Just One More Thing

Don’t look now... we are picking up where we left off in 2014 in Milwaukee... more gun violence in our community.   For most of us as we witness a turnaround in the economy, stock markets rising to new heights, gas prices coming down, troops coming home, more Americans getting health insurance, more assistance being given towards keeping people in their homes... we all were hoping for the best and praying for a sharp reduction in crime as well.   That was my hopes and I am sure I was not alone.  But here we are and already people have been shot and killed in homes, cars and on the street... and they are were Black. 

 Recently, I reviewed the crime statistics in Milwaukee since 2005 and many things stood out... 926 homicides and over 4000 non-fatal shootings over the past 10 years.  Yes!  When you see the chart, your eyes, head and heart will begin to hurt.  This tells me that nearly 5000 families have also been affected, traumatize and also have become victims in a vicious cycle that seems to never end.   However, the more glaring stat that stands out is that nearly 80% in each category, the victim and the suspect were Black.   

And when you add it all up, the persistent Black on Black crime is unacceptable.  Life is hard enough as it is to just make it, find a livable wage job, affordable housing, get an education... but to continue down this path of community self-destruction through gun violence is beyond and defy common sense or logistic.  The varied opinions, endless debates over what is good for the community; by so many who chose to look the other way, others who will not discuss it and some who just give lip service...  is also a matter of grave concern.   

 

What will it take to change the situation, environment, minds and hearts of those who see no way out but to resolve their issues through the only means possible is a mystery?   Is it because of a lack of education, feelings of hopelessness, desperation, poverty, mental health, no jobs, rejection, drug use, depression, oppression, left behind, and racism ... or have we just lost our way in the New Jim Crow.   Can it be that we as a nation have lost our moral compass and have created a culture that only benefits the rich while taking more from the poor?   Have we found it acceptable to have a permanent underclass of citizens that are always kept from reaching the ladders of opportunity or have the ability meet the rising bar of expectations?  The issues are very complex, hard to put your hands around... but each day the beat goes on, on and on.   And you know what, Milwaukee is not alone.    What do you think?