Bucks, city share Deer District safety plan: New 'community ambassadors,' call for fans to leave valuables, guns at home

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee city officials said Friday they hope enlisting youth ambassadors and calling on people to leave their valuables -- particularly guns -- at home will help prevent crime around the Deer District this spring.

The Bucks begin their 2023 playoff run Sunday afternoon at Fiserv Forum. During the past two summers, massive crowds have gathered outside the arena to watch both home and away games. The watch parties have been a source of city pride, but have also been tarnished by shootings and car break-ins. 

Last May, 21 people were hurt in three separate shootings near the arena district. The violent night earned the city a type of national attention it didn't want.

"Let's come down here and let's be Milwaukeeans that people want to emulate and people want to join," Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Friday. "Because we are better than what we have been and we can continue to improve."

The plans to improve public safety this year include the addition of 60 "community ambassadors." Ashanti Hamilton, director of the city's Office of Violence Prevention, described the ambassadors as younger people who are trained by violence interrupters. 

The interrupters are already enlisted by the city and Hamilton said they'll serve as trainers for the ambassadors. Those ambassadors will then be spread out around the Deer District and surrounding downtown streets.

"They'll be able to go out, not just here [near the arena], but in neighborhoods around, including in the areas where we saw some problem activities before," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. "And be the eyes and ears on the ground so we know what's happening."

Hamilton said ambassadors will have radios that plug into the arena's security communications system. He maintained the communication process would help improve response times for police.

"We have cameras and lighting surrounding the areas where there's direct feeds to the [MPD] fusion center," he said.

A city spokesperson confirmed the Bucks will pay the ambassadors' wages. When asked what, specifically, the ambassadors' duties would be if they see a fight starting, people breaking into cars, or even loitering, Hamilton said they're trained to intervene verbally, but not physically.

"They have verbal- we call it 'verbal judo,' in being able to deal with a lot of situations," Hamilton said. "Sometimes it's just encouraging people to keep moving, and sometimes, it's a de-escalation, mediation type of involvement."

Sequoyah Branch was at the press conference Friday and said her plan is to serve as one of the ambassadors. She believed young peoples' perspectives were valuable because they understood how violent incidents often start with arguments over minor problems.

"It's a lot of nonsense violence that goes on for little things," she said. "So that's a problem."

"Leave it at Home"

The other key piece of the security plans discussed Friday was a call for fans to keep guns and valuable items out of the Deer District. The message was simple: if it's not allowed inside the arena, don't bring it to the plaza or leave it in your car.

"One of the biggest things you can do in helping in this effort is not bringing valuables down here that you're not bringing into the facility to celebrate," Hamilton said. "Especially firearms, please leave those at home."

Police said they would have a noticeable presence downtown on game days. Assistant Police Chief Paul Formolo declined to offer specifics on what that presence would involve, but said police were willing to close downtown streets to car traffic if that becomes a main source of disruptions.

"If it's necessary, we'll do it if we have to," Formolo said.

Fewer screens for first round

Bucks President Peter Feigin said the team planned to scale up the size of gatherings as the team advances in the playoffs. At its peak, Feigin said the team planned to hold between 3,000 and 6,000 people in the Deer District. 

For the first-round series beginning Sunday against either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat, the only outdoor screen will be the one locked into place in the district's beer garden.

Feigin said the team would put up additional screens on the plaza outside the arena's main entrance later in the playoffs, should the Bucks, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, advance as expected.

A violent week for teens

The prevention efforts for downtown were announced at the end of a week where, according to a review of police media releases since Sunday, eight people 19-years-old or younger were shot. All of the victims were expected to survive according to police.

The youngest victim was an eight-year-old girl, who was shot and wounded Thursday night.

Hamilton defended the work of the OVP, saying the office was still in the process of trying new methods. 

"I think a lot of the strategies we've been working on have been on a pilot level," Hamilton said. "They haven't necessarily been fully implemented."

The Office of Violence Prevention has been around since 2008. According to a report this month by Wisconsin Public Radio, it has received more than $12 million in federal pandemic aid. According to the report, less than one-third of that money has either been spent or earmarked for future spending.