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Post From Community: The Impacts Of Gender Violence On Native Communities and on Women In Yemen & The Middle East | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jerry Rousseau
March 1, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here
Celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 with informative presentations by several women experts on “The Impacts Of Gender Violence On Native Communities” and “Women In Yemen & The Middle East.”
Saturday, March  1110 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Free and open to the public
Sponsored by The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin, & the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Milwaukee.
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Attend in-person at Peace Action Wisconsin, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI. Or participate virtually on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82539910998?pwd=YzFhY2RVR09mRVZnb0JlR0RUVDZCUT09.
By phone only: 1.312.626.6799    Meeting ID: 825 3991 0998     Passcode: 078720
Speakers from the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute – a Milwaukee survivor and women-led matriarchal organization providing the next generation of care to victims of crime and violence.  We seek to learn from our ancestors’ teachings and the ways of governance that worked for the global majority centuries prior to colonization.  We invite our Indigenous roles into colonial spaces.  Our ways are from many different nations and our resilience has always been rooted in the health and well-being of our communities while we thrive through social & value-based economies.  For more information, please visit us at www.hirwellness.org.
Kawkab Al-Thaibani is a women’s rights and peace activist in Yemen.  She is the founder and director of the She4Society Initiative, which advocates for peace and equality in Yemen.  One of 30 women political leaders worldwide, Kawkab was selected by the leading global organization Vital Voices to become a 2022 VVengage Fellow.  Kawkab is a communication, gender, and peace expert and strategist working in Yemen, the region, and around the world.  She has published numerous research papers and articles advocating for women’s rights and peace.  Kawkab began as a journalist, working for local and international agencies such as the New York Times and El Pais.  In 2008, she participated in the USA NESA Undergraduate Exchange Program in Jackson, Mississippi.  Kawkab studied gender at the Gender Studies Center, which was founded by the late Raufa Hassan, a Yemeni feminist icon.
For more information, call 414.269.95

author: Jerry Rousseau


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IMAGE-UNA-USA-MILWAUKEE-CHAPTER.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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February 25, 2023

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: February 25, 2023

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

author: Name *


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5 things to know and do the weekend of March 3 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 3, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Parents in need of diapers can get free diapers, wipes, infant formula and a $5 Culver’s gift card at this drive-thru diaper-distribution event organized by Milwaukee Diaper Mission. The event runs from 10 a.m. to noon or until supplies last on Friday, March 3 at the Hayat Pharmacy location at 1919 W. North Ave. From the archives: NNS Spotlight: ‘Diapers, dollars and doers’: How Milwaukee Diaper Mission is answering the community’s needs
Your Move MKE is more than just a chess club. It hosts a variety of events related to communal healing. One of them is its biweekly “Writing Sesh,” which is a two-hour free-form writing session designed to help you express yourself through poetry, writing, lyrics, journaling, freestyling and/or ciphering. This week’s “Writing Sesh” is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 3 at the Your Move MKE Community Center, located on the second floor of 1109 W. Historic Mitchell St. From the archives: NNS Spotlight: How Your Move MKE uses hip-hop and chess to help youths
Latino Arts new exhibition, “Mamá Said: A Reflection on Maternal Figures,” opens this weekend and will be available to view through June 2. The opening reception begins at 5 p.m. Friday, March 3 at Latino Arts, located at 1028 S. 9th St.
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March is Women’s History Month, and this is an opportunity to learn about female pioneers in STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, the arts, math. Connect with local women working in these fields, and children can participate in science activities. The event runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 at Lincoln Park Blatz Pavilion, located at 1301 W. Hampton Ave. in Glendale. Tickets are $5. Walk-ins are welcome, but you can reserve your space and get more information about the event here.
Meditate Milwaukee is a monthly event with a different meditation guide and musical guest for everyone 11 years old and up. This month’s event runs from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 at Sojourner Family Peace Center, located at 619 W. Walnut St. It is free to attend, but you can RSVP a spot and get more information here. The event will also be streamed live on Mediate Milwaukee’s Facebook page.

author: Sam Woods


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51413515203_61bcfbfe82_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
March 2, 2023

author: Ron Smith


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: March 6 to March 10 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 6, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
March is Women’s History Month, and you can celebrate with this screening and discussion of the short documentary “Maestra,” about nine women who taught in the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. The free screening and discussion runs from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7 at the Mitchell Street Library, located at 906 W. Mitchell St.
Women recovering from addiction are invited to this “SobrieTEA party” to meet like-minded individuals looking for ways of pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8 at HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary Cafe, located at 1819 N. Doctor Martin Luther King Drive. Tickets are $28.52.
Wednesday is International Women’s Day, and Social X MKE has organized a panel discussion to “celebrate women who inspire, overcome and rewrite history with a shared voice.” The free virtual discussion takes place from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8. Register to receive a stream link and read more about the panelists here.
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Black History Month may be technically over, but Black excellence is always relevant. Join this Black excellence celebration featuring performances from North Division High School alumni and CAPITA Productions. The celebration is free to attend and runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8 at Trendsetters Event Space, located at 6633 W. Mill Road.
VIA CDC, formerly known as Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, is hosting a training on how to navigate MyVote Wisconsin, a website where you can find what’s on your ballot for upcoming elections, where to vote and how to register to vote. The training runs from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9 at  Escuela Verde’s Newline Cafe, located at 3618 W. Pierce St.
There is an election coming up on Tuesday, April 4 which will include school board and aldermanic races, local judicial positions and a seat on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. From the archives: ‘We need to make sure we are empowering our neighbors’: JoAnna Bautch, VIA’s new executive director, shares vision for organization


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Ron Smith
March 5, 2023


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One-time $120 coming to offset summer meal costs for eligible children | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 8, 2023
Parents of children who are currently receiving free or reduced-price school meals will receive a one-time payment in June to help cover the cost of summer meals.
Payments will be $120 per child, down from payments in 2021 and 2022.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which administers the program, said that parents should expect payment in mid-June on an active QUEST or P-EBT card if they have one, or a P-EBT card issued to them in the mail if they do not have an active QUEST card.
The payments are part of the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, P-EBT, program, which aims to support parents buying food for children over the summer while schools are closed and free school meals are not provided.
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Money received through the Summer P-EBT program can be used on the same items that FoodShare pays for. It also can be used on most groceries but also includes most hot or prepared foods or meals from restaurants.
Parents are eligible to receive payment if their children are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program or are receiving free or reduced price school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision or Provisions 2 or 3. Students at all Milwaukee Public Schools and most non-MPS schools in Milwaukee fall under the Community Eligibility Provision.
You can view a full list of schools covered by the Community Eligibility Provision here. If your child is enrolled in one of these schools by the end of the current school year, you are eligible to receive payment.
Parents with children who get free meals at school or playground sites during the summer, such as MPS’ summer meal sites, are still eligible to receive Summer P-EBT should they meet the eligibility requirements.
Parents with questions should contact the P-EBT support team by calling 1-833-431-2224 or emailing PEBTsupport@wisconsin.gov.
Wisconsin has distributed Summer P-EBT payments since 2021. However, while parents of eligible children received $375 and $391 in 2021 and 2022, respectively, payments are capped at $120 for this summer because of cuts in federal funding for the program.
Also, in previous years, children under age 6 who did not attend school but were still in child care, as well as homeschooled children or children enrolled in fully virtual schools, were eligible for Summer P-EBT payments. These children are not eligible for Summer P-EBT payments this year.


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Ron Smith
March 7, 2023


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Post From Community: Sierra Club presentation on Rights of Nature and Indigenous Activism | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Karen Samelson
March 8, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The Sierra Club Great Waters Group will host a free Zoom presentation March 20 on the “Rights of Nature and Indigenous Activism.” The presesenters are Frank Bibeau, White Earth tribal attorney, and Thomas Linzey, senior legal counsel for the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights.
In 2018, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe recognized the rights of manoomin (wild rice), the first law to recognize the legal rights of a plant species. In 2021, manoomin and the White Earth Band sued the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in White Earth Tribal Court to enforce the rights of wild rice, the first rights of nature enforcement case to be brought in a tribal court.
Learn about the Rights of Nature movement, how it aligns with the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous people, and how it provides a tool for enforcing ecological health as a priority.
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The free program starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 20. To get the Zoom link and any updates,  register here.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. The Great Waters Group is the local group covering Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. Learn more at www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/great-waters.

author: Karen Samelson


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Frank-Bibeau1.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 7, 2023


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Post From Community: Avoid tax delinquency, pay the correct monthly installment due | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bill Arnold, Public Information Manager/City of Milwaukee
March 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee City Treasurer Spencer Coggs warns taxpayers that in order to avoid tax delinquency, they must make sure they pay the correct installment amount due each month.
The City of Milwaukee offers a ten month, interest-free, property tax installment payment plan. Over twenty-four thousand City taxpayers are taking advantage of the plan. When paying property taxes through the installment payment plan, the exact monthly amount due is listed on each of the monthly installment tax bills.
The problem is that many taxpayers are using their bank’s on-line payment system to make their monthly installment tax payment. Unfortunately, nearly four hundred taxpayers are using the first installment amount due in January as their sole monthly installment payment amount for all payments, which falls short of the actual amounts that are due February through July. An insert was included with the annual December combined property tax bills that warned that the first installment due in January is usually less than the amounts due from February through July. “Hundreds of well-meaning Milwaukee taxpayers are mistakenly making payments that fall short of the amount due, and are heading down the path of tax delinquency,” stated Treasurer Coggs.
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The first time that an installment payment is either paid short or missed, the tax account can be reinstated to current status on the installment plan by paying 1% interest on the missed installment, or the amount that was paid short, along with the next month’s installment payment due. However, if an installment is paid short or missed for the second time, regardless of the dollar amount, the tax account will go tax delinquent and interest and penalty will be assessed retroactively back to the first of February, in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes and Milwaukee Ordinances. The City Treasurer’s Office stated that if taxpayers used the January installment amount to incorrectly pay the February installment, that would constitute a first time shortfall. Paying short on the next installment in March would be the second shortfall and will result in the account going permanently tax delinquent regardless of the amount of the shortfall.
Treasurer Coggs wants taxpayers to make sure that they are requesting the correct amount be paid from their bank account for the monthly installment due, in order to prevent their account from going tax delinquent. Also, he wants to make sure that taxpayers’ bank account tax payments are sent directly to the City Treasurer’s Office at P.O. Box 514062, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53203-3462, and not to the City’s property tax payment lock box, which cannot process payments sent in without a tax bill payment coupon.
Treasurer Coggs urges taxpayers to seriously consider using the City Treasurer Office’s Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Installment Payment Plan. “The EFT payment plan assures accurate and timely monthly installment tax payments will always be made, preventing permanent tax delinquency,” said Coggs.
Information and an application to the City Treasurer’s Office EFT installment payment plan is available at  https://city.milwaukee.gov/treasurer/eft.


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Post From Community: City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works 12th annual compost bin sale | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brian DeNeve, Marketing & Communications Officer, Dept. of Public Works
March 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works is hosting its 12th annual backyard compost bin sale featuring the Home Composter, a compost bin that is not available in stores.
The details:
Compost bins and kitchen pails must be pre-ordered online at www.recyclingconnections.org/milwaukee, by April 15th, 2023.
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Pick up purchased items on Saturday, May 20th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, 1313 W. Mt. Vernon Ave., Milwaukee, 53233 (enter parking lot off of Emmber Lane).
DPW will assist residents with scheduling a pick-up appointment. After the pre-sale closes on April 15th, residents will receive an email with instructions for selecting a time slot on May 20th.
If you cannot attend pick-up on May 20th, you must arrange for another person to pick up on your behalf.
No day-of sales will be made at Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful on May 20th – pre-orders by April 15th only will be honored.
This sale is not restricted to City of Milwaukee residents.
The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works is partnering with Recycling Connections, a Wisconsin-based non-profit focusing on waste reduction, recycling, and resource conservation to host this year’s annual compost bin sale and will feature a highly-rated compost bin, the Home Composter.
Recommended by expert composters, the Home Composter is easy to assemble, long-lasting, made from 100% recycled materials, and is NOT available in stores. Each purchase comes with a Backyard Composting book. Home Composter compost bins and Kitchen Katcher stainless steel compost pails will be available for $68 and $25 respectively (including tax).
Rain barrels are not available as part of this sale, but information on where to purchase can be found on the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) website. Find more information here.
New to composting? Visit milwaukee.gov/CompostBinSale to learn more and view Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful’s home composting webinars online.
Visit MilwaukeeRecycles.com for more information or call (414) 286-CITY (2489).
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Ordene por adelantado su contenedor y barril antes del 15 de abril – Recójalos el 20 de mayo.
El Departamento de Obras Públicas de la Ciudad de Milwaukee organizará la 12 venta anual de contenedores de compostaje en el patio trasero con Home Composter, un contenedor de compostaje que no está disponible en las tiendas.
Los detalles:
Los contenedores de compostaje y las cubetas de cocina deben pedirse por adelantado en línea en https://www.recyclingconnections.org/milwaukee, antes del 15 de abril de 2023
Recoger artículos comprados el sábado 20 de mayo de 9 a.m. a 2p.m. en Keep   Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, 1313 oeste de la avenida Mt. Vernon, Milwaukee, 53233 (entre al estacionamiento por Embber Lane).
DPW ayudará a los residentes a programar una cita para recoger contenedores.  Después de que cierre la venta el 15 de abril, los residentes recibirán un correo electrónico con  instrucciones para seleccionar un horario para el 20 de mayo para recoger contenedores.
Si no puede recogerlos el 20 de mayo, debe hacer arreglos para que otra persona los recoja.
No hay venta el mismo día de la recogida en Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful el 20 de mayo; solo se aceptarán los pedidos anticipados antes del 15 de abril.
Esta venta no está restringida solo a los residentes de la Ciudad de Milwaukee.
El Departamento de Obras Públicas de la Ciudad de Milwaukee se está asociando con Recycling Connections, una organización sin fines de lucro basada en Wisconsin que se enfoca en la reducción de desechos, el reciclaje y la conservación de recursos para organizar la venta anual de contenedores de compostaje de este año y contará con un contenedor de compostaje altamente calificado, el Home Composter.
Recomendado por compostadores expertos, el Home Compostador es fácil de armar, duradero, hecho de materiales 100% reciclados y NO está disponible en las tiendas.  Cada compra viene con un libro de compostaje en el patio trasero.  Los contenedores de compostaje Home Composter y las cubetas de compostaje de acero inoxidable Kitchen Katcher estarán disponibles por $68 y $25 respectivamente (impuestos incluidos).
Los barriles de lluvia no están disponibles como parte de esta venta, pero más información sobre adonde comprar barriles de lluvia se puede encontrar en la página de internet del Distrito Metropolitano de Alcantarillado de Milwaukee (MMSD). Mas información sobre barriles de lluvia aquí.
¿Nuevo en el compostaje?  Visite milwaukee.gov/CompostBinSale para obtener más información y ver los seminarios del web de compostaje doméstico de Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful en línea.
Visite MilwaukeeRecycles.com para obtener más información o llame al (414) 286-CITY (2489).


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compost-sale.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 8, 2023

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Post From Community: Milwaukee Chamber Theatre raises $1,514,428 in sustainability campaign, will proceed with 23/24 season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nicole Acosta|, Marketing Director, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
March 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) announced this morning that it has reached the first benchmark in its ongoing Sustainability Campaign fundraising effort, achieving more than $1.5M in pledges for new and increased support for this and the next two fiscal years.  As a result, MCT will proceed with its 23/24 season, to be announced in late March or early April when the renewal period for season subscribers opens.
“We are full of gratitude and joy in announcing Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has surpassed our first phase fundraising goal yesterday with commitments of $1,514,428,” said MCT Board of Trustees President Marina Krejci.  “More than seven hundred individual donors stepped forward to keep MCT going and affirmed the value of a theater committed to the local, and ratified our belief in the vitality that MCT breathes into the greater Milwaukee community.”
Announced on February 14th by MCT Artistic Director Brent Hazelton in the face of a projected 35% FY23 operating deficit, MCT’s Sustainability Campaign is intended to create a stable financial foundation for the company over the next three seasons while it restructures the income-generating side of its operations and builds audience as it continues to weather the lingering impacts of the pandemic.
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Said Hazelton: “In so many ways, the pandemic is behind us.  But those of us in the performing arts are still feeling its impacts deeply, as studies project audiences won’t return fully to pre-pandemic levels until later in 2024.  Companies without any operating reserves to bridge that gap, like MCT, need time and space to reinvent and adapt to the new marketplace—and for us, creating that space sustainably involved reaching out for help to our community.  The amazing response in such an incredibly short period of time is a tremendous positive referendum on the way we’ve been pursuing mission for the last three years, and we’re grateful for the opportunity this creates for us to do the hard work that lies ahead to create a truly sustainable institution.”
Founded in 1975 by Montgomery Davis and Ruth Schudson and guided until 2020 by Michael Wright and Kirsten Finn, MCT has over the last three seasons under Hazelton’s leadership produced some of Milwaukee’s most celebrated theater events, including the recent WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, MISERY, WHERE DID WE SIT ON THE BUS?, INDECENT, and THE ISLAND, among others.
Other accomplishments during that time include: achieving three-year averages of at least 50% of all season artists identifying as either Black, Indigenous, and People of Color or female; founding the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival; generating during the first year of the pandemic a level of income and health insurance weeks for artists on par with national leaders; compensating all artists and staff above the Milwaukee County Living Wage Standard; spending 90% of all expense dollars in Milwaukee; and prioritizing safety resulting in no artist COVID infections since becoming Wisconsin’s first company to reconvene for in-person work on Actors’ Equity Association contracts in January 2021.
“And we could not have done this without the generous challenge match from Caran and Joel Quadracci, Donna and Donald Baumgartner, and the Herzfeld Foundation, each a visionary philanthropist committed to keeping Milwaukee’s arts and culture ecology rich and vibrant,” added Krejci.
MCT’s next production, the world premiere of HOOPS by Eliana Pipes with original music by Milwaukee’s own B~Free adapted from The HOOPS Project portrait series by Milwaukee multidisciplinary artist Nicole Acosta, begins performances Friday, March 10 and runs through Sunday, April 2.  Tickets available at www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org or by phone at 414.291.7800.
ABOUT MILWAUKEE CHAMBER THEATRE
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) partners with other arts organizations, community-based organizations, and universities to produce thought-provoking productions and innovative outreach programs on an intimate, human scale. As a leader in developing Milwaukee and Wisconsin’s theater community, MCT provides regular employment and a stable artistic home to local theatre professionals through a five-play subscription season, the Young Playwrights Festival (YPF), and the Montgomery Davis Play Development Series (MDPDS). MCT performs at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and is a proud Member Group of the United Performing Arts Fund.


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Post From Community: Milwaukee County joins Milky Way Tech Hub as the newest corporate member | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jacqueline Zeledon, Strategic Communications Manager, Milwaukee County Office of Equity
March 9, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
This Women’s History Month, the Milky Way Tech Hub is thrilled to announce the addition of Milwaukee County as a new corporate member. The Milwaukee County Office of Equity, representing several other departments such as Milwaukee County’s Information Management Systems Department and Department of Human Resources, will lead engagement efforts through the year-round partnership. The Milky Way Tech Hub is a Black woman-led social impact initiative of Jet Constellations, a technology firm based in the Sherman Park area of Milwaukee.
This new partnership represents a significant step forward for Milwaukee County in its ongoing efforts to support and grow the technology industry in the region. This is particularly pertinent given the crucial role technology plays in both measuring and combating the public health crisis of racism.
“We are thrilled to welcome Milwaukee County as our newest corporate member,” said Nadiyah Johnson, CEO of Milky Way Tech Hub. “We believe that lack of access to broadband internet and technology to use it for work and education purposes can be considered a form of violence, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities. We look forward to combatting this issue in partnership with Milwaukee County and the Office of Equity.”
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Milwaukee County Chief Equity Officer Jeff Román said, “Milwaukee County has a rich history of innovation. In May 2019, we were the first municipality in the U.S. to declare racism a public health crisis. This was thanks in large part to the ongoing efforts of the Office on African American Affairs, the predecessor of the Office of Equity. Today, our office is focused on making the county’s health and racial equity visions a reality. We see a partnership with the Milky Way as making progress toward realizing that vision.”
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said, “Joining the Milky Way Tech Hub is a natural partnership in our journey to achieve race and health equity. Supporting the technology industry in Milwaukee County is critical to making sure residents have access to the opportunities and careers of the future. Partnering with Milky Way Tech Hub will allow us to drive economic growth by connecting underserved residents with the resources and expertise they need to be successful in this growing industry.”
Johnson says, “The digital divide not only limits access to information and opportunities but also perpetuates systemic inequalities. Milwaukee, both as a county and a city, recognizing racism as a public health crisis highlights this issue as it exacerbates the disparities in access to technology and exacerbates health disparities.”
“This lack of access to technology perpetuates the cycle of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities. By acknowledging this as a form of violence, it is important to address and close the digital divide to ensure equal access to resources and opportunities for all.”
As a corporate member of Milky Way Tech Hub, Milwaukee County will have access to a wide range of benefits and resources, including networking opportunities, and the ability to co-create programs and events, and connect with a vibrant community of technology professionals and businesses. The County will also receive expert guidance and support from Milky Way Tech Hub as it continues to build its technology industry, further strengthening its position as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Other Milky Way Tech Hub corporate members include American Family Insurance; Northwestern Mutual; Milwaukee Tool; Techquity, an initiative of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County; Brilliance Business Solutions, and MARS Solutions Group.
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About the Milwaukee County Office of Equity
The Milwaukee County Office of Equity (OOE), formerly the Office on African American Affairs, brings a higher level of leadership, expertise, and accountability to advance the county’s strategic goals of creating intentional inclusion, bridging the gap, and investing in equity to help fulfill this vision. It provides advice, guidance, and technical assistance to county leaders, divisions, boards and commissions, and municipalities to analyze policies, programs, and initiatives to advance a more equitable community – one in which race no longer predicts health and quality of life outcomes but rather these outcomes improve for everyone.
About the Milky Way Tech Hub
The Milky Way Tech Hub is a leading innovation and technology initiative dedicated to fostering growth and development within the technology industry in the Midwest. With a focus on fostering collaboration, connecting businesses and entrepreneurs, and promoting economic growth, Milky Way Tech Hub is dedicated to building a vibrant, dynamic, and supportive community of technology professionals and businesses.
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Need help with your taxes? These organizations offer free services for those who qualify. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 9, 2023
Did we miss a program that offers free tax services? Post it in the comments below or send an email with the subject line ‘”Free Tax Services” to samwoods@milwaukeenns.org.
It’s tax season once again, and if you need help, check out the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA.
The VITA program connects volunteers with tax-filing experience with people with low incomes who want help making sure their taxes are filed correctly and that they get the maximum return they are entitled to.
You can get help through the VITA program at multiple locations in and around Milwaukee, some of which allow walk-ins while others require an appointment. Some locations also help in English and Spanish. You can find a full list of VITA locations here.
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This year’s tax deadline is Tuesday, April 18. However, many locations offering VITA require you to submit documents by late March or early April.
Click here to see what documents you should bring to your VITA appointment and look below to see the list of some organizations that offer the VITA program.
From the archives: You can read more about how the VITA program works here.
Riverworks Development Corporation, located 526 E. Concordia Ave., offers the VITA tax program year-round through its financial clinic. Services are offered in English and Spanish. You can schedule an in-person appointment or submit your documents online. The deadline to submit documents is March 25.
For more information and to schedule an appointment, click here.
From the archives: NNS Spotlight: Riverworks clinic teaches financial literacy.
The Social Development Commission, or SDC, provides a VITA program to people with a household income of $66,000 or less. SDC offers a drop-off and pickup model. Individuals can fill out the required forms and drop off the forms and tax documents at a SDC location of their choosing. The forms can be found online or at one of the following SDC locations:
The SDC locations:
North Avenue Office: 1730 W. North Ave.
Teutonia Avenue Office: 6848 N. Teutonia Ave.
Chase Avenue Office: 2968 S. Chase Ave.
Northwest Office: 9155 N. 76 St.
All SDC locations are open during the following hours:
Monday: 8:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday: CLOSED
For more information, click here or call 414-906-2700.
Milwaukee Area Technical College, or MATC, is partnering with Get Your Refund to connect students speaking 14 different languages, including Spanish, Hmong, Arabic and French, with people with low incomes to get their taxes filed through VITA.
You can get started by submitting your documents online here.
Individuals without access to technology can drop their documents off at the Oak Creek Campus, 6665 S. Howell Ave. It will also be accepting drop-offs from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through April 4. No appointment is necessary.
St. Francis Church, located at 1937 N. Vel R Phillips Ave., is offering VITA services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 414-376-8124 for more information.


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Ron Smith
March 8, 2023


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Safety concerns mount at psychiatric hospital contracted to serve Milwaukee County residents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
March 9, 2023
Family members and mental health advocates have expressed concern about the safety of patients at Granite Hills Hospital, the psychiatric hospital contracted to serve Milwaukee County residents.
Among those lodging complaints is Cynthia Berry-Roberson. For decades, she has helped manage the care of a relative with a severe mental illness. NNS is not naming the patient because of privacy concerns voiced by Berry-Roberson.
This relative was hospitalized at Granite Hills twice in 2022, totaling several months as a patient there.
“At first,” Berry-Roberson said, “Granite Hills seemed like such a really nice place, because it’s really new and modern and all that.”
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This sense of optimism was shared by many when Granite Hills opened in January 2022.
The hospital is a central part of the much-touted redesign of the county’s mental health system, a process intended to better serve those in need.
“The redesign focused on improving access to behavioral health services and quality care in our most underserved and vulnerable communities,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a news release announcing changes involved in the mental health redesign.
Private hospital systems in the county, such as Advocate Aurora Health and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin also admit psychiatric patients, but these are usually people with private insurance.
Although Granite Hills is a private hospital, it is under contract with the county to be its primary psychiatric hospital for “those who are indigent,” said Michael Lappen, administrator of the county’s Behavioral Health Division.
Berry-Roberson’s relative does not have private insurance and was admitted to Granite Hills. The sense of optimism Berry-Roberson said she had about the prospects for treatment there quickly faded.
During one of the two hospitalizations, her relative, who is diabetic, was not being monitored according to protocol, Berry-Roberson said.
“They let her pile a mattress on top of another mattress … and she fell off it when she was asleep, and she hurt her arm,” she said.
Staff did not attend to the injury for three days, and it eventually developed into a Staphylococcus infection, Berry-Roberson said.
“If they had been checking on her – they should have never let her be on two mattresses. And the second thing is – they wouldn’t listen to her, to get medical help right away. Because she asked for it. I know she did because she called and told me,” Berry-Roberson said.
The relative’s arm was operated on, but Berry-Roberson said it will be an injury the relative must deal with “for the rest of her life.”
Eventually, Berry-Roberson filed a complaint with the state’s Division of Quality Assurance, or DQA, a division within the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that helps monitor various medical facilities.
The complaint pointed to the lack of adequate monitoring of the relative by Granite Hills staff and the failure to report the injury to her arm.
The DQA conducted an unannounced on-site inspection of Granite Hills in December 2022.
After the inspection, the DQA informed Berry-Roberson that her complaint was substantiated, stating in a letter, “The investigation found that there was sufficient evidence to confirm a violation(s) of state and/or federal requirements related to your concerns.”
The DQA inspection found several other violations: failure to properly restrain or seclude patients; failure to secure medication; failure to secure equipment; failure to administer medication in accordance with the orders of a physician; failure to provide food in accordance with those who require a diabetic diet; failure to follow building safety protocol; and failure to properly monitor those who are at risk for suicide.
While the inspection was conducted at the end of 2022, records requested from the West Allis Police Department reveal other safety-related concerns that took place throughout the year.
From January 2022 to January 2023, there were roughly 20 calls to the West Allis Police Department about battery or assault against patients by other patients. Several of these included sexual assault.
In that same period, there also were roughly 25 calls to the West Allis Police Department concerning battery or assault against staff by patients.
Benjamin Peerbolt, the director of clinical services at Granite Hills, said in an email, “All issues and complaints are thoroughly investigated and reviewed. Our team strives for excellence each and every day, and we continually look for opportunities to improve our quality of service.”
Lappen of the county’s Behavioral Health Division attributes the conditions at Granite Hills to several factors, including “failures around policy, procedure and the physical environment” but attributes much of it to the nationwide staffing crisis in health care.
“My sense is that turnover and staffing challenges are the root cause of many of the issues,” he said.
In an email, Robin Weagley, the then-interim chief executive officer also acknowledged the staffing crisis: “Like the entire health care industry, we are facing staffing challenges.”
Brenda Wesley, who just finished a term as the chairperson of Milwaukee County Mental Health Board Community Stakeholder Advisory Council, is more skeptical.
“Even without a work shortage, the system wasn’t working,” she said.
Despite all the efforts that went into the redesign, many of the goals that were hoped for have not yet been achieved, she added. “We need to go back to the table.”
The advisory council serves as a liaison and  advocates on behalf of those who use the county’s mental health system.
Regardless of all the contributing factors, Lappen said the county and the facilities it works with have an obligation to keep patients safe and provide them with adequate care.
“I absolutely think there’s work to be done,” he said.
A more experienced staff would be better able to accomplish these goals, he said.
Lappen said he worries, though, that reports about conditions at Granite Hills create a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy “because there are these horror stories about how they’re (Granite Hills)) not doing a great job and then it keeps people out of the door.”
“But,” he added, “they have to figure that out.”
Weagley said that Granite Hills has developed strategies “to continue to retain and to attract people to join the health care field doing fulfilling work.”
These strategies include sign-on and retention bonuses, tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness programs, among others.

author: Devin Blake


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Ron Smith
March 8, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 8, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of March 10 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 10, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Arts @ Large’s “Music Under the Stars” is a free monthly concert featuring local musicians. This month, funk artist R.A.T.M.A.N. leads an open jam session, where musicians of all ages are welcome to take the stage. The concert runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 10 at the Arts @ Large Community Center, located at 1100 S. 5th St.
Celebrate Harriet Tubman Day (officially on March 10 in some states) by attending this river trail hike organized by Nearby Nature Milwaukee. The walk will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11 starting at Harriet Tubman Park, located at 4750 N. 48th St. Free registration here. From the archives: NNS Spotlight: How Nearby Nature Milwaukee works to get Black residents interested in the environment
Learn about the impact of gender violence in Native American and Middle Eastern communities at this presentation from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11 at Peace Action Wisconsin, located at 1001 E. Keefe Ave.
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If you are planning a wedding or quinceañera soon, check out this exposition for information on services, dresses, cakes and more. The exposition, hosted by El Conquistador Latino Newspaper, takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 12 at American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.
For the first time, Milwaukee will have a Youth Poet Laureate. Juniors attending a Milwaukee County high school or who are Milwaukee County residents can apply. The deadline is Wednesday, March 15.


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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Violence against health care workers on the rise | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
March 10, 2023
After recovering from a life-altering assault at work, Patricia Moon-Updike worries not enough has changed about workplace safety within health care settings.
Back in 2015, Moon-Updike worked as a registered nurse in Milwaukee County at a facility for juveniles with behavioral health issues.
Two weeks into her time there, while being shadowed by a nurse new to the unit, Moon-Updike rushed to help secure an aggressive patient. Two security guards arrived, and the four tried to restrain the patient. In the process, the patient spun around and kicked Moon-Updike squarely in the throat.
She grabbed her neck, thinking her trachea had collapsed.
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“I thought I was going to die,” she said.
A November 2022 report from the American Federation of Teachers, or AFT, paints a stark picture of workplace safety for staff in health care settings. The AFT was founded in 1916 and represents a range of workforces, including those in education, government and health care.
Moon-Updike was rushed to the nearby trauma center for emergency surgery, during which the surgeon discovered her trachea was intact. The assault did, however, cause major tissue damage, so she was admitted to the intensive care unit and intubated.
“My face was completely swollen. I didn’t even want to look at myself at that point,” Moon-Updike said.
Health care and social services workers experience 76% of all the reported instances of workplace violence, according to the AFT report. Over the past two decades, the rate of reported assaults grew by 144% in hospitals and 63% in home health agencies. Reported assaults grew by 95% in two different types of private sector facilities – psychiatric and substance abuse, according to the report.
After three days, Moon-Updike was released from the hospital, and her recovery began and, in several ways, continues. Now, Moon-Updike is motivated to speak out about what she believes led to her injury and what should be done about it.
She has written about this experience and even testified before Congress about it. She is unequivocal when she says her injury was caused by insufficient staffing.
Instead of four guards arriving to help restrain the patient, as was protocol in emergency situations at the facility, only two guards came. There “absolutely should have been more security.”
“And that young man should’ve had a one-on-one sitter,” she said.
The AFT report similarly cites staffing issues of many types plaguing health care settings throughout the country, leading to real harm to staff.
The AFT report described the precise sort of situation in which Moon-Updike was injured: “When there are too few workers available to safely restrain violent patients or when staff work in isolation, the risk of serious injury increases.”
Patricia Raes, president of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Wisconsin, said understaffing creates a constant and ongoing risk to staff.
“When you are understaffed … you don’t have the time to get to know people or make the connections,” she said.
Without these connections, she added, “people are going to swing. They’re going to kick. … I’ve been attacked with a box of Kleenex by more than one patient.”
The pandemic certainly added to the problem, but it was a problem many years in the making, according to a fact sheet by the American Hospital Association:
By 2033, the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians and will also have to hire 200,000 nurses every year to keep up with demand and replace the nurses who are retiring.
The fact sheet also stated there are “critical shortages of allied health and behavioral health professionals, especially in historically marginalized rural and urban communities.”
The U.S. Government Accountability Office published a study in 2016, relying on three different sets of federal data, that concluded the rate of violence against employees in health care workplaces is five to 12 times higher than the average rate of violence in U.S. workplaces.
As the pandemic worsened the existing staffing crisis, it also worsened the existing violence associated with it. The rate of violence in hospitals alone went up by 25% from 2019 to 2020, according to the AFT report.
There are four hospital systems in Milwaukee County: Ascension Wisconsin; Advocate Aurora Health; Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Andy Brodzeller, spokesperson for Children’s Wisconsin, said Children’s has recognized the national trend of workplace violence and developed a program called SAFER in response.
SAFER stands for Staff and Family Expectations and Responsibilities. It states that verbal abuse and physical violence will not be tolerated at its facilities.
“Expectations are shared with staff, families and visitors on posters and banners in our locations,”  Brodzeller said.
The other three health systems declined to comment about the trend of increased violence in health care settings. The county itself, which employs health care workers in various settings, also declined to comment on the trend.
Immediately after the attack, Moon-Updike experienced post-traumatic stress disorder and required frequent appointments with a psychologist and a psychiatrist. She fought for disability benefits, as she could not return to work as a nurse because of the severe anxiety and panic she experienced.
Several years later, Moon-Updike was asked to testify before Congress in February 2019 on behalf of the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act.
The House of Representatives bill called for, among other things, more personnel to reduce the risk of violence in health care settings. Although the bill passed in the House, it stalled in the U.S. Senate.
Closer to home, while Wisconsin does not have laws governing safe staffing ratios in health care settings, Gov. Tony Evers did sign a bill into law in 2021 that makes it a felony to threaten or assault health care workers.
Despite the legislative stalemate, testifying before Congress was an experience that inspired Moon-Updike to return to nursing.
“If I can do that,” she told herself, “I can be a nurse again.”
Moon-Updike was a hospice nurse from 2019 to 2021 and now works as a triage nurse. She is still adamant that more needs to be done to protect workers and patients.
Jamie Lucas, executive director of Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals, the union that represented Moon-Updike at the time of the injury, said the union “is still fighting … still fighting to make sure facilities give health care workers enough staff to care for their patients and remain safe themselves … and still fighting for more accountability at the state and federal level.”


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 9, 2023


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‘Election integrity’ proposals do not address most common voting infraction in Wisconsin | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Mencarini / Wisconsin Watch
March 11, 2023
Election fraud is exceptionally rare: Over the past decade in Wisconsin, it has been prosecuted fewer than 200 times, or about once for every 163,000 ballots cast.
And within that tiny universe, the most common reason for criminal charges is not double voting or voter impersonation, it’s a voter’s probation status, a Wisconsin Watch analysis of every Wisconsin election fraud case since 2012 found.
The analysis, with data compiled by Court Data Technologies, also found Black Wisconsinites, most of them from Milwaukee County, are even more overrepresented in election fraud prosecutions than they are in the court system overall.
The Wisconsin Watch analysis is the most comprehensive accounting of Wisconsin election fraud cases to date. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, includes in an online election fraud database only 35 cases since 2012.
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“The allegations are out of scale with the rate at which there are actual crimes committed by voters,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden, who runs the Elections Research Center. “It’s not that there are no crimes committed by voters …but they’re just minuscule compared to the number of allegations.”
The specter of even a scant amount of election fraud has been used to justify the state’s voter ID law, Republican efforts to restrict voting options during the pandemic, and former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
Yet none of the dozens of GOP “election integrity” proposals would help prevent or detect the most common voting infraction: people who, knowingly or not, vote while still under Department of Corrections control.
The overheated rhetoric over fraud — and the threat that any voting mistake could lead to jail or probation — can be enough to dissuade a person from voting, said Christopher Uggen, a University of Minnesota sociology professor who co-authored a book about felony disenfranchisement.
“And that’s not to say necessarily that anybody who raises the issue of voter fraud is engaging in these efforts,” he said. “But I do think there is an element, at least, who is more cynically and actively trying to suppress the vote and may raise doubts in people’s minds about the negative consequences of them going out and voting.”
Between Jan. 1, 2012, and spring 2022, Wisconsinites cast more than 31 million ballots in 48 elections, but only 192 prosecutions for election fraud.
Of those, there were 40 cases that involved the kind of fraudulent voting of the type banned everywhere, such as voter impersonation.
In 20 cases, election workers, volunteers or candidates were charged. The most recent and high-profile example is a now-former Milwaukee clerk who requested military absentee ballots be sent to a lawmaker under fake names just before November’s election.
In seven cases, voters used improper addresses to register; three cases involved noncitizens voting; and two involved disorderly conduct at a polling place.
More than half of the cases — 109 — involved people voting or registering to vote before their probation ended. And 39 of those came from Milwaukee County.
“There is not a significant number of fraudulent votes being cast,” said Matthew Westphal, the Milwaukee County assistant prosecutor who handles election crimes. “The fact that we get referrals for illegal voters or fraudulent voters is indicative of the fact that the system is working, because it is catching those people who are voting fraudulently.”
The Wisconsin Elections Commission does an audit after each election to see if anyone ineligible due to their probation status voted. Cases are referred to local prosecutors, and additional investigation is likely needed.
Court data show at least 52 people received sentences that went beyond fines and fees; only six were ordered to serve more than a month in jail.
Voter fraud cases in Wisconsin include a Fort Atkinson man who voted twice in the 2012 gubernatorial recall election against then-Gov. Scott Walker — once in his voting district in Fort Atkinson and once in the nearby town of Koshkonong, where he used to live. Wisconsin Watch is not naming him and another defendant because both told authorities they didn’t know they were violating the law.
He is one of just 21 people charged with voting more than once in an election in the previous 10 years.
Another anti-fraud measure enacted in Wisconsin requires voters to present a photo ID to vote. It was signed in 2011, but legal challenges delayed implementation until 2016.
Burden said the state’s voter ID law was “probably the most significant effort to try to combat either perceptions of vote fraud happening or actual crimes.” However, the only crime it is designed to prevent is voter impersonation.
Of the 192 election fraud prosecutions from 2012 through spring 2022, only five dealt with voter impersonation — with just one of those coming prior to the ID law taking effect, according to the Wisconsin Watch analysis. Those five include the case of Harry Wait, a Racine County political activist who turned himself in to authorities in 2022 after requesting absentee ballots for elected officials to show such fraud was possible.
Critics of Wisconsin’s voter ID law and other restrictions or hurdles to voting have said such measures are not preventing much fraud — but they are keeping many people from voting.
“Voter suppression has been applied differentially throughout the nation’s history,” Uggen said. “And a threat of cracking down on illegal voting can have that same chilling effect.”
Two-and-a-half months after his release from prison, a Milwaukee man went to a polling place in November 2018 with his mother.
He didn’t go along planning to vote, according to court records, but once at the polls, his mother told him he was eligible. He recalled hearing about the government overturning the rule banning people with felony convictions from voting, so he registered that day and cast a ballot.
Two-and-a-half years later, he was charged with a felony for providing false information to an election official. The case was straightforward because he had checked a box declaring he wasn’t on probation.
Six months later, he pleaded guilty, and a judge ordered him to pay court fines and fees.
That's what the typical election fraud prosecution in Wisconsin has looked like over the past decade, Wisconsin Watch found.
State law bans anyone convicted of a felony from registering or voting until they’re “off paper,” meaning they’ve completed probation, extended supervision or parole.
A bill introduced in February by state Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville; Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, and 13 other GOP lawmakers would bar voting until potential voters have paid “all fines, costs, fees, surcharges, and restitution, and have completed any court-ordered community service.” A similar law passed by Florida’s GOP-run Legislature in 2019 keeps hundreds of thousands of felons — who regained voting rights in a 2018 statewide referendum — from voting.
In a statement to Wisconsin Watch, Stroebel said probation and restitution are as much a part of someone’s sentence as incarceration.
“Fundamental fairness demands such debts to society be paid if that person is to be treated the same as the vast majority of Wisconsinites who didn’t commit a felony,” he said.
However, the bill doesn’t include additional safeguards to prevent someone with a felony conviction from casting a ballot, such as improving the system poll workers have to check before such a person registers and votes. Sortwell’s office said the Wisconsin Elections Commission should issue rules to clarify election documents and inform local clerks to reflect the changes in voting eligibility.
Uggen said many states are moving to ease voting restrictions on people with felony convictions. Confusion about eligibility is common among formerly incarcerated people, even probation officers or election workers, according to court records and interviews.
One way to reduce confusion would be to establish a clearer line for eligibility, such as allowing people to vote after incarceration ends, which happens in Illinois, Indiana and 20 other states.
“It's increasingly hard to justify disenfranchising those who are fit to be in the community in every other way,” Uggen said.
Black Wisconsinites make up just 6.8% of the state’s population, but 25% of defendants in election fraud prosecutions, the Wisconsin Watch analysis found. Westphal said he doesn’t review demographic information when deciding whether to charge someone, but acknowledged his office is aware of disparities in whom it charges.
Keisha Robinson, deputy director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities Milwaukee, said Wisconsin Watch’s findings don’t surprise her. Felony disenfranchisement cases, she said, have ripple effects for years.
She recounted the story of a woman who got nine months in jail in 2007 after voting while still on probation, which she didn’t know was a crime.
“When people heard about her being charged and having to do jail time, there were lots of (people saying) ‘That’s why I don’t vote,’” she said.Reporting for this story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

author: Matt Mencarini / Wisconsin Watch


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Dwayne Burtin
March 10, 2023


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Dwayne Burtin
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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: March 13 to March 17 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 13, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
The Sherman Park Community Association, TMJ4 and Marquette University are partnering to host this town hall with city and state officials on solutions to reckless driving. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the town hall runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, March 13 at Marquette University’s Eckstein Hall, located at 1215 W. Michigan St.  RSVP here.
Share your thoughts about which bus stop locations on Burleigh Street should be improved and what kind of improvements should be built at this community meeting. A raffle and snacks are provided. You can stop by anytime from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 at the Moody Park Pavilion, located at 2201 W. Auer Ave. More information here.
Listen in to this guided conversation on the cultural significance of hoop earrings for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and other people of the global majority. The conversation takes place amid a backdrop of “HOOPS,” a portrait and interview project by Milwaukee-based multidisciplinary artist Nicole Acosta that documents the cultural significance of hoop earrings to people in Milwaukee and other cities. The conversation is free to attend and takes place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 at the MARN ART + CULTURE HUB, located at 191 N. Broadway. From our archives: How a project on hoops earrings launched a national movement
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If you live in Harambee, you’re invited to this series of virtual feedback sessions on how to improve quality of life in your neighborhood. You will receive $25 for each session you attend, plus an extra $10 if you bring a neighbor. This week’s session runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 online via Zoom. More information and register to attend here.
“Science Strikes Back!” is an annual community science fair that invites the public to explore science projects created by both students and nonprofit organizations. Some project examples from past events can be found here. The event is free to attend and runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 at Escuela Verde, located at 3628 W. Pierce St. More information here.
Lyrical Sanctuary, UW-Milwaukee’s monthly open mic night, returns featuring Milwaukee-born and raised spoken word artist Donavan Jackson. The event includes a writing workshop from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and open mic from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15 at the UWM Student Union, located at 2200 E Kenwood Blvd. This event is free to attend. More information here.


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Ron Smith
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Milwaukee food pantries brace for surge in visits after FoodShare cuts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 14, 2023
With FoodShare emergency allotments scheduled to end this month, food pantries and emergency food providers are preparing for a significant increase in demand over the next few months that may strain their ability to feed people.
The emergency allotments were an extra amount of credit that FoodShare recipients received on their accounts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These allotments were at least $95 per month and often much more depending on income-level and household size.
February was the last month that these allotments were sent to FoodShare recipients’ accounts. FoodShare is Wisconsin’s name for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP and historically referred to as “food stamps.”
Emergency food providers have known about the cut in allotments since January and have worked with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the state agency that runs the FoodShare program, to get the word out about the changes.
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But these providers still believe a sizable number of those affected are either unaware of the changes or don’t have enough in their budgets and will need emergency food assistance in the coming months.
Together, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and the Hunger Task Force supply most of the food pantries in Milwaukee.
Maureen Fitzgerald, vice president of government relations at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, said the emergency allotments helped “shorten the line” at food pantries and alleviate economic pressure for food price inflation and COVID-19 pandemic-related economic challenges when they began in 2020.
As emergency allotments end, families in Milwaukee and across the country will have to come up with money to budget for basic needs such as food.
“It’s 700,000 people across Wisconsin that use FoodShare, and every single one of them will see their benefits cut,” she said. “2023 is going to be an extraordinary year for food pantries across the country and across Wisconsin.”
Despite sending out emails, updating user information, physical mail and knocking on doors, food pantries and emergency food providers know their efforts won’t reach everyone.
“Even though we try to get the word out, and DHS has tried to get the word out, most people will not find out until they go to the grocery store and their QUEST card doesn’t work,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition, food pantries across Milwaukee have already been seeing an increase in traffic for several months. This is because of a variety of factors, but leaders of food pantries say the increase in food prices during the pandemic have resulted in more service demands.
Sophia Torrijos, executive director at Friedens Food Pantries, said she’s seen an influx of traffic at her pantries because of rising food prices and a recent influx of asylum seekers from Nicaragua.
“We’re already feeling a little overwhelmed. We often can’t get through a shift without restocking, and it is hard to maintain a welcoming experience,” for food recipients, she said.
Lyn Hildenbrand, executive director at The Gathering, also reported a surge in traffic since the beginning of the year. She said many of the people her organization serves work at least one job.
“We see men coming in before work or after third shift, and a lot of school bus drivers are stopping by,” Hildenbrand said.
“We were founded to feed the homeless and hungry of Milwaukee, but we’ve noticed our trends are going more to folks who are working but just can’t make ends meet,” she added.
Both Torrijos and Hildenbrand said the end of emergency allotments will hit seniors and people with children the hardest. Parents are likely to lose hundreds of dollars in monthly benefits, and most seniors will see their monthly benefits drop from nearly $300 per month to $23 per month.
“What can you buy with $23? I go to the grocery store and get two bags of items and it’s $75,” Hildenbrand said.
Whether food pantries run out of food entirely is currently a question mark. If they do, it will likely not be immediately following the end of emergency allotments this month, but within the next several months.
Hildenbrand noted that it is “a little scary right now,” but she is not currently concerned that her locations will run out of food entirely.
However, Armondo Diaz, food pantry manager at House of Peace, said he is preparing for the possibility.
“We’ve already been noticing an impact with delivery agencies having to scale back,” Diaz said.
Torrijos remains optimistic that her pantries will not run out of food but also noted that the coming months will pose a huge test.
“We’re definitely not trying to create panic, and we have faith that we will come together” to meet the food needs of Milwaukee residents, Torrijos said. “But this is the time to come together.”
VOLUNTEER AND DONATE: Leaders of food pantries say there are two main ways people can help. One is through conventional means, such as volunteering at a food pantry or donating money to help them continue purchasing food.
TALK TO ELECTED OFFICIALS: Food pantries and emergency food providers also noted that the end of emergency allotments is a public policy choice that can be remedied through legislative action. This means calling state and national lawmakers to talk about the impact of FoodShare cuts and to find a way of restoring FoodShare payments to previous levels.
Both Fitzgerald and Sherrie Tussler, executive director at Hunger Task Force, stressed the importance of talking to elected officials.
Tussler noted the congressional 2023 Farm Bill as an opportunity for legislative action. The federal bill, currently under construction, will become a multiyear policy for funding food-related programs such as FoodShare.
IF YOU NEED HELP, GET IT: For those needing help now, officials insist you can still come to food pantries and that there is no need to feel like you are “taking someone’s spot” if your other options are skipping meals.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL YOUR BENEFITS: Tussler also suggested FoodShare members make sure to report all of their expenses in their accounts, particularly medical expenses. Doing this can help members realize the full benefit they are entitled to.
“Getting what you are entitled to is a form of self-care,” she said.


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Ron Smith
March 13, 2023


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Got something to say about crime and justice in Milwaukee? Here’s your chance. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
March 15, 2023
A new data project about the criminal legal system in Milwaukee County is underway, and those working on it would like input from the community.
The goal of the project, which is in the early stages, ultimately seeks to take stock of criminal legal system data in Milwaukee County and identify needs and gaps in that data, said Theodore Lentz, assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the principal researcher on the project.
Lentz and his team, consisting of graduate students at UWM, are asking a range of key stakeholders, including government agencies and offices, the courts, law enforcement, community organizations and other nonprofits, about what issues are most affecting Milwaukeeans and what information is needed to promote key reforms that support people impacted by the justice system.
“I would really like this to be a community-centered project, focusing on the challenges for the people who are involved one way or another in the systems,” Lentz said. “That’s our lens – to keep those folks centered.”
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In Milwaukee, this sort of lens will mean keeping it centered on people of color, as criminal justice systems in Milwaukee are “built on a really long time’s worth of racial hierarchy,” said Jed Oppenheim, program director at the Public Welfare Foundation, or PWF. PWF is the funder for Lentz’s project and works toward criminal and legal reform throughout the country. (PWF also funds the criminal justice reporter position at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service but plays no role in the newsroom’s editorial decisions.)
“It’s important to really decipher what the issues are and what are the pressure points – everything from arrest and contact with the law to stays inside of prison,” said Oppenheim. “There are probably thousands of pressure points along that spectrum of where, either decisions could be done differently, or there are deep racial disparities in how decisions are made.”
Apart from this consistent aim, a project like this can go in many directions. Lentz is adapting as he goes.
One trend that has emerged thus far is the difficulty various entities doing work in this space experience in communicating their respective work with one another. Clear and reliable data about major or emerging trends can be rather hard to come by because, as Lentz said, “The various agencies and offices are a little bit siloed. There’s not an easy way for them to talk to each other with respect to data. Everybody’s just kind of collecting their own data … . It’s a little bit challenging to look across the system.”
“This is essential for inter-agency collaboration towards system-level change,” he added.
Lentz cited the developments surrounding Milwaukee County’s juvenile facility as an important example of where this sort of silo-breaking can be helpful.
“People are not always in agreement about whether or not it’s (the juvenile facility) good or bad or something else,” Lentz said. “We want to help inform decision-makers and key stakeholders in Milwaukee County about some of these issues that are going on so that they can use data to kind of build that into the decision-making process.”
Joseph Ellwanger, a longtime civil rights activist and a coordinator with the Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope, or MICAH, said there are a number of instances where new data would be helpful as he and his colleagues advocate to legislators and decision-makers. MICAH is a nonprofit organization working on many justice-related issues, including mass incarceration.
“In Milwaukee, we’ve got programs like treatment alternatives and diversion, which send people with underlying issues of alcohol and other drug addiction and mental health issues to specialized treatment courts rather than to prison. And that has certainly been helpful in reducing the prison population a little bit,” Ellwanger said. “Some data connected to that which would be helpful is if we could really get the information on what percentage of people going into the prison system have underlying issues of alcohol and other drug addiction and mental health issues? We have approximate statistics … but we don’t know what it is for sure.”
Ellwanger said precise data like that would “give more ammunition” as he advocates for more money in the state budget for treatment alternatives and diversionary funding.
It is important to Lentz, though, to not just focus on the problems.
“One of the things that we really hope to do in our report,” he said, “is to also try to highlight the positive things that are going on in Milwaukee as it relates to the system, right? We want to move towards a narrative that, while Milwaukee is affected by critical crime and justice issues, it is also poised for progress and reform.”
The project is on a one-year timeline, and the plan is to publish the first version of the report in September or October. Lentz said he hopes the report will continue to evolve as the landscape changes.
For those who would like to provide information or comment on this project, Lentz can be reached at lentzt@uwm.edu.


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Ron Smith
March 14, 2023


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Meet Chastity Washington, ‘the Auntie of the Milwaukee comedy scene’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
March 16, 2023
It is a piece of common wisdom that comedians who are most successful are those who have a universal appeal, with references often made to Charlie Chaplin or, more recently, to someone like Kevin Hart.
A sampling of that universal appeal can be found quite often in Milwaukee.
It was there at a show in a brewery in West Allis during a performance Thursday night by North Side native Chastity Washington.
As she sat at a small table after her set, Washington was approached by every type of person present at that show – old people, young people, Black people, white people, men and women. And, add to that, sober and drunk people.
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Many simply thanked her for her performance or told her how much they enjoyed it. Someone offered to buy her a drink. One of the owners of the venue asked her to sign a poster. One woman asked if she could hug her.
“She is funny to everybody,” said Ton Johnson, a local comedian and 2022 winner of Madison’s Funniest Comic Competition. “Chastity … her energy is organic; it’s genuine. You can tell she’s really going out of her way to give the people the best show that she can every time she’s up there – be it an open mic or showcase or a club spot,” said Johnson.
Greg Bach, local comedian and co-owner of the Milwaukee venue, The Laughing Tap, said, “She’s got a relatability and a confidence and charisma. And she connects with people. … And I never see her do poorly. Ever.”
Washington grew up in Sherman Park and lives and works as a teacher in Bronzeville. She began performing comedy in 1994 in Kenosha, where she attended college.
After graduating, she moved back to Milwaukee and has been performing ever since. She’s appeared on television, worked all over the country and alongside big marquee names.
After four comedians performed that night at the brewery, Washington got on stage and performed for about 30 minutes.
She talked about trying to socialize during the pandemic, drinking too much on her birthday and wanting her pharmacist to have more discretion, among other topics.
Much of her comedy is about her students.
She talked about teaching on Zoom, saying, “I was on the Zoom class – high school. My high school students. One of my students came on with no shirt on.”
He asked her: “What are we doing today, Ms. Washington?”
“I said, ‘We ain’t doing s—, Jarell. I can see your nipples! Turn your camera off, Jarell!’ ”
During her set, she also danced, did voices and sang throughout.
Her personal experiences, combined with this range of comedic tools, sharply honed for the past 30 or so years, are some of the ingredients of that universality Washington has, Johnson said.
“Most of us don’t teach kids for a living and that’s what she does. She’s so descriptive and emotive – you can see the kids she’s talking about in your head,” he said.
Washington said her goal has always been to be as good as she can at every type and style of comedy – “whether it’s a one-liner, whether it’s an impression, if it’s storytelling, physical activity.”
She said “comedy found me … and it’s really just me getting out what is in me.”
And what people are connecting to, she said, is ultimately her “honesty and authenticity and humanity.”
Comedians “get to give people joy,” she said. “People need joy to be healed. People’s souls and hearts are aching in different ways. People are struggling mentally in different ways, and it’s a release. Laughter is good medicine for the body. It brings about healing. And we get to do that.”
Everybody is given talents and gifts,” she added. “But it’s not for you. Whitney Houston’s voice was not just for Whitney Houston.”
Although Washington faced some barriers earlier in her career, she said she believes progress has been made in Milwaukee’s comedy scene.
“I wouldn’t say it’s segregated – anymore. Now, there’s more opportunity for comics of color to be able to work in the mainstream venues,” she said.
Many of Washington’s peers attribute at least some of the progress to comedians like her.
“Chaz traverses every inch and every part of comedy in Milwaukee. … She’s a bridge to different parts of the scene,” said Ryan Mason, a Milwaukee comedian who often works with Washington.
When the audience member offered her a drink the night of the brewery show, Washington politely declined. When someone asked her for the hug, she immediately obliged.
Mason said he ultimately understands what Washington does in terms of empathy.
“She’s telling stories about being a teacher … she’s creating empathy for herself, but also for the people in the story. And she creates empathy for the audience,” Mason said. “When she’s talking about a school, in a part of the city I would be an outsider at, you can go with her when she talks about it. You learn. It helps bring everyone together.”
Johnson prefaced his view of Washington’s mentorship. “I don’t know how she will feel about this statement. But she is like the Auntie of the Milwaukee comedy scene. She really is. I’ve done it, I’ve seen countless comics do it, at all kinds of levels, come to her for advice. And she’ll give it.”
“She actually wants to help,” he added.
Washington said she does not have a formal agenda in this regard.
“That’s what’s on my heart to do,” she said. “I see folks, and I believe in them. And folks have believed in me. … It’s for comics – to always know it’s love. And it’s real love.”
Information about Washington’s upcoming shows can be found on her Instagram and Facebook pages.


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52667474930_72f4e8bf21_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
March 15, 2023


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Post From Community: Art sought for ThriveOn King spaces | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
ThriveOn Collaboration
March 16, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Announcing a CALL FOR ART, the ThriveOn Collaboration is inviting artists to play a significant role in co-creating how the community experiences ThriveOn King, the historic redevelopment of the former Gimbels-Schuster’s building at 2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The collaboration seeks to incorporate art that infuses a sense of discovery into the spaces of ThriveOn King and reflects the rich history, inclusive community and thriving future of the surrounding Bronzeville area. This call for submissions focuses on art opportunities for the building’s first floor community space and its exterior parking structure.
The vision and guiding principles for art at ThriveOn King were developed through a series of visioning sessions held with community members in the fall of 2022, and community will be a key part of the review and selection process.
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This opportunity is open to artists based in the greater Milwaukee area or who have significant ties to Milwaukee. The deadline to submit a proposal is Noon on April 6, 2023.
See the official CALL FOR ART for complete details.
The ThriveOn Collaboration is a community-centered, place-based collaboration led by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital, founded on a joint vision for a Milwaukee that is equitable, healthy and thriving for all.

author: ThriveOn Collaboration


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TOK-art-1-blank.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 16, 2023


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Post From Community: Milwaukee Arts Board accepting public nominations for Artists of the Year, Friends of the Arts awards | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Arts Board
March 16, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Members of the public can submit nominations HERE through April 5, 2023
MILWAUKEE – The City of Milwaukee Arts Board (MAB) is accepting nominations from the public for the Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year award and the Friends of the Arts award. This is the first year that MAB is accepting nominations from the public for the Artist of the Year and Friends of the Arts awards that recognize and celebrate excellence and exceptional service in Milwaukee’s arts community.
Nominations must be submitted HERE by 11:59 PM (CT) on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. More information is below about the Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year and Friends of the Arts awards.
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Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year Award: The Artists of the Year award was inaugurated in 1995 by former Alderman and MAB Chair Wayne Frank. The Artists of the Year Award was eventually renamed in 2020 to honor the late, beloved MAB member Mildred L. Harpole.
Nominees for Artist of the Year must be City of Milwaukee residents who have been working as an artist in the City of Milwaukee over the last 24 months. They may be an individual artist, or a band, or a collective, and must not be a current member of the Milwaukee Arts Board or a previous recipient of this award. Self-nominations are allowed and an artist can be nominated posthumously. This award is open to a variety of disciplines, including Arts Education, Culinary Arts, Dance, Design, Film & Media Arts, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater and Visual Arts. Each recipient receives a $1,500 cash award.
Friends of the Arts Award: Established in 2012, the Friends of the Arts Award is given to individuals who, often behind the scenes, have distinguished themselves through exceptional service to Milwaukee’s arts community.
Nominees for Friends of the Arts do not have to be City of Milwaukee residents, but must demonstrate exemplary support of Milwaukee’s arts community through at least one of the following requirements:
Nominees can include individuals, organizations, and/or businesses. They may not be a current Milwaukee Arts Board member or a previous recipient of this award. Self-nominations are not allowed for this category; however, a nomination can be made posthumously.
Award Process: The Milwaukee Arts Board will review the nominations and select the award recipients during the MAB meeting on April 11, 2023. At this meeting, all completed nominations will be presented and MAB members will rank their top three choices in each category, which will be turned into scores. The two nominees in each category with the highest scores will be awarded.
More information about the Milwaukee Arts Board is available HERE.

author: Milwaukee Arts Board


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March 16, 2023


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5 things to know and do the weekend of March 17 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 17, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
The NCAA’s March Madness is not the only basketball event going on. This weekend, the “March of Champions” is a single-elimination tournament that features Milwaukee’s school-based elementary and middle school teams. The tournament, at various citywide MPS locations, runs from Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19.
The Milwaukee Art Therapy Collective is hosting an open studio with art-making activities related to the color green for all ages and skill levels. This free event is open to anyone and materials are provided. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17 at 9224 W. Burleigh St.
The ThriveOn Collaboration is constructing “Thrive On King,” a multipurpose building at 2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that includes apartment units and a first-floor community space. The ThriveOn Collaboration recently put out a call for artists to submit ideas on how to use the first floor community space. Artists must be 18 years or older and be based in Greater Milwaukee or have significant ties to Milwaukee. There will be a couple of information and Q&A sessions for interested artists, one from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 18 at Greenwood Park Gallery & Framing, located at 4233 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. More information here.
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There will also be a virtual Q&A session for interested artists from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21. More information here.
Participate in a conversation with men about self-care with brunch, networking, entertainment, panel discussion and a raffle. Comfortable attire recommended. The full event, sponsored by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and NPBA Community Cares, runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at 5370 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.
DreamTeam United MKE and partners will be giving away groceries at an event with Full Spin Entertainment from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at 80 Recording Studios, located at 1831 W. Forest Home Ave. More information here.
DreamTeam United MKE will also be hosting a grocery giveaway and resource fair on Saturday, April 1 and is looking for resource vendors. “Vendors” will not sell items, but provide resources to those in attendance at the event. If interested, reach out to Rita Lee at rlee.newhope@gmail.com or Farina Brooks at 414-839-9481.
Sherman Park Grocery Store and partners will also be giving away hot drinks, desserts and $25 gift cards to Sherman Park Grocery from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 19 at the Embassy Center MKE parking lot, located at 3725 N. Sherman Blvd. More information here.
The 13th annual Girls’ Day at City Hall seeks to introduce girls in high school and middle school to careers in political leadership through meeting local leaders and discussions at City Hall led by women working in public service. Girls’ Day is not until March 23, but the deadline to register is Monday, March 20.


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27641827194_2cce4daa6f_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
March 16, 2023


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Ron Smith
March 16, 2023


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Post From Community: City of Milwaukee’s “9-1-1 Is No Joke” Public Awareness Campaign | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Christina Klose
March 17, 2023
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The City of Milwaukee has launched its 9-1-1 public awareness campaign to direct callers to the correct number when they need public safety services. When people call 9-1-1 in non-emergency situations, operators are distracted from their primary responsibility, handling the most urgent calls.
The City of Milwaukee “9-1-1 Is No Joke” Public Awareness Campaign will partner with numerous residents, neighborhood groups, area stakeholders, and more to take part in events in the coming year, with particular emphasis on promoting National 9-1-1 Education Month in April 2023.
“The city’s objective is to deliver emergency services quickly, effectively, and efficiently. A big part of that is making sure 9-1-1 is called only when required,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “9-1-1 is for life or death situations, fires, medical emergencies, crimes in progress, or accidents and injuries. Other public safety calls should go to the non-emergency number.”
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Part of the “9-1-1 Is No Joke” campaign involves sharing alternative numbers for people seeking assistance. Non-emergency calls to Milwaukee police should go to 414-933-4444; information about social services should go to 2-1-1; for assistance during suicidal, emotional, and/or mental distress incidents go to the suicide & crisis lifeline by dialing 988; and, city services that don’t involve public safety should go to 414-286-CITY (2489).
The “9-1-1 Is No Joke” campaign is spearheaded by various departments; Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD), Fire and Police Commission (FPC), Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), Department of Administration (DOA), and the Mayor’s Office.
For additional information, resources, and social media assets for this campaign, go to milwaukee.gov/911IsNoJoke .

author: Christina Klose


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911IsNoJokeCampaign_web_homepage.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 13, 2023