Mayor Tom Barrett can brag about the homicide being down, but the number of non-fatal shootings are increasing.
This past weekend was riddled with shootings.
Capt. Gregory Habeck of the Milwaukee Police Department told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that police were investigatings four shootings.
A 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was shot in the neck in the 2200 block of N. 41st St. after he and another male left a house party about 12:49 a.m. Sunday. The shot came from a passenger in a passing vehicle. The victim fled to a nearby tavern where his mother was bartending and was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where he was in serious condition.
In the other shootings:
Two Milwaukee men, ages 22 and 23, each were shot once in the arm about 2:19 a.m. Sunday as they left a bar in the 9200 block of W. Appleton Ave. The shots came from a group arguing in a parking lot. Both men were treated at a hospital and released.
A 24-year-old man was shot in the shoulder after he confronted two men at a house party in the 200 block of E. Chambers St. about 11:55 p.m. Saturday. One of the two fired several shots as they fled on foot. He was treated at a hospital and released.
Obviously, fewer murders don't indicate that the city is safer. The fact is crime is becoming dramatically more commonplace in Milwaukee, bucking the national trend.
In fact, Milwaukee has the terrible distinction of leading the nation in assault and robbery increases among cities of comparable size.
From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
New preliminary crime numbers released by the FBI on Monday show the surge in violence affecting Milwaukee is happening in cities across the nation, though to a lesser degree.
Translation: Crime in other cities is not increasing like it is in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee's percentage increases in assaults and robberies were tops among the 10 cities closest to it in population, according to a Journal Sentinel analysis of the FBI figures.
...Although homicides in Milwaukee are down (101 as of Monday, compared with 118 on that date last year), officials say non-fatal shootings are increasing. Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa expects to treat 34% more gunshot victims this year than last, and such cases are up 38% at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Experts say that the total number of shootings - not just the fatal ones - is a better measurement of gun violence.
...Police Chief Nannette Hegerty has formed a group to study police responses and consider changes as the department struggles with the surge in violence. One option being considered is whether to continue sending officers to certain lower-priority calls, perhaps handling such calls over the phone or by computer.
Wisconsin's largest city is a mess!
There isn't just a perception of crime. There is increasing crime.
The growing violence is not a media creation, a distortion formed due to the "if it bleeds, it leads" rule.
Crime doesn't just appear to be on the increase. Figures show that crime in the city actually is as bad as it seems.
So much is being said about Hegerty's "Milwaukee Study Group."
Is that supposed to satisfy residents?
The existence of the study group isn't stopping the violence.
Suggestions and recommendations aren't enough. Immediate action is needed.
Leadership is needed.
That's the bottom line: Milwaukee needs effective, competent leaders to deal with the crisis.
Milwaukee needs a new police chief and a new mayor.
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