A bad day that worsened by the hour

Yesterday (Tuesday, April 18) was a day that my neighborhood and my district would like to forget. Sadly, it is a day that we will likely remember for years, and for all of the wrong reasons.

At about 3:30 p.m. near S. 35th and W. Mitchell Streets, a 62-year-old grandfather was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he was trying to walk across the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This horrendous traffic crime is just the latest incident in what is now an epidemic of out-of-control and reckless driving across Milwaukee.

I expect to be joined by several colleagues as we reach out to the Chief to indicate that we need a much more aggressive approach to traffic safety in our city. And to be clear, I am not attacking the Milwaukee Police Department or its officers, but it’s clear that we need to re-prioritize traffic enforcement and provide adequate officer staffing to deal with the level of disorder that we are experiencing.

My day actually started with a shooting at 2 a.m. on my block – a woman shot on her way to work. She survived but this was – as one can surmise – a traumatizing and disruptive incident for me, my family, and our neighbors.

Then, a bit later yesterday the George Webb restaurant at S. 21st and W. Mitchell was robbed – again (this is a neighborhood place where I regularly stop to get a bite or a cup of coffee!).

And – to top it off – a popular tavern in my district was robbed yesterday at gunpoint.

If all of this yesterday in one aldermanic district doesn’t point to how out of control portions of Milwaukee have become, then I don’t know what will!

When will enough be enough?

Well, if the Common Council cannot agree if we need to hold people accountable for their crimes, and if some of my colleagues seem to think we are being too hard on criminals (just watch a replay of yesterday’s Council meeting and see it for yourself!), then I am dumbfounded.

And if anyone is satisfied with the current level of public safety in Milwaukee, then they must be nuts.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.