A surplus of gun violence, but not enough help

In the past two days near the Woodlands complex, we have had two separate shootings that have resulted in the deaths of a 25-year-old man, and a 15-year-old boy. It is absolutely unacceptable that such violence in our communities keeps occurring at the expense of our young adults and children. We are collaborating to host the very first youth lock-in event this Friday, as well as a number of other programmed activities and events and we must do a better job at providing critical resources so we can reduce and PREVENT violent activity.

To learn more about the positive ‘We Locked in Milwaukee’ event on Friday, please contact welockedinMKE@gmail.com.

For many years I have expressed the need for more help and resources; however these calls for aid have fallen on deaf ears as we are often left out of resource allocations due to being in a police district that is seen as not needing stepped-up patrols and manpower. This neglect is not only hurtful to our already underserved communities but does a disservice to Milwaukee as a whole. Today I am calling on the city, businesses, and philanthropy to provide resources so that we too can have a safer summer on the Northwest Side.

If you see a potential gun violence scenario developing with relatives, friends, neighbors or strangers, I strongly urge you reach out to the 414LIFE staff that are affiliated with the city’s Office of Violence Prevention. Please make that call to 414-439-5525.

414LIFE has staff members experienced in violence interruption and de-escalation, and they’ve already saved hundreds of lives in Milwaukee doing what they do.

Milwaukee Police are seeking additional information, and anyone with details to pass along about either of these shootings along is asked to please call (414) 935-7360. To remain anonymous, please contact Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips App.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.