Residents Walk with their Alderman, Police and Safe & Sound
Jul 22nd, 2010
By every account the 42nd Street community walk with Alderman Wade on July 21st went well. Twenty-five residents participated, each from different blocks along the walk. Many other residents came from their porches and yards to interact and show support. Alderman Wade gave each person his personal attention without regards of time.
In addition, three police officers from District 7 participated, including Sgt. Shelly Lubus, one of the most experienced Community Liaison Officers in Milwaukee. Roosevelt Pritchett, Safe & Sound Community Partner, organized the walk. He was able to meet a few new residents and inform them about the block watch in their neighborhood. Rose also has a lot of experience, having worked in the neighborhood for over 10 years now. He and Sgt. Lubus have seen a range of issues come and go.
In this case, the walk was organized after numerous residents complained of nuisance loitering, public drinking and drug activity on 42nd and Capitol. The first step was to build awareness and consensus of the problem at hand, which was accomplished through the outreach, a block meeting and now the neighborhood walk. The next steps will be to meet with the property and business owners involved and come up with a plan to abate the issues cited by residents. In addition, a community beautification event will be held on August 21st from 9am-12pm as well as a rummage sale up and down 42nd Street on August 28th starting at 7am.
It can take time and solutions are not always permanent, however the relationships formed and the solidarity among residents is always long lasting. It is what building community is all about.
