Police confront rise in shootings
Chief weighs redirecting officers from minor calls
By JOHN DIEDRICH and JOHN FAUBER
jdiedrich@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 14, 2006
The Milwaukee Police Department is studying whether to stop sending officers to certain low-priority calls as the department contends with a spike in violent crime, especially shootings, Police Chief Nannette Hegerty said Tuesday.
Hegerty said shootings are up this year, though the total won't be available until early 2007.
"I am not going to sugarcoat what we experiencing," she said. "It is having an adverse effect on the community and our ability to police it. It is being experienced nationwide. It is something we need to look at and look at seriously."
The Journal Sentinel reported this week that about 600 people a year are struck by gunfire in Milwaukee and survive. Froedtert Hospital expects to treat 34% more gunshot victims this year than last, and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is up 38%.
Shootings cost taxpayers, hospitals and people with insurance tens of millions of dollars a year, the newspaper found. They also consume police officers' time, leading to slow response for less urgent calls. For months, residents have complained about response time for low-level calls but also for more serious crimes.
In October, the median response time on "priority four" calls such as loud music was 45 minutes, but the longest wait was nearly 12 hours, Hegerty said. She convened a study group on response time that had been in the works for a while and met for the first time Monday.
"What we are doing right now is not working for me," said Hegerty, adding that the department would not ignore calls but might ask residents to file reports by phone or online.
"There is nothing that is off the table," she said. "We are looking at everything."
Also Tuesday, several officials said they were shocked by the number of shootings each year and called for efforts to tackle the problem, while acknowledging the task isn't new and won't be easy.
The first step was letting people know how bad it is, said John Chisholm, who was elected last week as district attorney.
"I hope these numbers make people uncomfortable, because it's pretty damn uncomfortable to get shot," he said.
Chisholm said he will overhaul the office to better track shootings and ensure that prosecutors share information about perpetrators. He also called for intervening early in the lives of young people who are caught with guns, breaking what he sees as a "normalcy" about shootings in certain neighborhoods.
"If they have been shot and know people shot and know people killed, it becomes rational, in the short term, for people to think that carrying guns is in their own best interest," Chisholm said.
Mayor Tom Barrett said the ingredients for cutting violent crime include more jobs, stable families and more police officers. He noted that 40 officers were added in the new city budget.
He said he will continue to push the Legislature for tougher gun laws, specifically to require a background check anytime a gun is sold. Now, a background check is required only when the seller is federally licensed.
"We have to turn the heat up on the issue," Barrett said. "There are a lot of people who don't care (about shootings) because a lot of victims are young, African-American males.
"They are human beings."
600 shot and live per year,over 100 die:Milw,wis
THURSDAY, Nov. 16, 2006, 11:22 a.m.
By John Diedrich
Student pistol-whipped outside Custer High
A 16-year-old male student at Custer High School was pistol-whipped this morning in a fight outside the school, in the 5000 block of N. Sherman Blvd., police said.
The victim was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and his injuries were not serious, police said. Another boy, 15, was punched in the face but was not hospitalized. Police continue to investigate
One person was killed and three others hospitalized in three overnight shootings, Milwaukee police said.
Vincent J. Alvaro, 19, was shot and killed at 8:50 p.m. outside a restaurant near N. 60th St. and W. Villard Ave., said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. Alvaro had been in an argument in a nearby restaurant, then left and came back with friends and continued the argument, she said. Schwartz didn't say what the argument was about. Everyone left the restaurant and then one of the suspects shot and killed Alvaro. He was hit several times in the upper body. Police are looking for suspects.
At 5:30 p.m., two men, 21 and 22, were shot in a car in the 2700 block of N. 44th St., Schwartz said. The 21-year-old was hit in the abdomen and thigh and is in stable condition, Schwartz said. The other man was hit in the wrist, thigh and side and was treated and released from the hospital, she said.
The 21-year-old victim is wanted for dealing drugs while armed, she said. The other is a felon and had a gun and was arrested, she said. Neither cooperated with detectives, she said.
Finally, at 1:35 this morning, three homes were shot up in the 3200 block of N. Buffum St., Schwartz said. A 32-year-old woman who was inside one of the homes was hit in the leg, she said. The victim is expected to survive. Police are looking for suspects.
THURSDAY, Nov. 16, 2006, 11:13 a.m.
By John Diedrich
Three stabbed at same address
A man remains hospitalized today after police say he and two others were stabbed at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday in a home in the 1900 block of W. Highland Ave.
Two men, 24 and 21, got into a fight with the suspect, who stabbed them both, said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman.
A 17-year-old male then came into the home and was also stabbed by the same suspect, she said. The victims all told police they didn't know the suspect. No arrests have been made.
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2006, 6:37 p.m.
By Bob Purvis
Two shot on W. Hadley St.
Two men were shot this evening in the 4400 block of W. Hadley St., Milwaukee police reported.
A 21-year-old man was hit in the abdomen and his friend, 22, was shot in the arm and wrist about 5:30 p.m. Both men are in stable condition at Froedtert Hospital.
No arrests have been made in the shooting, and police are still investigating the circumstances.
MONDAY, Nov. 13, 2006, 12:02 p.m.
By John Diedrich
Police ID murder victim
A man shot and killed in a robbery Thursday night was identified today as Ezra Coleman, 29.
He was shot at 9:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of N. 25th St., Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman, said. Police have arrested a suspect.
In a separate killing Friday night, police identified a man stabbed to death as Richard McLin, 40, of Chicago, Schwartz said. It occurred at 11:10 p.m. in the 1700 block of S. 2nd St.
Police arrested a 36-year-old woman and later released her after finding she was acting in self-defense. The district attorney is reviewing the case.
FRIDAY, Nov. 10, 2006, 1:30 p.m.
By John Diedrich
29-year-old man killed in apparent robbery
A 29-year-old man was shot in the back Thursday night on Milwaukee's north side and later died at the hospital, police said today.
The man, whose name was not released by police, apparently was shot while being robbed in the 3500 block of N. 25th St. about 9:30 p.m.
Police have made no arrests. It is the 94th homicide this year, compared to 109 at this time last year.
By John Diedrich
Student pistol-whipped outside Custer High
A 16-year-old male student at Custer High School was pistol-whipped this morning in a fight outside the school, in the 5000 block of N. Sherman Blvd., police said.
The victim was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and his injuries were not serious, police said. Another boy, 15, was punched in the face but was not hospitalized. Police continue to investigate
One person was killed and three others hospitalized in three overnight shootings, Milwaukee police said.
Vincent J. Alvaro, 19, was shot and killed at 8:50 p.m. outside a restaurant near N. 60th St. and W. Villard Ave., said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. Alvaro had been in an argument in a nearby restaurant, then left and came back with friends and continued the argument, she said. Schwartz didn't say what the argument was about. Everyone left the restaurant and then one of the suspects shot and killed Alvaro. He was hit several times in the upper body. Police are looking for suspects.
At 5:30 p.m., two men, 21 and 22, were shot in a car in the 2700 block of N. 44th St., Schwartz said. The 21-year-old was hit in the abdomen and thigh and is in stable condition, Schwartz said. The other man was hit in the wrist, thigh and side and was treated and released from the hospital, she said.
The 21-year-old victim is wanted for dealing drugs while armed, she said. The other is a felon and had a gun and was arrested, she said. Neither cooperated with detectives, she said.
Finally, at 1:35 this morning, three homes were shot up in the 3200 block of N. Buffum St., Schwartz said. A 32-year-old woman who was inside one of the homes was hit in the leg, she said. The victim is expected to survive. Police are looking for suspects.
THURSDAY, Nov. 16, 2006, 11:13 a.m.
By John Diedrich
Three stabbed at same address
A man remains hospitalized today after police say he and two others were stabbed at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday in a home in the 1900 block of W. Highland Ave.
Two men, 24 and 21, got into a fight with the suspect, who stabbed them both, said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman.
A 17-year-old male then came into the home and was also stabbed by the same suspect, she said. The victims all told police they didn't know the suspect. No arrests have been made.
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2006, 6:37 p.m.
By Bob Purvis
Two shot on W. Hadley St.
Two men were shot this evening in the 4400 block of W. Hadley St., Milwaukee police reported.
A 21-year-old man was hit in the abdomen and his friend, 22, was shot in the arm and wrist about 5:30 p.m. Both men are in stable condition at Froedtert Hospital.
No arrests have been made in the shooting, and police are still investigating the circumstances.
MONDAY, Nov. 13, 2006, 12:02 p.m.
By John Diedrich
Police ID murder victim
A man shot and killed in a robbery Thursday night was identified today as Ezra Coleman, 29.
He was shot at 9:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of N. 25th St., Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman, said. Police have arrested a suspect.
In a separate killing Friday night, police identified a man stabbed to death as Richard McLin, 40, of Chicago, Schwartz said. It occurred at 11:10 p.m. in the 1700 block of S. 2nd St.
Police arrested a 36-year-old woman and later released her after finding she was acting in self-defense. The district attorney is reviewing the case.
FRIDAY, Nov. 10, 2006, 1:30 p.m.
By John Diedrich
29-year-old man killed in apparent robbery
A 29-year-old man was shot in the back Thursday night on Milwaukee's north side and later died at the hospital, police said today.
The man, whose name was not released by police, apparently was shot while being robbed in the 3500 block of N. 25th St. about 9:30 p.m.
Police have made no arrests. It is the 94th homicide this year, compared to 109 at this time last year.
summer started off hectic in Brew City....lets hope next summer is alot less dangerous
Violent Holiday Weekend in Milwaukee - 28 Shootings Since Friday Night
Associated Press
Police are searching for a man who opened fire at a crowded park along Milwaukee's lakefront, killing two and wounding three.
Authorities say the shooter and those he targeted knew each other. Police identified those killed as 31-year-old Raymundo Munoz-Silva and 17-year-old Julio Diaz-Guillen, both of Milwaukee. They were shot multiple times in the head.
Three others were injured in the spray of gunfire.
Police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz says the shooting happened right next to the playground Monday. When the shooting started, parents ran to grab their children and fled the park which was filled with hundreds of Memorial Day picnickers.
The incident on Milwaukee's south side was the latest in a rash of shooting incidents in the city over the holiday weekend. Twenty eight shootings since Friday night left four dead, including those killed in the park shooting, and 24 wounded.
Violent Holiday Weekend in Milwaukee - 28 Shootings Since Friday Night
Associated Press
Police are searching for a man who opened fire at a crowded park along Milwaukee's lakefront, killing two and wounding three.
Authorities say the shooter and those he targeted knew each other. Police identified those killed as 31-year-old Raymundo Munoz-Silva and 17-year-old Julio Diaz-Guillen, both of Milwaukee. They were shot multiple times in the head.
Three others were injured in the spray of gunfire.
Police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz says the shooting happened right next to the playground Monday. When the shooting started, parents ran to grab their children and fled the park which was filled with hundreds of Memorial Day picnickers.
The incident on Milwaukee's south side was the latest in a rash of shooting incidents in the city over the holiday weekend. Twenty eight shootings since Friday night left four dead, including those killed in the park shooting, and 24 wounded.
Milwaukee is pretty well known in the Midwest and south,but east coast and west coast peeps that dont keep up with the news alot of times havent heard of it,or think its some peaceful country town filled with rednecks.It aint no joke in the mil,every single day niggas get shot/killed.
Mostly GDs and VLs on the black side and Latin Kings and Spanish Cobras on the latino side.
Mostly GDs and VLs on the black side and Latin Kings and Spanish Cobras on the latino side.
triflin wrote:Aint no games in the Mil between folks and brothers. Then add in all the out of states cats from chicago.Qdawg wrote:or beer making.....much love to the mill thoughA Ghost wrote:Whenever I hear Milwakee I always think of that Wayne's World movie....
6 out of 7 cats in the Mil that get shot dont die because niggas be shooting at each other from diffrent blocks. A bunch of innocent bystanders get hit like this too,bogus shit. Sometimes rival blocks/sets be right on the next block, for example 28st against 29th street.Milwaukee is real compact too,so niggas just be creeping through gangways and alleys dumpin at each other.You can run a few blocks, bust some shits at your opposition,and run right back to your hood easily here.Mil town is only 98 square miles, compared to similar sized (population wise) cities that are 2 or 300 square miles.
3 shootings,1 left dead on the streets of the Mil last night
SUNDAY, Nov. 19, 2006, 9:03 a.m.
By Mark Johnson
1 killed, 2 injured in overnight shootings
Milwaukee police are investigating three shootings that occurred within a two-hour span overnight, including one that claimed life of a man outside the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave.
Police did not have information early Sunday on the name or age of the man who was killed. He was shot around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and died at a hospital.
Around midnight a 23-year-old man was shot after he got into a quarrel with two men in the 2100 block of S. 7th St. His wound was not deemed life-threatening, said Chad Wagner, lieutenant of detectives. He was in stable condition this morning at an area hospital.
In the night's first shooting, a 46-year-old woman was shot multiple times around 11:30 p.m. in the 500 block of W. Maple St. After getting out of her car, the woman was approached by two men, one of whom shot her, police said. She was in stable condition in an area hospital.
Wagner said no one was in custody yet for any of the shootings.
By Mark Johnson
1 killed, 2 injured in overnight shootings
Milwaukee police are investigating three shootings that occurred within a two-hour span overnight, including one that claimed life of a man outside the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave.
Police did not have information early Sunday on the name or age of the man who was killed. He was shot around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and died at a hospital.
Around midnight a 23-year-old man was shot after he got into a quarrel with two men in the 2100 block of S. 7th St. His wound was not deemed life-threatening, said Chad Wagner, lieutenant of detectives. He was in stable condition this morning at an area hospital.
In the night's first shooting, a 46-year-old woman was shot multiple times around 11:30 p.m. in the 500 block of W. Maple St. After getting out of her car, the woman was approached by two men, one of whom shot her, police said. She was in stable condition in an area hospital.
Wagner said no one was in custody yet for any of the shootings.
yet another homicide on gutter streets of Milwaukee
MONDAY, Nov. 20, 2006, 4:30 p.m.
By Bob Purvis
Man killed on N. 34th St. porch
A 32-year-old man was shot to death early today while sitting on his porch, Milwaukee police said.
The man was outside the home in the 2600 block of N. 34th St. about 1:30 a.m. when he was shot, police said.
He died at the scene. No one is in custody for the killing, but police said they have solid leads in the case.
The man was the 97th person slain in Milwaukee this year.
Police today also identified a man killed early Sunday.
Gerald L. Peters, 18, was shot in the head in the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave. about 1:25 a.m. Police say Peters was part of a group of people exchanging gunfire with another group. It's not clear whether the bullet that killed him came from his group or their adversaries, police said.
Police are looking for those involved in the shootout.
By Bob Purvis
Man killed on N. 34th St. porch
A 32-year-old man was shot to death early today while sitting on his porch, Milwaukee police said.
The man was outside the home in the 2600 block of N. 34th St. about 1:30 a.m. when he was shot, police said.
He died at the scene. No one is in custody for the killing, but police said they have solid leads in the case.
The man was the 97th person slain in Milwaukee this year.
Police today also identified a man killed early Sunday.
Gerald L. Peters, 18, was shot in the head in the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave. about 1:25 a.m. Police say Peters was part of a group of people exchanging gunfire with another group. It's not clear whether the bullet that killed him came from his group or their adversaries, police said.
Police are looking for those involved in the shootout.
yet another homicide on gutter streets of Milwaukee
MONDAY, Nov. 20, 2006, 4:30 p.m.
By Bob Purvis
Man killed on N. 34th St. porch
A 32-year-old man was shot to death early today while sitting on his porch, Milwaukee police said.
The man was outside the home in the 2600 block of N. 34th St. about 1:30 a.m. when he was shot, police said.
He died at the scene. No one is in custody for the killing, but police said they have solid leads in the case.
The man was the 97th person slain in Milwaukee this year.
Police today also identified a man killed early Sunday.
Gerald L. Peters, 18, was shot in the head in the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave. about 1:25 a.m. Police say Peters was part of a group of people exchanging gunfire with another group. It's not clear whether the bullet that killed him came from his group or their adversaries, police said.
Police are looking for those involved in the shootout.
By Bob Purvis
Man killed on N. 34th St. porch
A 32-year-old man was shot to death early today while sitting on his porch, Milwaukee police said.
The man was outside the home in the 2600 block of N. 34th St. about 1:30 a.m. when he was shot, police said.
He died at the scene. No one is in custody for the killing, but police said they have solid leads in the case.
The man was the 97th person slain in Milwaukee this year.
Police today also identified a man killed early Sunday.
Gerald L. Peters, 18, was shot in the head in the 2500 block of W. Hampton Ave. about 1:25 a.m. Police say Peters was part of a group of people exchanging gunfire with another group. It's not clear whether the bullet that killed him came from his group or their adversaries, police said.
Police are looking for those involved in the shootout.
man shot in the ass
THURSDAY, Nov. 23, 2006, 10:35 a.m.
By Dan Benson
Man shot, police investigating
A 43-year-old man was shot in the buttocks early this morning on the 2700 block of N. 49th St. by one of two men trying to rob him, police say.
Milwaukee Police Capt. Gregory Habeck said the man, whom police did not identify, was walking home when he was confronted by the two men, one of whom was brandishing a gun. The victim was shot when he tried to run away. The robbers, both of whom were wearing stocking masks, took the man's cell phone.
The victim was hospitalized non-life threatening injuries, Habeck said.
Habeck said police are investigating whether the incident is related to the shooting of a 45-year-old Journal Sentinel carrier early Wednesday morning in the same area on the 2600 block of N. 54th St
By Dan Benson
Man shot, police investigating
A 43-year-old man was shot in the buttocks early this morning on the 2700 block of N. 49th St. by one of two men trying to rob him, police say.
Milwaukee Police Capt. Gregory Habeck said the man, whom police did not identify, was walking home when he was confronted by the two men, one of whom was brandishing a gun. The victim was shot when he tried to run away. The robbers, both of whom were wearing stocking masks, took the man's cell phone.
The victim was hospitalized non-life threatening injuries, Habeck said.
Habeck said police are investigating whether the incident is related to the shooting of a 45-year-old Journal Sentinel carrier early Wednesday morning in the same area on the 2600 block of N. 54th St
-
A Ghost
- Super Heavy Weight
- Posts: 5404
- Joined: September 21st, 2005, 6:47 pm
- Location: Niagara Falls, New York
'X' wrote:Same for "Niagara Falls", I thought it was a bottle of drinking water.....A Ghost wrote:I never hear anything about Milwakee, I dont even know where it is.....
couldn't resist ghost..lol
LOL!!!
I wasnt dissing youtriflin wrote:Aint no games in the Mil between folks and brothers. Then add in all the out of states cats from chicago.
Homie aint from the Mil,so I dont think he took it as a diss.Since he is from the Mid,he knows about the Mil so he was just lettin you know.The North/North-west side of Milwaukee is one of the gutterest,most segragated,impoverished,and violent hoods in America.The East and South side got gutter spots too but also middle/upperclass white neighborhoods as well.A Ghost wrote: I wasnt dissing you
The main thing keepin brothers in the Mil buck is the discrimination and unemployment/underemployment.Mufuckas loosing they minds,niggas to the brink of insanity just trying to get by everyday.Majority of brew town niggas dont even have jobs, these white people straight evil up here.Keep us starving and then wait for us to kill each other off and fill the prisons up with us.
Ya'll aint far from chi town right? i remember hearing about mil town being quite a racially divided city.madmiddle wrote:Its a city in the Mid west located in Wisconsin.Population 595,000,39% black 12% latino. Buckwild city,shit goes down daily.Appears in the top 10 for drug trafficing,poverty,segragated,and murder (for big cities).Not a big (national) rap scene so its no surprise some of you havent heard about it.
Mil is 90 miles from Chicago.T.K wrote:Ya'll aint far from chi town right? i remember hearing about mil town being quite a racially divided city.madmiddle wrote:Its a city in the Mid west located in Wisconsin.Population 595,000,39% black 12% latino. Buckwild city,shit goes down daily.Appears in the top 10 for drug trafficing,poverty,segragated,and murder (for big cities).Not a big (national) rap scene so its no surprise some of you havent heard about it.
TUESDAY, Nov. 28, 2006, 10:37 a.m.
By John Diedrich
4 shot overnight in Milwaukee
Two people remain hospitalized today after they were hit by bullets in separate shootings on Monday, Milwaukee police said. Both are expected to survive.
In the first shooting at 4:30 p.m., three men were hit in the 1700 block of W. Atkinson Ave., said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. The victims, a 22-year-old and two 20-year-olds, were shot by a man in a ski mask, she said. The 22-year-old was hit in the chest and leg and is in critical but stable condition, she said.
The others were hit in the arm and buttocks and treated and released.
Police have made no arrests and still don't have a clear picture of what prompted the shooting.
At 10:25 p.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the side after two suspects ran up to him and demanded money, Schwartz said. The victim was coming home from work and parked his car in the 1700 block of W. Lincoln Ave. Police have made no arrests, she said.
By John Diedrich
4 shot overnight in Milwaukee
Two people remain hospitalized today after they were hit by bullets in separate shootings on Monday, Milwaukee police said. Both are expected to survive.
In the first shooting at 4:30 p.m., three men were hit in the 1700 block of W. Atkinson Ave., said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. The victims, a 22-year-old and two 20-year-olds, were shot by a man in a ski mask, she said. The 22-year-old was hit in the chest and leg and is in critical but stable condition, she said.
The others were hit in the arm and buttocks and treated and released.
Police have made no arrests and still don't have a clear picture of what prompted the shooting.
At 10:25 p.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the side after two suspects ran up to him and demanded money, Schwartz said. The victim was coming home from work and parked his car in the 1700 block of W. Lincoln Ave. Police have made no arrests, she said.
Central city poorer than ever, report shows
Leaders say inner-city poverty hurts suburbs, too
By JOHN SCHMID
jschmid@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 27, 2006
Milwaukee's inner city, home to one of the nation's densest concentrations of urban poverty, showed continued economic deterioration in a new analysis that bears ominous implications for the broader metro-area economy.
Advertisement
Incomes in the inner city fell 1.9% in 2005 from 2004, continuing a long-term decline, even as incomes made gains in nearly every other part of the city and suburbs, according to a new report from the Center for Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The study looks at people who are working, and report income to the state. However, the central city suffers from chronic high unemployment, and the black adult male unemployment rate has been estimated at more than 50%.
"Milwaukee's inner city remains poor and is falling further behind the rest of the region," the report concludes.
The widening gulf coincides with a growing recognition among civic leaders that the deepening economic depression in Milwaukee's urban center holds back the economy of the wider metro region.
"If the heart of the city is in decline, the rest of the region will never achieve its full potential," said Franklin Cumberbatch, president of Trinidad Group LLC, a Milwaukee-based business consulting firm and co-founder of a number of recent inner-city economic initiatives.
Even in Waukesha County, some politicians have begun to trace a link between Milwaukee's inner city and the well-being of their communities.
"It's an enormous problem," said state Sen. Theodore J. Kanavas (R-Brookfield). Kanavas argues that failure to educate and employ the armies of urban unemployed throws brakes on regional growth.
"It's ironic that people from Waukesha County understand this," Kanavas said. "It's a big deal for the entire state of Wisconsin because of what it means for our future. There will be an increase, not a decrease in crime. There will be an increase, not a decrease in what it costs to incarcerate people."
The UWM report says the 2004-'05 income trends exacerbate "the already sharp polarization that increasingly plagues the Milwaukee region."
The report relies on the most recent available tax return data from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and focuses on nine ZIP codes that include the city's most distressed neighborhoods.
Income in those areas fell 1.9% after adjustments for inflation, while overall income across the remainder of the city rose 1.3%, researchers found. Downtown Milwaukee and the city's Third Ward - urban areas with a proliferation of condominiums - saw income jump 9.8%. The suburbs of Milwaukee County clocked a 2.3% income increase while three collar counties - Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha - rose 3.5%.
Income per taxpayer in the inner city in 2005 fell to less than half the income of the Milwaukee County suburbs.
"Little has changed from the pattern of the past two decades," the report concludes.
The report's author is Marc Levine, director of the Center for Economic Development and UWM professor of urban studies and history. Levine's prior reports have traced a link between the city's 30-year de-industrialization, which obliterated bottom-rung and blue-collar jobs, and the resulting deterioration of the social structures, families, education and security.
Levine became the latest policy analyst to criticize the city's planning. Earlier this month, the Public Policy Forum triggered a fiery public debate with a study that faults the city's economic leadership.
"Milwaukee lacks and desperately needs a comprehensive inner city redevelopment and anti-poverty strategy," he wrote in the report. The Department of City Development "should be restructured" to encompass an inner-city revitalization and job-creation strategy, his report concludes.
Leaders say inner-city poverty hurts suburbs, too
By JOHN SCHMID
jschmid@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 27, 2006
Milwaukee's inner city, home to one of the nation's densest concentrations of urban poverty, showed continued economic deterioration in a new analysis that bears ominous implications for the broader metro-area economy.
Advertisement
Incomes in the inner city fell 1.9% in 2005 from 2004, continuing a long-term decline, even as incomes made gains in nearly every other part of the city and suburbs, according to a new report from the Center for Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The study looks at people who are working, and report income to the state. However, the central city suffers from chronic high unemployment, and the black adult male unemployment rate has been estimated at more than 50%.
"Milwaukee's inner city remains poor and is falling further behind the rest of the region," the report concludes.
The widening gulf coincides with a growing recognition among civic leaders that the deepening economic depression in Milwaukee's urban center holds back the economy of the wider metro region.
"If the heart of the city is in decline, the rest of the region will never achieve its full potential," said Franklin Cumberbatch, president of Trinidad Group LLC, a Milwaukee-based business consulting firm and co-founder of a number of recent inner-city economic initiatives.
Even in Waukesha County, some politicians have begun to trace a link between Milwaukee's inner city and the well-being of their communities.
"It's an enormous problem," said state Sen. Theodore J. Kanavas (R-Brookfield). Kanavas argues that failure to educate and employ the armies of urban unemployed throws brakes on regional growth.
"It's ironic that people from Waukesha County understand this," Kanavas said. "It's a big deal for the entire state of Wisconsin because of what it means for our future. There will be an increase, not a decrease in crime. There will be an increase, not a decrease in what it costs to incarcerate people."
The UWM report says the 2004-'05 income trends exacerbate "the already sharp polarization that increasingly plagues the Milwaukee region."
The report relies on the most recent available tax return data from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and focuses on nine ZIP codes that include the city's most distressed neighborhoods.
Income in those areas fell 1.9% after adjustments for inflation, while overall income across the remainder of the city rose 1.3%, researchers found. Downtown Milwaukee and the city's Third Ward - urban areas with a proliferation of condominiums - saw income jump 9.8%. The suburbs of Milwaukee County clocked a 2.3% income increase while three collar counties - Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha - rose 3.5%.
Income per taxpayer in the inner city in 2005 fell to less than half the income of the Milwaukee County suburbs.
"Little has changed from the pattern of the past two decades," the report concludes.
The report's author is Marc Levine, director of the Center for Economic Development and UWM professor of urban studies and history. Levine's prior reports have traced a link between the city's 30-year de-industrialization, which obliterated bottom-rung and blue-collar jobs, and the resulting deterioration of the social structures, families, education and security.
Levine became the latest policy analyst to criticize the city's planning. Earlier this month, the Public Policy Forum triggered a fiery public debate with a study that faults the city's economic leadership.
"Milwaukee lacks and desperately needs a comprehensive inner city redevelopment and anti-poverty strategy," he wrote in the report. The Department of City Development "should be restructured" to encompass an inner-city revitalization and job-creation strategy, his report concludes.
TUESDAY, Nov. 28, 2006, 10:58 a.m.
By John Diedrich
Three beaten in Family Dollar hold-up
Three people were battered, one with the butt of a shotgun, during a robbery at the Family Dollar at 7:49 p.m. yesterday in the 2200 block of N. 35th St., police said today.
Two suspects came into the store and demanded money, prompting a 21-year-old female employee to start crying, said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. One of the suspects then smashed her in the face with a sawed-off shotgun, she said. Two others in the store, a 17-year-old male and 15-year-old female, tried to run.
One of the suspects hit them in the face with his fist. Then the suspect with the gun fired shots into the ceiling.
The suspects got cash and ran, she said. Police are looking for them.
By John Diedrich
Three beaten in Family Dollar hold-up
Three people were battered, one with the butt of a shotgun, during a robbery at the Family Dollar at 7:49 p.m. yesterday in the 2200 block of N. 35th St., police said today.
Two suspects came into the store and demanded money, prompting a 21-year-old female employee to start crying, said Anne E. Schwartz, department spokeswoman. One of the suspects then smashed her in the face with a sawed-off shotgun, she said. Two others in the store, a 17-year-old male and 15-year-old female, tried to run.
One of the suspects hit them in the face with his fist. Then the suspect with the gun fired shots into the ceiling.
The suspects got cash and ran, she said. Police are looking for them.