Murdered In Milwaukee
It was a brisk October morning, around 1:30 AM, when Azavarion D. Bailey was shot and killed on Milwaukee’s far North-East Side. At the age of eighteen, Bailey had his whole life ahead of him. Unfortunately, due to the never ending violence that continues to grow through the city, his future was cut short. His last words were to his older Godbrother, Laquann, as he bled out. Bailey asked Laquann to hold his hand, and told him that he was “fittin’ to die”. Bailey was just eighteen years old, and was already ready to die. He was raised in an environment where it was normal for people of that age to die so suddenly. Is that any way to live? This drive-by occured in October, and the assailant still hasn’t been found.
At 8:30 AM, on a beautiful morning in July, Brooklyn Harris’ mother was picking up a friend and her friends’ daughter, when she noticed a black SUV was following close behind. She decided to pull over and wait for it to pass. However, it never did pass. As she began to drive again, gun-shots quickly fired into the vehicle. When she turned around to see what had happened, the mother noticed that her three-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, had been shot in the head. Brooklyn died of her injury less than an hour later after being rushed to the hospital. The shooter was apprehended later in the day, and it was then revealed that he had previously been in prison for a pair of armed robberies he performed in the nineties. This young girl had her entire life left to live, and unfortunately, due to unnecessary violence, her life was tragically cut short.
If only these stories are the worst possible scenarios this city sees, but unfortunately, that’d be a lie. These stories are simply an average day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A city that is often overlooked and forgotten about due to its smaller population, actually has one of the highest murder rates by city size in America. So far, this year in Milwaukee there have been 90 homicides. In 2018, there were 101 homicides, and in 2017 there were 119.
If all violent crimes were to be compared, not just homicide, the data is even more staggering. Last year, Milwaukee had a ratio of 772.5 to 1 for violent crimes committed. The average for a U.S. city was 207.3 to 1. The highest Milwaukee has reached as of recently was 870.6 to 1 in 2015, where the average in the US was 208.5 to 1. To compare how bad this murder rate is, I’ve created a map that compares Milwaukee to cities with similar sized populations.
One of the worst neighborhoods, that people actually used to live in, was a neighborhood between North Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther King Dr, and North 12th St. It was a neighborhood known as Bronzeville. Bronzeville was once a thriving African American neighborhood with businesses and homes… but then the interstate was developed. The interstate was purposely built directly on top of the Bronzeville neighborhood, and dislocated an entire group of people, and in turn destroyed hundreds of businesses and homes. Due to the lack of jobs and homes that came from this, people fell into despair. Some become homeless, and others turned to drugs. Violence rampaged through the city, as gangs formed and education lacked.
Now decades later, companies and the government are trying to make up for the inconsiderate decision that was made in the 1950s to knock down Bronzeville. Today, Bronzeville is thriving again, similar to how it was in its prime. Although smaller than what it used to be, what is now considered the new Bronzeville is gaining businesses, increasing streetscaping, and becoming a safer place to live. This was accomplished through help from the city government that brought new businesses to the area, as well as pride in the people from the neighborhood who live there. If people support one another, and try to encourage growth, then it will come. Every year, a festival known as Bronzeville Fest is held to promote the small businesses that are located within the neighborhood. Local businesses that are owned and operated by the residents of Bronzeville are able to sell their products, and support other independent businesses right in their own backyard. If neighborhoods are able to hold jobs, and give people a reason to want to be better, then people will act better.
Another possible solution to solving the homicide issue could be learned from Boston in the mid-nineties. A Taylor & Francis Online article stated the startling statistic that around 1,200 gang-involved youths with records were responsible for 60% of Boston’s youth homicides. The Boston police department combated this by performing what they referred to as “lever-pulling” meetings. Lever-pulling meetings involved police officers meeting with youth gang members in a forum-type setting, and talking to them about the dangers of being in a gang and committing crimes. The forums first targeted gang members who were required to go by their probation officers, but then the meetings opened up to take in people from off the street. The amount of offenses fell quickly, with the amount of youth homicide being decreased by more than 2/3rds. The lever-pulling initiative not only helps decrease the amount of crimes committed by young children, but also ultimately helps remove a future offender get on the right path as well.
Although the state of Milwaukee’s homicide problem is a huge issue, it is ultimately headed in the right direction. The numbers are decreasing, and neighborhoods are receiving support. Creating a safe environment for people to live is not just up to one person. All people that live, not just within the city but in the metro as well, must come together to help one another and help teach peace. There is a building in Bronzeville that has been abandoned for decades, that still boasts a sign in one of its windows. It says: Bronzeville. Peace in ourselves. Peace in our city. We must all come together to find peace within ourselves, so that our city can become peaceful.
