and more constructive, said Lisa Crook, vice president of justice for youth and families programs at Rising Ground.
Initiatives such as Close to Home have gained the attention of leaders in Milwaukee County in the year and a half since the state legislature passed a bill to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons and replace them with smaller regional facilities, and they will come into question as a state committee allocates funds to replacement plans across Wisconsin in the coming weeks.
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Before sitting down for lunch, each person completes the sentence out loud, one after the other, “I’m checking in and I’m feeling … ”
“Blessed.”
“Relaxed.”
“Focused.”
“Shy.”
“Sad.”
Someone intercedes, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
The circle continues.
“I’m checking in, and I’m feeling optimistic.”
No one skips a beat, a sign the youths obviously are familiar with the practice.
This type of check-in and open discussion about feelings is an integral piece of the model of care this home embraces, Crook said. They follow what’s called the Missouri Model. The model focuses on building trust and accountability between youths and staff and relies heavily on group therapy. Anyone, staff or youths, can call for a “circle” at any point throughout the day if they want to talk a situation through or check in as a group.
In order to get a contract from the city’s Administration for Children’s Services to run a Close to Home facility, provider organizations such as Rising Ground are required to have a specific, evidence-based model of care that guides their work. The providers say this has contributed to their homes’ success, but leaders from some grassroots organizations counter that these types of stipulations have become a barrier to smaller, locally trusted organizations that seek Close to Home contracts.
Felipe Franco, the deputy commissioner of New York’s Administration for Children’s Services, said the point of this requirement is to have a unifying philosophy so all staff and youths work within the same structure.
‘We work on being nonjudgmental’
After their circle, the young people took their seats and goofed around at lunch, laughing with staff.
Earlier this year, Nathan, 13, spent about seven months at a different Rising Ground Close to Home facility in the Bronx that operates similarly to this one in Brooklyn.
He said his relationships with staff made all the difference for him while in Close to Home.  Nathan was placed there after multiple incidents of robbery.
“I mean nobody wants to be locked up, but staff made days better and stuff,” he said. “Staff made it feel like home sometimes, even though I still knew that it was not the crib.”
Crook said a quality staff that youths can genuinely relate to is essential to the success of the Close to Home model.
“The kids will be the first to tell you if a staff member is just in it for a paycheck,” she said. “The kids can read through your BS in like five seconds.”
Crook said many staff members come from the neighborhoods where the homes are located and where the youths are from. Many have had experiences in the system themselves or have faced similar circumstances like the young people they supervise. Staff members know the major events and the always- changing nuances of the neighborhoods—including gang dynamics.
“The kids know our staff are coming from a lot of the same places and have experienced a lot of the same things, and they can see, ‘Oh, there’s a different path. I don’t have to hang out on the streets,’ Crook said. “That’s huge, and kids weren’t getting that when they were in Buffalo or Syracuse or wherever they were before.”
Edwidge Michel, a group leader for a Close to Home facility in Queens, which is run by a different provider, said the role of staff in these programs is “not correctional.”
“It’s not being a security guard,” Michel said. “You’re actually constantly being therapeutic with a young person and trying to have a breakthrough or even plant seeds of hope so they can move on and be successful.”
Crook and Michel said both homes focus heavily on training staff on how to best speak to youths and how to manage their own emotions while on the job.
“We are respectful of what the young people have to say and understand that emotions are not wrong or right,”  Michel said. “We work on being nonjudgmental.”
This perspective is necessary for building positive relationships, but also for maintaining a safe community within the home, Crook explained.
It’s a concept Franco described as “safety by relationships.”
Sometimes subtle things can be perceived as a threat and could make a young person feel unsafe, on guard or combative, Crook said, but knowledgeable staff pick up on those things.
“If a young person doesn’t feel safe, they’re either going to fight or flight,” Michel said. “We want them to think, ‘I don’t have to worry about safety, so I can now focus on treatment.’”
Nathan agreed.
In limited-secure homes such as this one, school is provided in-house, but in most of the Close to Home facilities, which are “non-secure,” the youths attend a special school offsite. In both cases, the New York City Department of Education runs the schools, so all of the young people’s credits transfer to whichever school they attend when they return to the community. Most youths stay in a Close to Home facility for just under a year, followed by court-ordered aftercare programming.
“I didn’t have to be ‘on’ when I got here,” Nathan said. “It takes me a long time to trust people, but I didn’t have to come in with my guard up.”
Building a community
Each night, the youths meet in a room lined with black leather bean bag chairs and inspirational quotes affixed to the turquoise walls for “group.”
This regular therapy meeting is the heart of the model of care, where the young people process their emotions and decision-making through daily reflections, discussions and activities in community with each other.
“The positives I got from placement were learning how to control my frustrations and becoming more patient,” Nathan said. “I was not a patient kid. I wanted things when I wanted them. That slowed me down, being in there. Maybe not slowed, but it calmed me down.”
Bryson, 15, and Antoine, 14, were staying in the Close to Home facility in Queens run by Michel, and they said that group provides an opportunity for them to learn from each other.
“It’s a good environment, an open space. We can talk about anything, different topics,” Bryson said. “Like if anything is a concern, we can speak about it and know how to fix it and put it into play a different way. The most important thing is that everybody respects each other and respects the feelings.”
After group, the youths can make phone calls home or to loved ones. The length and frequency of the calls is a privilege that’s incentivised in the program. Youths can earn more or longer calls with excellent behavior.
Nathan said this helped him stay motivated.
“You earn stuff, so then I had something to lose,” he said. “When you’re locked in, you don’t have anything to lose. If they’re not talking about sending you home, if they just set your court dates back and stuff, you’re just going to give up. You’re not going to care.”
“That’s why I kept getting locked up, because I didn’t care,” Nathan revealed.
The same approach applies to home visits.
As youths progress through the program, they can earn time away from the facility and with their families, ranging from a few hours to a whole weekend.
“I was seeing my family more often,” Nathan said. “That’s what I’m saying. I had something to lose.”
Youths just starting the program and youths in the “limited-secure” homes don’t get to leave the facilities, but their families can visit them at least once a week.
Most of the homes are easily accessible by public transit, but if a family has transportation troubles, the provider organizations will pick bring them there.
The Close to Home facilities also hold regular family events and celebrations, such as a dinner party where the youths cook for their families or an art gallery night where they display their work.
Crook said the goal is for youths to feel they are still an important part of their family and community, even if they’re not living at home at the moment.
In the evenings and on the weekends, different homes have activities that are built into their programming, ranging from book clubs, yoga, cooking classes, basketball and movie nights to hatching chickens, hydroponic growing, music lessons at Carnegie Hall, kickboxing or indoor skydiving.
‘You’re still addicted to locking up kids’
Though advocates say Close to Home programs create positive experiences for young people, some are wary that they are still too similar to past models of youth incarceration.
Ruben Austria started an organization called Community Connections for Youth right around the same time that the Close to Home initiative was beginning. He was an advocate who pushed at a statewide level to close New York’s youth prisons and to ensure resources were invested in community programs in areas like the South Bronx.
Austria said he often thinks that New York could do more to invest in the neighborhoods, families, programs and communities that surround the kids who end up in the system.
“We’re not doing the most punitive and harsh thing, but we’re also not really investing in communities except in the way of brief treatment and temporary supervision,” he said.
Austria said Close to Home “was both an excellent development and also a huge missed opportunity in certain ways because of the absence of a community capacity-building strategy.”
He warned places like Milwaukee not to miss the opportunity.
“People get too caught up on ‘Well,  where are we going to put the kids?’ and end up creating just a kinder, gentler reincarnation of youths incarceration,” he said.
Austria said investing in a young person’s neighborhood, family and community will produce the most positive outcomes.
“You might spend millions of dollars on architects and designing the new facilities, but how much are you spending designing and developing the alternatives? You’re still addicted to locking up kids,” Austria said. “It’s just a question of priorities.”
How we reported this story: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporter Allison Dikanovic received a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network to travel to New York City earlier this summer to report this story. She visited two Close to Home youth justice facilities, two mentoring groups and met with various stakeholders in the system, including youths, parents, nonprofit organizations, advocates, researchers and city officials to learn about changes that New York made to its system.
Friday:  A look at alternatives to traditional incarceration for youths.
Read the first part of series.


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ny-part2-home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 10, 2019


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Post from the Community: Medical Mission at Home in Milwaukee: A day of free healthcare | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Victoria Schmidt
September 12, 2019
Ascension Wisconsin will host its “Medical Mission at Home” for the first time in Milwaukee on Saturday, September 14. More than 500 volunteers including medical staff and associates, will offer medical exams, dental care, podiatry services, mammograms, medication, follow-up care, and more. All services are offered free and no insurance is required. All are welcome to attend.
When:  Saturday, September 14, 2019
Where: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
North Division High School
1011 West Center Street – Milwaukee, WI
What’s it all about?
The term “medical mission” often refers to volunteer caregivers who travel to other countries to provide medical services. The Ascension Wisconsin Medical Mission at Home does the same thing for neighbors in need, right here in our own community.
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The Medical Mission at Home offers spiritually-centered care to improve the health of our neighbors, friends and anyone who may find it difficult to access the care they need. Best of all, it’s free, so no insurance is needed. Services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Patient registration begins at 8:00 a.m. All patients who have registered by 2 p.m. will be seen. Some of the services provided are:
Our doctors, nurses, providers, staff and volunteers will be on hand to make sure both children and adults receive a free medical exam. Patient navigators will guide participants through the process.
Language interpreters will be available, and patients will be provided healthy snacks throughout the day. Socks, hats, mittens, gloves, teddy bears and hygiene supplies will be available to our guests.

created: September 12, 2019

author: Victoria Schmidt


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IMG_7320.JPG | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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September 12, 2019


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Post from the Community: Milwaukee Jazz book event at Sherman Perk | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Joey Grihalva
September 12, 2019
“Milwaukee Jazz” is a new book about the history of jazz in Milwaukee, featuring photography that spans a century, bringing to life the players and places that made this blue-collar Midwest city a strong contributor to America’s original art form.
Local luminaries featured in the book include Loretta Whyte, Jabbo Smith, Woody Herman, Manty Ellis, Siggy Millonzi, Brian Lynch, Al Jarreau, and many more.
Writer Joey Grihalva, a Sherman Park native and three-time Milwaukee Press Club award winner for his feature work at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, interviewed dozens of musicians, club owners, and journalists, and compiled over two-hundred photographs for the book.
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“Milwaukee Jazz” is the newest edition to the Images of America series from Arcadia Publishing, the largest publisher of local history books in the nation.
The event will take place at Sherman Perk Coffee Shop on Thursday, September 19, at 6:30 p.m. Grihalva will present photos and have a conversation with local jazz icon Manty Ellis, who will also perform.
Autographed books, as well as a selection of original photos from the book, will be available for sale.
Purchase your autographed copy now at www.mkejazzbook.com.

author: Joey Grihalva


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September 12, 2019


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Post from the Community: Weigh in on the future of the Domes – Public Hearing September 18, 6pm, Domes Annex | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee County Task Force on Mitchell Park Conservatory
September 12, 2019
Hear about the business plan and conceptual design for re-envisioning the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory and Mitchell Park for the foreseeable future. The Taskforce has been working to develop a feasible path forward for the Domes and has recommended to the County a new vision for the Domes and Mitchell Park. The Milwaukee County Board will meet on Wednesday, September 18 at 6 pm at the Domes Annex to consider the Taskforce’s recommendation and hear from the public. The next day, the County Board will act on whether to adopt the Plan and implement it.
The Taskforce proposes programming the Domes and Park with changing/touring exhibits, multifaceted education and community programs, activity hubs throughout the Park, a children’s garden, youth and teen apprenticeship and stewardship programs, and adult health and wellness and urban gardens programs. These programs will provide workforce development and job training and certification. They will be significant resources for a response to changes in climate. The historic and nationally significant Domes will be preserved for at least the next 50 years. A new Welcome Center will become a retail, education and research hub. The Mitchell Park boathouse will become an events pavilion. A full-service restaurant with a separate entrance in the transition dome on the north side of the main Domes, food trucks, outdoor and indoor food service and family picnic space will highlight plants as food, and as an aspect of culture. An improved amphitheater, a weddings and events garden, a soccer field, basketball courts and tennis courts will be added. A clean and fresh pond, stream circulation, reflecting pools, and gardens will promote water stewardship best practices.
The Park and Domes will become an economic engine for the neighborhood, a sustainable economic model. It will support 300 quality jobs. Attendance is projected to grow from 180,000 admissions to 300,000 or more over the next decade. People will come more often and stay longer. The plan envisions significant partnerships to accomplish its goals and changes to governance.
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The full report can be seen here.
The Executive Summary of the Taskforce report can be seen here.
The presentation to the taskforce at its August 13th meeting can be seen here.


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We had way too much fun with you on National Avenue! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
September 12, 2019
A wonderful cross section of neighbors and community members joined us on the couch for a photo at Silver City InternNational Festival 2019. This project was an experiment for the summer, and the response was so positive, do not be surprised to see the couch again in 2020.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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5 things to do this weekend: Sept. 13 to Sept. 15 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 13, 2019
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some events that can enrich your weekend. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Vida y Esperanza 2019: Triunfando con cancer: Saturday, Sept. 14
The Medical College of Wisconsin is hosting Vida y Experanza 2019: Triunfando con Cancer (Life and Hope: Conquering life with Cancer) on Saturday, Sept. 14. The event will be held at the St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, 2607 S. 5th St. The purpose of the event is to celebrate and empower those who have been affected by cancer in the Latinx community. The event is free and includes blood pressure screening, haircuts, giveaways and more. It starts at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 1 p.m.
2. Harvest Day at Walnut Way: Saturday, Sept. 14
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For the past 19 years, Harvest Day has celebrated Lindsay Height’s talent, spirit and culture. This year, Walnut Way will be hosting Harvest Day in Fondy Park, 2200 W. Fond du Lac Ave., on Saturday, Sept. 14. There will be live music and performances, local food and retail vendors and more. The event starts at noon and goes until 4 p.m.
3. Ciclovía MKE: Saturday, Sept. 14
Milwaukee residents are invited to ride their bikes along South Chavez Drive, West Greenfield Avenue and West Washington Street during Ciclovía MKE on Saturday, Sept. 14. The route is closed to automobiles during the duration of events. The event begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
4. Youth Day: mental health talk at Ma’ruf: Saturday, Sept. 14
Young people, ages 12 to 25, are invited to participate in Youth Day at the Ma’ruf Center for Youth Innovation, 2110 W. Hampton Ave., on Saturday, Sept. 14. Participants will learn how to cope with stress. The event is free and starts at 3:30 p.m.
5. UMOS Mexican Independence parade & festival: Sunday, Sept. 15
UMOS is celebrating Mexican Independence Day with a parade and festival on Sunday, Sept. 15. The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at West Oklahoma Avenue and South 20th Street. The festival will begin at noon at the UMOS Center, 2701 S. Chase Ave. There will be entertainment, carnival rides and more.
Bonus: Grand reopening of Custer Playfield: Saturday, Sept. 14
Milwaukee Recreation recently upgraded Custer Playfield, 4001 W. Custer Ave. Residents are invited to join the grand reopening on Saturday, Sept. 14. The upgrades include new walking paths, basketball courts, play structures and more. The events start at 11:30 a.m.
Bonus 2: Ascension Wisconsin’s Medical Mission at Home: Saturday, Sept. 14
Ascension Wisconsin is hosting Medical Mission at Home at North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St., on Saturday, Sept. 14. Free services will be provided to those in need and include medical exams, dental care, medicine, imaging/mammograms, podiatry screenings and more. Insurance is not required. Patients can begin registering at 8 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The event ends at 2 p.m.
About Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Ana serves as NNS’ newly created community engagement reporter and is responsible for writing stories that help our readers navigate their lives as well as making sure they know the fun things that are happening in their neighborhoods. You can email her here or call (414) 604-6397.

created: September 13, 2019


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Adam Carr
September 12, 2019


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image | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 12, 2019


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Post from the Community: Closing the ‘candy factory’ — T21 keeps vapes out of schools | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Crowley
September 13, 2019
Every day, 300 children under the age of 18 become regular, daily smokers. Nearly all people who smoke as adults began before age 21, and three-quarters started before age 18. Tobacco companies know this: in one internal document from 1982, a researcher said, “If a man has never smoked by age 18, the odds are three-to-one he never will. By age 24, the odds are twenty-to-one.” And if these trends aren’t reversed, 5.6 million of today’s youth will die from a smoking-related illness.
According to a 2012 Surgeon General’s report, “Of every 3 young smokers, only 1 will quit, and 1 of those remaining smokers will die from tobacco-related causes.” These statistics are just some of the many reasons that I am authoring a bill that would raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21.
Other cities and states have seen outstanding results from Tobacco 21. After raising the age in Oregon, 18-20 year olds who had started smoking in the previous 6 months fell from 23% to 18%, and 10% of the same age group reported that it was significantly more difficult to obtain tobacco and vaping products. Even more importantly, those aged 13-17 – in other words, high school kids – saw the largest decline in new smokers over that six month period.
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It’s not limited to Oregon, either: in New York City, there was a nearly one-third decline in cigarette smoking among high school students after they implemented the law. In total, 14 states have already passed laws raising the minimum age to 21.
Nearby Chicago has been one of the biggest success stories. Only 6% of Chicago high school students said they smoke in 2017 – an all-time low. Tobacco 21 works in keeping cigarettes out of our children’s hands. The bill that I am authoring with my colleague, Rep. Spiros, will be the foundation of a legal framework to cut smoking rates in Milwaukee and across the state.
Today’s kids and young people aren’t just getting hooked on cigarettes, either. E-cigarettes and other vaping products have become commonplace in high schools around Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole. These new nicotine-delivery systems come in more flavors than Willy Wonka has candy – which in turn is designed to get our young people hooked. And it’s easy for those under 18 to get them because many students are 18 during their senior year, creating a legal pipeline onto high school campuses.
E-cigarettes are not a safer alternative to cigarettes for our young people; they are cotton-candy-flavored gateways into a lifetime of nicotine addiction. And the stark reality is that the adverse effects of vaping may not be limited to long-term illnesses. Across the country, but our state in particular, has seen a spate of lung disease as a result of vaping. These unforeseen consequences are why it’s critically important that we ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep them out of the hands of our children.
Our bill addresses that issue. By raising the age to 21, the school-tobacco pipeline will be closed. It is much more rare that high schoolers and younger children know someone that age. It is unrealistic to expect this to completely stop underage smoking (much like raising the alcohol did not completely stop underage drinking). But it will at least slow the ready availability of tobacco in our schools, and help keep our young people from getting hooked.
Parents for years have known how hard it was to keep their sons and daughters from using tobacco. Now, the e-cigarette fad is yet another challenge. Our bill will help in that fight. It closes the school-tobacco pipeline, penalizes those who buy tobacco for those who are underage, and has had demonstrable success in stemming the tide of youth tobacco use. At the end of the day, there is no realistic need for high school students to have access to tobacco – and that’s what our bill aims to stop.
David Crowley is elected to represent the Assembly 17 District, encompassing the NW side of the City of Milwaukee. He is currently serving as both Chair of the Milwaukee Delegation and the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus.

author: David Crowley


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Dressed for success: A bustling fashion scene plays out along Cesar E. Chavez Drive | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 13, 2019
Mention the Cesar E. Chavez Drive commercial district, and it’s likely the iconic Mercado El Rey grocery store comes to mind, along with restaurants featuring south-of-the-border flavors.
Now think again.
Walk between West National and Greenfield avenues on theNear South Side, and you will see a vibrant fashion destination, with at leasthalf a dozen locally owned clothing stores that sell styles not found anywhereelse.
Just ask Appleton resident Dulce Goiz, who recently drove toMilwaukee to shop at El Rey but decided to explore other stores nearby.
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Drawn into Sayury’s
Clothing by the trendy women’s styles in the window, Goiz said she waslooking for boots in a particular shade of blue. There are only two stores inAppleton that appeal to her preference for the feminine, sexy clothing incolors she would find in Mexico, she said.
Owner Luis Gamboa, his ex-wife and daughters Amy, 23, and Bernice, 21, operate the store at 826 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive. Sayury’s specializes in affordable, stylish club and casual wear, shoes and accessories for women brought in from New York and Los Angeles.
Farther down the street, Alejandro Rivera sells traditionalwestern/cowboy-style clothing at 1002 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive. Rivera and hiswife, Teresa, offer a wide selection of Mexican-made leather boots for men andwomen as well as classic cowboy hats, shirts, belts and jewelry at Rivera’s Western Wear.
Rivera’s draws customers from all over Wisconsin, northernIllinois, Minnesota and Michigan.
El Tianguis VIP, 1230 S.Cesar E. Chavez Drive, also sells western or cowboy styles but with a modern,urban edge, said co-owner Elias Lopez.
Lopez said his customers like Duranguense, Banda and Corridos,  genres of regional Mexican musiccreated in the 1990s and popularized in the 2000s.
“It’snot really like traditional cowboy, it’s more like a modern or urban cowboy,”he said.
Recently,he noted, El Tianguis’ merchandise has become a fusion of urban cowboy andcasual wear.
Lopez’ grandparents founded a clothing business that sold denimjeans, shirts and T-shirts near Mexico City, he said. Twenty-five years ago, IsmaelLopez, Elias’s father, started El Tianguis, which means “flea market,” near 7Mile Fair in Caledonia, Wisconsin. Elias and his older brother David joinedtheir father in the business 15 years ago.
A focus on
economic development
Since the Cesar Chavez Business Improvement District wasestablished in 2009 and residents working through the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative createda Quality of Life Plan for the neighorhood, the initiative and the BID havepartnered to prioritize economic development along Chavez Drive, said IanBautista, the initiative’s director.
One of the initiative’s efforts, the Farm Project, seeks to makeChavez Drive a destination by focusing on arts and culture. Some of the FarmProject’s additions include a bronze statue of Latino labor and civil rightsleader Cesar Chavez, an artist-in-residence
program and a renovated space for pop-up businesses with an art or culturalfocus.
Since 2016, the city hasinvested almost $83,000 in storefront improvements and public art on the CesarE. Chavez commercial corridor. An additional $410,000 in private investmentsbrings the total to almost $500,000, according to Natanael Martinez, commercialcorridor manager at the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development. Heanticipates that an additional $28,000 will be invested in storefronts by theend of the year.
The latest round of Chavez Drivepop-up entrepreneurs will be introduced at Ciclovia. See details below.
Other clothing stores on Chavez Drive:
•One Stop Outlet, 809 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, sells men’s and women’s jeans, jackets and accessories.
•Envisions, 1328 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, sells men’s streetwear, sneakers and sports logo hats and jerseys.
•ICON, 1577 W. Greenfield Ave., is a high-end designer boutique.
Ciclovia MKE
When: From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
Where: Meet at the corner of South Chavez Drive and West Greenfield Avenue.
Why: Don’t miss the chance to experience the culture of Chavez Drive. For the fifth summer, residents and visitors will take to the streets using any mode of transportation that isn’t motor-driven — walking, biking, running, dancing, rolling. The goal of the free open streets celebration is to promote social, health, environmental and economic growth and connect Milwaukee’s diverse Near South Side neighborhoods.
About Andrea Waxman
Andrea is a senior staff writer for
NNS, where she
writes about people who do great
things as well as education, policy issues and economic development that affect
our neighborhoods. You can reach her through email or call the newsroom at (414) 604-6397.

author: Andrea Waxman


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Adam Carr
September 12, 2019


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Adam Carr
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5 things to know this week in Milwaukee: Sept. 16 to Sept. 21 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 16, 2019
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some events we think you shouldn’t miss. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Arts @ Large family yoga: Monday, Sept. 16Families are invited to take yoga together at Arts @ Large, 1100 S. 5th St., on Monday, Sept. 16. Yoga instructor Pam Miller will lead parents and children through practice. Class begins at 9 a.m.
2. Milwaukee Plan community meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 17The Milwaukee Department of City Development and partners, which include Walnut Way and Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, are looking for local expertise to help shape the neighborhoods surrounding Fond du Lac and North avenues. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, there will be a community meeting at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center St., where residents can offer input. The meeting will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
3. Save the Domes county hearing: Wednesday, Sept. 18The Milwaukee County Board is holding a public hearing regarding the future of the Mitchell Park Domes on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The board would like to hear from the public. The meeting will be held in the Mitchell Park Domes Annex, 524 S. Layton Blvd. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the event is expected to start at 6 p.m.
4. Doing ‘goodr’ with food surplus: Wednesday, Sept. 1888Nine Radio Milwaukee, along with 88Nine Labs, hosts a discussion on fighting food waste and hunger with technology and women-led startups at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 220 East Pittsburgh Ave.  The event will feature Jasmine Crowe, the founder and CEO of Goodr, a startup that uses blockchain technology to reduce food waste and help end hunger. She recently partnered with the Super Bowl to collect over 100,000 pounds of food and distribute to those in need.
5. Movie night in Johnsons Park: Friday, Sept. 20Friends of Johnson Park is hosting a movie night in Johnsons Park, 1919 W. Fond du Lac Ave., on Friday, Sept. 20. The event is free and open to the public. Families, friends and neighbors can enjoy a screening of “Akeelah and The Bee.” The event starts at 6 p.m.
Ana serves as NNS’ newly created
community engagement reporter and is responsible for writing stories that
help our readers navigate their lives as well as making sure they know the fun
things that are happening in their neighborhoods. You can email her here or call (414) 604-6397.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!

created: September 16, 2019


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Adam Carr
September 15, 2019

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Post from the Community: Clarene Mitchell’s book release reception | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Clarene Mitchell
September 16, 2019
Book Title: “Shine Online With LinkedIn: LinkedIn Isn’t Just an Online Database of Resumes!”
Milwaukee Media Personality Andrea Williams will be the MC for this event. Speakers will include clients of Clarene Mitchell who will speak about the importance of LinkedIn for professional branding and Clarene’s skills as a LinkedIn trainer.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 from 6-7 pm, program begins at 6:20 pm
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September 15th – 21st is National Build a Better Image Week
WHERE:  Arts @ Large, 1100 S. 5th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204
BACKGROUND: Clarene Mitchell experienced a sudden job loss in the fall of 2016. In July 2017 she started her own business, TCM Communications, because she had no viable employment opportunities. Clarene has now written a book to fill the void of reader-friendly LinkedIn books.
WHY: We are in a highly digital era. LinkedIn is the foremost social media platform for business and professional purposes. Professionals and businesses are at a disadvantage if they do not effectively use the platform. Many people recognize the importance of LinkedIn, but they lack understanding of how to use the various LinkedIn features. Clarene’s book introduces them to the wonderful world of LinkedIn and empowers them to Shine Online!
EVENT LINK:    Clarene Mitchell’s Book Release Reception – “Shine Online With LinkedIn”

author: Clarene Mitchell


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 16, 2019


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SPECIAL REPORT: A tale of two cities: New York providers credit ‘aftercare’ for helping youths transition home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
September 16, 2019
Last of three parts
Editor’s note: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has changed the names of youths in New York’s justice system upon request to ensure their safety and privacy.
NEW YORK—Although they already face obstacles, the real challenge for young people in New York’s youth justice system comes when they return home, those who work with them say.
“When kids are in placement, they get all these tools, but when they leave, there’s not always people there saying, ‘Hey, stop, think about that,’” said Rohee Ramnath, a mentor for the nonprofit Rising Ground. “But now you leave placement, and you come here.”
“Here” is an “aftercare” mentorship group for youths after they finish their time in a Close to Home facility at a community school in the Bronx. Ramnath is formerly incarcerated himself and is now dedicated to helping youths in his neighborhood turn their lives around.
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The Close to Home initiative moved all of the state’s young people from state-run youth prison facilities upstate into community-based programs, and, in some situations, into small residential care homes with limited security measures, in the city.
The organizations that run the Close to Home facilities are all required as part of their contracts through New York City to provide some kind of aftercare for youths. Some homes have mentorship groups. Others have family therapy or other programs.
“For anybody who’s looking to do this work, that’s the key,” said Lisa Crook, vice president of justice for youth and families programs at Rising Ground. “Start with aftercare.”
Initiatives such as Close to Home have gained the attention of leaders in Milwaukee County in the year and a half since the state legislature passed a bill to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons and replace them with smaller regional facilities, and they will come into question as a state committee allocates funds to replacement plans across Wisconsin in the coming weeks.
In Milwaukee, youths leaving Lincoln Hills or Copper Lake—or even those transitioning home from the Vel R. Phillips Youth Detention Center or a residential care center—have needs when they get home, said Sharlen Moore, the co-founder of Youth Justice Milwaukee, which pushes for alternatives to locking up young people.
Moore has worked with youths, families and community members for more than two years to press for community-based alternatives to incarceration. Her organization is getting ready to launch Youth Justice Wisconsin to push for these kinds of changes at a state level.
“A lot of the young people’s needs aren’t being met once they’re out,” she said. “Young people need mentors, stable housing, jobs and access to transportation to rebuild their lives.” She said these kinds of things should be part of the conversation about how to best replace Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
The ‘game-changer’
Meanwhile, in New York, Crook said having the kind of consistent support aftercare provides—and making sure that youths have a supportive adult relationship once they transition back into the community—has been a “game-changer.”
“They really need that person they know they can trust,” Crook said. “They need to know that we’re there for them and that the people they were connected with can answer their phone when they call.”
The Rising Ground aftercare program is modeled after a broader mentoring initiative in New York City called Arches. The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Probation and different nonprofit organizations.
While Ramnath runs his group for youths after they’ve spent time in a facility, Arches is essentially a prevention effort to connect youths and young adults with a supportive community to keep them from getting further into the system. A young person’s probation officer can refer them to an Arches mentorship group, and their time on supervision could be shortened, or their records could be sealed upon successful completion on a case-by-case basis.
Arches and programs like it are run by people considered “credible messengers”—people like Ramnath who have had direct experience in the system themselves and can reflect on and talk about the way they transformed their lives.
“We’re past just relating to the kids,” Ramnath said. “They don’t just need someone who can relate to what they went through and what they’re experiencing now even. We’re past that. They need compassion, understanding. They need to know somebody’s on their team. They need to know how to love.”
According to a 2018 study by the Urban Institute, Arches participants were significantly less likely to be reconvicted of a crime than youths on probation who did not participate in the mentorship program.
Such mentorship programs are an example of a community-based alternative considered to be a part of a “continuum of care” for youths in the justice system that Milwaukee leaders often mention when they talk about potential reforms.
‘They actually want to help us’
Darnell Davis, who participated in an Arches group in the Bronx, now helps lead one.
“I realized, wow, these people actually want to see us do right,” he said of his surprise when he first started attending the group. “They don’t want to see us in jail cells or unemployed. They actually want to help us. When I found that, I knew I needed to keep coming.”
“These are relationships I’ve never had,” Davis said.
Kevin Quiroz is the Credible Messenger Justice Center liaison at Community Connections for Youth, a nonprofit in the Bronx. He trains other organizations and mentors to run successful mentorship groups.
Quiroz said the key to success is strong collaboration between the city-run system and grassroots organizations based in the neighborhoods where the young people come from.
“It’s taking money that was once used to incarcerate individuals and is now used to invest in these community programs, these transformative mentoring programs,” he said.
Back in Milwaukee
In Milwaukee County, leaders in the Department of Health and Human Services are working to move kids home from Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake to community-based programs in Milwaukee.
By working through the courts to find alternatives, the county has reduced the number of Milwaukee kids in the youth prisons from 56 youths in May 2019, to 33 youths in August 2019—a 41% reduction.
Mary Jo Meyers, director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, said they began this process of moving kids back to the city because they didn’t want the county’s reforms to wait on the state to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
“We wanted to start using what we know works right now,” she said. “What does Milwaukee County need to do to reduce the footprint of incarceration for young people, especially young people of color?”
Mark Mertens, administrator for the Milwaukee County Division of Youth and Family Services, said they brought the numbers down by looking at each individual situation to determine what worked best.
Youths have transitioned home or into other local programs. Some have been moved to the Vel R. Phillips Youth Detention Center in Wauwatosa to participate in the Milwaukee County Accountability Program—a partnership between the county and nonprofit Running Rebels. Others were referred to social services through the county program Wraparound. And others were referred directly to Running Rebels’ mentorship and supervision programming.
As it continues to implement reforms, Mertens said Milwaukee County will continue to utilize Bakari Center as a residential option for youth in the justice system.
The center—which opened earlier this year— is a therapeutic residential treatment center for boys. It uses individual and group therapy to teach young people how to regulate their emotions and make thoughtful decisions.
Milwaukee County leaders have said alternative programs and models like Close to Home are some of the inspiration behind their recently submitted $24.9 million proposal to the state for the local piece of the plans to replace Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
“We’re asking what can we learn from what we’re doing now and from the places that we visited like New York and Washington, D.C.?” Myers said.
Last week, Milwaukee County updated its plan to reduce the number of beds it plans to have for youths from 54 to 40. It also reduced the proposed costs of renovations for facilities from $41.8 million to $24.9 million.
The county’s new proposal doesn’t include building any new facilities but rather suggests renovations and new programs. It seeks to renovate the Vel R. Phillips Youth Detention Center to feel more homelike, with added green space and accessibility for families, and suggests the county will collaborate with, lease and renovate existing residential facilities in the county through partnerships with “community partners” that haven’t been identified yet.
The rest of the requested funding—in addition to separate county funding—would be dedicated to investing in personnel and staff training as well as creating more programs to serve as alternatives to incarceration, including mentoring programs.
Other counties in Wisconsin have also proposed plans for local youth justice programs—including building new facilities and expanding detention centers. A state grant committee will determine who will receive funding in October.
Meanwhile, as part of the law that will close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections plans to build a youth prison in Milwaukee on Teutonia Avenue and one in Hortonia, Wisconsin—separately and independently of the county’s plan.
The two prisons would be for young people who commit more serious offenses and are deemed “Serious Juvenile Offenders.” Additionally, the state plans to significantly expand Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, which is a secure correctional facility in Madison, increasing the number of beds across the state for youths in the justice system.
Moore and other stress that now is the time for Milwaukee to explore other alternatives to incarceration.
“We’re hoping that we start doing some things differently,” said Moore of Youth Justice Milwaukee. “Not locking young people up just because it’s the easy thing to do, but that we literally start practicing best practices and stop locking up young people.”
How we reported this story: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporter Allison Dikanovic received a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network to travel to New York City earlier this summer to report this story. She visited two Close to Home youth justice facilities, two mentoring groups and met with various stakeholders in the system, including youths, parents, nonprofit organizations, advocates, researchers and city officials to learn about changes that New York made to its system.
Check out the entire series
Read part one of series. Read part two of series.


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Dwayne Burtin
September 15, 2019


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Dwayne Burtin
September 15, 2019


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Dwayne Burtin
September 15, 2019


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NNS Video: ‘There’s a better way to live’: A community garden that’s so much more than that | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alex Perry
September 17, 2019
What was once a condemned building has been transformed into a community walking garden that seeks to uplift the neighborhood surrounding North 26th Street and West Capitol Drive.
The RefugeGarden of Shechem is a project of Hope Street Ministry, a nonprofit committed to building community on the NorthSide.
The greenspace will eventually be transformed into Hope Street’scommunity center, Shechem.
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For the past20 years, Hope Street Ministry has provided safe and supportive housing to men,women and children.
It’s “a safespace where we cultivate hope and develop self-sufficiency together, as acommunity,” Hope Street’s Executive Director Ashley Thomas said.

created: September 17, 2019

author: Alex Perry


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 16, 2019


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OPINION: Now’s the time: What are your priorities for our community? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kristi Luzar
September 17, 2019
Editor’s note: Got something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Kristi Luzar is the Executive Director at the Urban Economic Development Association. She writes about the impact federal dollars can have and how community voices can be heard in future decision-making for those funds.
With so much talk about the possibility of a recession, we have a moment to remember who is so often most harmed in an economic downturn. Previous recessions have taught us that the most vulnerable, those with precarious employment, or loans against their modest homes, are most at risk.
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At the Urban Economic Development Association (UEDA) we know what can happen. In the wake of the 2008 recession we formed Take Root Milwaukee to encourage residents to “take root” in the community through affordable homeownership, knowledge about responsible lending, and opportunities for home repair. Since then we have helped hundreds of families and individuals buy, repair and maintain homes.
Many of the resources utilized in our community during the Great Recession came toMilwaukee via the federal government. Funding through programs like theNeighborhood Stabilization Fund (NSP) and American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct (ARRA) helped address the serious housing and employment needs in our City,and were deployed through programs administered by the Department of Housingand Urban Development (HUD). What many people don’t know is that communitiesacross the country receive funding every year from HUD that helps us address theripple effects of the 2008 recession and housing crisis that continue to impactus all.
Now,Milwaukee residents have a once-every-few-years opportunity to have a voice insome of this significant funding for our city, the very funding that oftenaddresses the fallout from tough economic times. The City of Milwaukee iscurrently developing its 2020-2024 “Comprehensive Plan” for HUD. This is acritical opportunity for residents and other stakeholders to weigh-in onhousing and business development priorities for the City.
UEDAis working with the City to engage the public in this planning process, and itis a chance we don’t want residents to miss! A very user-friendly survey isavailable at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ConPlanMKE,and we will be hosting a number of community meetings and focus groups inSeptember and October. More information on the HUD Consolidated Plan can befound at https://conplanmke.org/,and you can also view a list of upcoming events.
Join us inadding your voice! Let’s ensure that our community’s priorities are what HUDhears.

author: Kristi Luzar


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Adam Carr
September 16, 2019

author: Adam Carr


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Adam Carr
September 16, 2019


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Post from the Community: Join us for a community conversation – Your Health, Your Voice | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ascension Wisconsin
September 17, 2019
We promised to listen and together, make our community healthy and well.
Please join us for an interactive discussion as we share the details of our 2019- 2022 Community Health Improvement Plan for Ascension Wisconsin (Milwaukee County) with an emphasis on new programs and investments at Ascension St. Joseph that address the health needs of the community.
WHAT: Community Conversation
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DATE: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
WHERE: Ascension St. Joseph – 5000 W. Chambers St (1 Floor Auditorium)
TIME:
Afternoon Session – 12:00pm–2:00pm (Check-in: 11:30am, Session begins: 12:00pm)
Evening Session 6:00pm–8:00pm (Check-in: 5:30pm, Session begins: 6:00pm)
Sessions are free and open to everyone

author: Ascension Wisconsin


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Post from the Community: Valley Week highlights history, urban nature, and good jobs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Menomonee Valley Partners
September 17, 2019
Valley Week runs September 21 – 28 in Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley
Valley Week, the Menomonee River Valley’s annual fall festival, returns September 21-28 and showcases the Valley’s parks, history, trails, and companies. Valley Week is presented by Menomonee Valley Partners and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
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The week kicks off with a limited edition beer release, Menomonee River Valley Urban Escape.  The lager is collaboration between City Lights Brewing and Third Space Brewing, who, along with employees of a dozen Valley businesses, brainstormed a beer profile that would be representative of the Valley’s past and present. The lager was brewed with wild rice – “Menomonee” means wild rice – an ingredient neither brewery had experimented with in the past. Proceeds from beer sales will help fund continued work to revitalize the Valley.
Valley Week continues showcasing the Valley as a great place to visit and a great place to work.  Like the Menomonee River Valley itself, Valley Week offers something for everyone, from Campfire Stories featuring personal stories of transformation, the Ultimate Beer Run, kayak tours and pontoon cruises to enjoy the Menomonee River, a Job Fair to highlight career opportunities, and so much more.
All the week’s experiences are listed at TheValleyMKE.org, including:
All Week Long
Thursday, September 19
Saturday, September 21
Tuesday, September 24
Wednesday, September 25
Thursday, September 26
Friday, September 37
Valley Week Specials
For more information and to register for events, visit TheValleyMKE.org/ValleyWeek.
Menomonee Valley Partners is a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 with a mission to revitalize and sustain the Menomonee River Valley as a thriving urban district that advances economical, ecological, and social equity for the benefit of the greater Milwaukee community. Since then, 52 companies have moved to or expanded in the Valley, more than 5,200 jobs have been created, 60 acres of parks and trails have been established, and 10 million people visit the Valley’s recreation and entertainment destinations each year.

author: Menomonee Valley Partners


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NNS Video: A taste of Cesar E. Chavez Drive (and it’s not anything related to food) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alex Perry
September 18, 2019
Cesar E. Chavez Drive is so much more than restaurants these days.
It’s also about business.
Since 2016, the city hasinvested almost $83,000 in storefront improvements and public art on the CesarE. Chavez commercial corridor. An additional $410,000 in private investmentsbrings the total to almost $500,000, according to Natanael Martinez, commercialcorridor manager at the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development. Heanticipates that an additional $28,000 will be invested in storefronts by theend of the year.
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The Cesar Chavez Business Improvement District and the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative have partnered to prioritize economic development along ChavezDrive, said Ian Bautista, the initiative’s director.
More from Andrea Waxman’s story
about Cesar E. Chavez Drive here.

created: September 18, 2019


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
September 17, 2019