A Community Desperate for Change

Alderman Ashanti Hamilton will host a Black Male Achievement Advisory Committee (BMAAC) meeting with Mayor Tom Barrett on Monday, May 19th just blocks from where a young man and his step daughter were shot days ago near N. 25th St. and W. Capitol Dr.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, which will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Garden Homes Square Park, 2600 W. Atkinson Ave. (rain location: New Hope Baptist Church, 2433 W. Roosevelt Dr.).

Alderman Hamilton, chair of the BMAAC, said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community of the work being done in that neighborhood and city-wide to combat violence and to provide information about work opportunities for those looking for it. “It will also highlight the need for a change in the approach to dealing with safety in our neighborhoods and the role community members MUST play to make these efforts successful,” he said.

The advisory committee composed of representatives from the federal, state, county, and city government levels, as well as community members from community-based organizations, non-profits and the faith community. Alderman Hamilton said Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II – a member of the BMAAC and the new 15th District alderman – has agreed to schedule a similar future meeting of the BMAAC in his district.

While long range planning is part of the committee’s goal, it will also make recommendations for immediate actions to improve community safety. The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently released a study (http://tinyurl.com/kxgmf2n) which named Wisconsin as the worst state in America for black children. Alderman Hamilton said he believes strongly “this does not have to be the story that is repeatedly told about Milwaukee.”

“We need a collective effort to make the fastest turnaround possible in the
troubling conditions too many of our children endure each and every day,” he said. “In my view we are already late in acting because we are at a point when our children are being gunned down in the streets and in their homes on a regular basis.”

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.