Milwaukee HIDTA Coordinates the takedown of the 1-9 Nash Street Boyz
Mar 25th, 2008
On March 25th a press conference was held at the District 5 Milwaukee Police Department, 2920 N. 4th St. It was a follow up report on the February 14th ‘take-down’ and arrest of over 40 members of a violent and well organized drug dealing operation known as the “1-9 Nash Street Boyz”. Chief Flynn and Mayor Barrett pledged city resources to maintain the gains made in area. Safe & Sound Community Partner Al Hegwood had been listening to resident complaints for years regarding the shooting and street dealing. He coached residents on the best means to work safely with law enforcement and keep the neighborhood livable. The idea of starting block clubs was not even broached, it was just too dangerous in the neighborhood.
Radio News Broadcast: Street Gang Members Arrested
By Marge Pitrof, February 15, 2008 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI
Fortunately, since the arrests a sense of calm has been restored and Al and Community Liaison Officer Ray Robakowski are not wasting any time in getting block clubs established with residents they have worked with for years. Safe and Sound has been involved with this initiative as of February 15, with Community Partners doing outreach and offering support to residents in the area from North 19th Street to North 23rd Street, Keefe Avenue to Capital Drive. After such large number of arrests, we decided that it would be a good idea to get a comprehensive assessment residents perceptions and concerns. We used a street survey tool and found that an overwhelming number of residents were willing to work with law enforcement and would consider be involved in a block club, however, 41% were skeptical that things will improve on their block and 73% do not feel safe out at night. Some residents have lived in the area for over 40 years and simply don’t believe things will change. Even so, there were many who felt positive and believe that the neighborhood can be a safe and peaceful place to live. We will ask these same questions again after one year to see if resident perceptions and attitudes have changed. You can view the survey results at:
19th & Nash Resident Perceptions Survey
Other efforts involve removing the signs of neglect, as well as the scars of gang and drug activity. With 5th District Captain Tony Smith’s and CLO PO Ray Robakowski’s help, all the tennis shoes used to mark out turf were removed from overhead utility lines. Several community cleanups were executed in the early spring. We also approached businesses with information about façade grants and clearing storefront windows for added police visibility and safety.
With focused outreach and leveraging the relationships built over the years, Safe & Sound was able to almost immediately hold a community meeting and establish two block clubs. Since then eight groups from the area have inquired about getting a block watch started and we have encouraged to take the forefront in the celebration of the return of their Arlington Heights neighborhood.
“We will have our disagreements about means but not ends.”
January 7, 2008
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn
Oath of Office Ceremony Remarks
