The administration owes the residents of this city a public safety plan
Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan - August 29, 2017
A year ago, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Reggie Moore with the Office of Violence Prevention, both promised a public safety plan for the citizens of Milwaukee. Yet one year later, and $1 million of grant money allocated, and we still have nothing to show for it except “pretty power points.”
Milwaukee is seeing growth in two areas — a growing investment in downtown, and a growing number of neighborhoods that are struggling with public safety. Our residents are facing a stubbornly high homicide rate, regular shootings, armed robberies, carjackings, street drugs, prostitution, reckless driving, and human trafficking. Even our teachers at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) are being attacked in the classroom, making teacher retention difficult and robbing students of a safe learning environment. To compound the issue, morale among police officers is incredibly low, with response times and active policing falling short for various reasons including a shrinking force.
Recently, Mayor Barrett proposed a sales tax, which ironically was one of the recommendations of the Common Council’s public safety plan, an idea I supported for quite some time with the understanding it would be used to bring back hundreds of police officers cut over the last few years. However, the mayor simply wants to use the funding to maintain the status quo, which is clearly a failing endeavor.
It is time we saw a strategic plan laid out by Mayor Barrett and his administration, which demonstrates definitive plans on how to restore neighborhood safety, so our residents are convinced their neighborhoods are cared about as much as downtown is.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Ald. Bob Donovan
Is St. Francis Hospital next on the chopping block?
Apr 10th, 2018 by Ald. Bob DonovanStatement from Alderman Bob Donovan - April 10, 2018
Watching MPD closely during a critical transition period
Mar 19th, 2018 by Ald. Bob DonovanJoint Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan, Alderman José G. Pérez and Alderman Mark A. Borkowski - March 19, 2018
Oscar’s Winner’s Circle grand opening set for Monday
Mar 16th, 2018 by Ald. Bob Donovan11 a.m. on Monday, March 19