Ashanti Hamilton Resigns From Violence Prevention Role

Ashanti Hamilton speaks at a 2019 press conference. Future mayor Cavalier Johnson looks on. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Former Alderman Ashanti Hamilton is leaving Milwaukee City Hall.

Hamilton resigned from his post as head of the Office of Community Wellness and Safety, formerly of the Office of Violence Prevention. His last day is scheduled for Jan. 21.

“I appreciate the significant contributions Ashanti has made to city government, both in his current position and in his previous roles as an Alderman and as Milwaukee Common Council President,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a statement.

Johnson and Hamilton were once council rivals, with Johnson replacing Hamilton, who had briefly vied for mayor, as Common Council President in 2020. But in the year following Johnson’s election as mayor, he gave Hamilton a key role in his administration.

“Under his leadership, the Office of Community Wellness and Safety has been central to the city’s efforts to reduce crime and violence. It is impossible to measure the full impact Ashanti and his team have made, but it is clear their intervention and prevention work has stopped fights, reduced firearm injuries, and contributed to the nearly forty-percent reduction in Milwaukee homicides over the past two years. I wish him well in his next professional venture.”

The community wellness office is involved in a number of violence prevention efforts, including partnering with the Medical College of Wisconsin on a neighborhood-level violence interruption program (414Life), providing grants to community organizations and convening groups to address community issues.

During Hamilton’s tenure, the office was relocated from the Milwaukee Health Department to the Department of Administration and given a new title.

Grants primarily fund the office. The 2025 budget calls for 15 positions with a $1.4 million budget. Hamilton’s salary, according to the budget, was to be $121,255.

Hamilton resigned from his council seat in 2022 to replace Arnitta Holliman, who the mayor fired.

A spokesperson for the mayor said Hamilton was not asked to resign. Hamilton was listed as an expected speaker at Tuesday’s Milwaukee Police Department crime stats briefing, but did not appear.

The effectiveness of the office has long been questioned, given the difficulty of measuring how much crime hasn’t occurred. But Hamilton’s tenure coincides with a period where the city’s homicide and non-fatal shootings rates both declined by 27%, mirroring a national trend.

A former teacher, Hamilton holds a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a law degree from Texas Southern University. He served on the Common Council from 2004 to 2022.

A press release released by the mayor’s office said Hamilton is leaving to take a “private sector” position. Hamilton did not respond to a request for more information about this.