Milwaukee leaders share ideas on preventing violence on Water Street during emergency meeting

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- Gun violence continues to plague Milwaukee this summer, especially on downtown Water Street. This has led to Milwaukee leaders pushing for changes in one of the city's busiest entertainment districts. An emergency safety meeting was held at City Hall on Wednesday, July 30, where several Milwaukee alders, the Milwaukee Police Department, the Office of Community Wellness and Safety, and the Department of Public Works sat down for about two-and-a-half hours to look at what is causing this year’s violence on the entertainment district and throw out ideas to try and prevent it. 

“You lose your downtown, you lose your city,” shared District 13 Alderman Scott Spiker, chair of the public safety and health committee.

Following weeks of crime on Water Street, including nine shootings in which three people were killed, and two young women injured when a car drove through police barriers, Milwaukee leaders are looking for ways to put an end to it.

The majority of crime in Milwaukee is retaliatory, according to Inspector Sheronda Grant with the Milwaukee Police Department. She said, “it’s not everyone, there are only a few individuals that are making our city unsafe... whenever these individuals see these people they have beef with, they shoot them no matter who’s in the vicinity.”

The Office of Community Wellness and Safety says its team has been successful in preventing violence, but they're outnumbered and need the community to step up. Interim Director Karin Tyler shared, “we don't have resources for hardcore citywide initiatives… it’s a challenge for us, but we’re definitely willing to do it.”

The Milwaukee Police Department says on summer weekends, they have officers downtown in what they call "code red" -- an area with additional police resources. Last weekend, they had 40 officers there, but their ideal number would sit around 50, according to Grant, “we are doing the best we can with what we can, but we have to keep in mind we are stretched thin and wide to cover these spots.”

To get the police coverage needed, that means officers from other districts would have to volunteer for overtime. Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala said this isn’t a solution.

"We don't have officers, where are they going to get them? I don't know where MPD is going to get them," said Ayala. "Ask to be more volunteers? We're already spent, working overtime, working 16 hours a day. Where are they going to come from?”

One thing is clear: a problem exists and a solution with coordination is needed. District 10 Alderwoman Sharlen Moore said,

"We need to have an intelligent conversation on what that is, said District 10 Alderwoman Sharlen Moore. "We’re putting band-aids on open wounds but there needs to be an intentional effort in a multi-community strategy to address not only the violence downtown but violence throughout the city.”

Coming out of the meeting, many left with questions and frustration. 

"Not impressed, it was actually pretty pathetic in my opinion. MPD has opinions on the margin, they'll do a few things here, a few things there. It was difficult drawing recommendations out of them on some issues, and I frankly don’t know where to go from here," said District 4 Alderman Robert Bauman.

“I was expecting to hear solutions, if not solutions then a plan to reach the solutions. I want to hear people talk about intervention, de-escalation, the window needed to rest before the incident blows out of proportion. I didn't hear any of that” said Shawn Moore.

Shawn Moore is a resident who sat in on the meeting. He says he’s worked in violence prevention for 15 years, speaking every day with a parent who’s lost their child. According to Moore, the city isn’t focusing on the elements of violence prevention and wants to see action taken.

Other ideas from the Milwaukee Police Department include stricter enforcement of curfew, adding barricades on Water Street, and potentially using drones to identify problematic areas before violence breaks out.