I was watching the news this past Monday and noticed the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention was holding a meeting on Tuesday evening at the Zilber School of Public Health. They wanted citizens to attend and bring with them solutions or concerns they had about crime in the city. Initially there was an overview of violent crime mostly talking about homicides and non-fatal shootings. Between 2016 and 2019 there actually was a decline in homicides and non-fatal shootings in the city. Public health is a data driven issue we were told. 2019 until today usually is not bad crime wise in the beginning of the year. Around May/June is when crime normally starts to heat up for the year. This trend is seen not only in Milwaukee but across this country.
They continued when young people and families have what they need they usually are safer. A lot of gun violence occurred usually inside of homes. The primary factor with 69% of homicides relates to arguments/fights. Twenty-three percent are unknown reasons. Most of the victims know who shoot them so they are not strangers most of the time. Prior to the pandemic the average age of a shooter was about 29 years of age. That number has come down a little now. 414 Life, which is part of their office, collaborates very closely with the community. They try to calm down areas and neighborhoods to keep the peace before a shooting or violence occurs. Part of their mission is to reduce crime through partnerships. When they do target certain neighborhoods, they see a reduction of violence in those areas.
The room was packed with people, and many did not have seats. There were many stories from mothers of homicide victims talking about how it effected their families. Some wondered why the police department was not there to answer questions. Doctors from the Froedtert Hospital who operate on gunshot victims were in attendance stating they are tired of working on all these victims. There must be some way to cut down on these numerous shootings they said. Earl Ingram, from Voices of Elders, stated he and his group will continue to talk with the youth to try and get them to understand something clearly at last on committing crime. They are a group of older Black men who try to use their wisdom and knowledge on young kids out there.
Finally, 414 Life reports that Memorial Day is especially important for the beginning of summer. They will have people out on the street this Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to try and help stem violence in the neighborhoods. Memorial Day sets the tone for the whole summer. They asked also for volunteers to help them patrol in some of the areas and state they had money to pay people who would come and work with them. This is important and let us hope we can start the holiday season off safely.