‘We Care Crew’ Takes on Pandemic

David Crowley. File photo by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County announced a new partnership with a number of organizations that is aimed at increasing public health education and also distributing public health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative is the work of many organizations that have partnered under the banner of the “We Care Crew.” It includes: Milwaukee County’s Office on African American Affairs, Department of Health & Human Services, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Milwaukee Police Department, City of Milwaukee Health Department & Office of Violence Prevention, 414Life, Safe & Sound and the PEAK Initiative.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said Monday that the crew will initially work on distributing resources to communities of color — that have been the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their first project will entail distributing meals, face masks and resource bags that contain personal protective equipment, books and snacks for kids and public health information.

A handful of Milwaukee County Parks and community centers will be used as distribution points. They are: Brown Deer Park, Lincoln Park, McGovern Park, Moody Park, Rose Park, Sherman Park, Smith Park, Tiefenthaler Park, Washington Park, Clarke Square, King Community Center, and Kosciuszko Community Center.

Crowley also announced two community bike drives at county parks this weekend. This Saturday at Lincoln Park and McGovern Park, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone with gently used bikes they’d like to donate can bring them to one of the parks in the morning, and by afternoon those bikes will be distributed.

A statement from the County Executive’s office quoted TeAngelo Cargile, Jr., Youth Injury and Violence Prevention Coordinator at the City of Milwaukee Health Department, saying “This partnership is a step in the right direction. We want young people to take advantage of fresh air while respecting social distancing, and bikes are one of the many ways that can safely happen. We want families to have PPE, and we have made sure that it is free and readily available.”

The statement also said “Short-term, the crew seeks to limit the spread of COVID-19 in communities of color and to provide supporting resources to these neighborhoods. Long-term, the We Care Crew strives to transform historically challenged interactions between communities of color, government, and law enforcement into interactions of support.”