Dangerous Milwaukee/Killing of Miller Exec./Ramifications

[molitor fan]

Denver, with a population of 568,465, reported 1,748 violent crimes, including 19 homicides, during the first six months of 2007, according to FBI data released this month. Milwaukee, with a population of 581,005, reported 3,984 violent crimes, including 50 homicides.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=711750

That initial line, culled from the JS story on the murder of a Miller Brewing Exec., is stunning, and puts numbers to exactly how dangerous Milwaukee really is.

The death of the Miller executive will likely not cause SAB to rethink its longterm options, but as the story suggests, it came at a pretty rough time. Also, as the story mentions later with its naming of the victim's life partner, it will be interesting if more comes out in regard to potential hate crime factors, as it seems odd that the guy was shot after he had already given up his wallet.

[paul253]

I think the problem is a lot more deeply rooted than just violence. Number One, I don't know what Denver's School system is like, but Milwaukee's is horrible. I was out driving around today in some not so good area, and literally half the people I saw were of school age. MPS needs to crack down on truants by holding their parent's or guardian's responsible. Every time their kid has an unexcused absence after say, three warnings, the parent's should be ticketed. The only way we can get the kids to go to school is to have their parents pay if they don't. We also need to eliminate that ridiculous rule requiring MPS teachers to live in the city. They would attract better teachers if they weren't required to live in this tax hell....which leads right up to my next point. Taxes in the city and region are so high that they are driving businesses away, taking jobs with them. Obviously without jobs the quality of life goes down.

We also need to reform the welfare system. In my opinion, nobody who isn't working or SERIOUSLY trying to find a job should be getting a free monthly check from the state. Its a waste of money and promotes laziness. Obviously it does some good, but we need to eliminate the people who use it for bad purposes.

Finally, we need to start getting serious with sentences for violent crimes. In my opinion, there is no excuse for giving someone parole for killing someone. Armed robberies, burglaries, auto thefts.....all the penalties need to be increased. Chances are better than not that the person who killed the Miller exec has been in jail before, and my guess is he has ties to a street gang.

[berniebrewer4life]

When i read about this, my first thought was "well, this doesn't help milwaukee's cause to get the MillerCoors HQ here." Milwaukee has had bad crime for it's size for as long as i can remember(i'm 24). But at the same time, it's not detroit or anything.

[Crazyk1294]

paul253[/b]]I think the problem is a lot more deeply rooted than just violence. Number One, I don't know what Denver's School system is like, but Milwaukee's is horrible. I was out driving around today in some not so good area, and literally half the people I saw were of school age. MPS needs to crack down on truants by holding their parent's or guardian's responsible. Every time their kid has an unexcused absence after say, three warnings, the parent's should be ticketed. The only way we can get the kids to go to school is to have their parents pay if they don't. We also need to eliminate that ridiculous rule requiring MPS teachers to live in the city. They would attract better teachers if they weren't required to live in this tax hell....which leads right up to my next point. Taxes in the city and region are so high that they are driving businesses away, taking jobs with them. Obviously without jobs the quality of life goes down.

We also need to reform the welfare system. In my opinion, nobody who isn't working or SERIOUSLY trying to find a job should be getting a free monthly check from the state. Its a waste of money and promotes laziness. Obviously it does some good, but we need to eliminate the people who use it for bad purposes.

Finally, we need to start getting serious with sentences for violent crimes. In my opinion, there is no excuse for giving someone parole for killing someone. Armed robberies, burglaries, auto thefts.....all the penalties need to be increased. Chances are better than not that the person who killed the Miller exec has been in jail before, and my guess is he has ties to a street gang.

 

You hit just about everything. The tax climate in this city is awful and the dysfunction of the inner city is beyond repair at this point. MPS can't be repaired until the dysfunctional families and values in the inner city are addressed.

 

I live in an OK part of Milwaukee, but I fear 5 or 10 years down the road this part of the city won't be OK anymore will probably end up selling my house and moving to the 'burbs.

[brewcrewreview]

paul253 and Crazyk1294,

There was no school today for MPS students. It was a banking day for teachers and the students had the day off.

[paul253]

haha....what is a banking day? But either way, you get my point about kids missing school though right?

[RyDogg66]

Ticket the same parents that wont keep their kids in school? Like that will have ANY affect whatsoever.

[gypcasino]

and puts numbers to exactly how dangerous Milwaukee really is.

Basically, two areas of Milwaukee are dangerous. It's not the whole city that's dangerous.

[temke]

i taught for MPS for 3 years, my wife has taught for 6 (still does) and i dont think either of us can explain exactly what a "banking day" is. it basically means teachers sit in stupid meetings for half the day, sit around and "plan" for the other half, and kids have the day off http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[paul253]

Ticket the same parents that wont keep their kids in school? Like that will have ANY affect whatsoever.

 

It would so make difference and here's why.....if the parents are actually people who would pay their tickets, then thats about $175 down the drain because their kid didn't go to school. Do you think that the parents would let it happen again after getting fined $175? If they don't pay the ticket, it will turn into a warrant, which will eventually turn into an arrest. Personally, if they are the kind of people who don't pay attention to their kids and don't pay tickets, then they are better off not being on the streets. If it's a single parent who gets arrested, then it will probably force the Bureau of Child Welfare to get involved, which is also a good thing.

Basically, two areas of Milwaukee are dangerous. It's not the whole city that's dangerous.

It may be only two areas, but it is two really big areas. On the north side, I'd say everywhere from about McKinley St on the south to about Good Hope to the North, and from about Holton on the East to around 60th St on the west is an area I would never buy a house in. There are all sorts of violent street gangs out there that half of us have never even heard of. Anyone ever hear of the Buffum Meinecke Boys? Neither did I till about 2 weeks ago, but they have no problem shooting and robbing people. On the south side, I dont know the area very well, but there are also a lot of Hispanic Street gangs in the area who apparently don't mind trying to murder cops. I'd be willing to say there are more bad areas than good areas, because basically everything in the center part of the city, north and south, is violent.

[rluzinski]

A funny thing happened to me when I went to Milwaukee public schools. I wasn't a complete screw up (just half of one), so I did OK and have gone on to accomplish some spectacularly mediocre things in my life. Do I think the school system is something to boast about? Of course not. But to assume that children are bad because the school system is bad is COMPLETELY bass ackward, IMO.

[hawing]

i taught for MPS for 3 years, my wife has taught for 6 (still does) and i dont think either of us can explain exactly what a "banking day" is. it basically means teachers sit in stupid meetings for half the day, sit around and "plan" for the other half, and kids have the day off http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

So it's what other districts call 'in-service'?

 

 

[bullox]

"MPS needs to crack down on truants by holding their parent's or guardian's"

 

 

Yes, students should go to school so they realize that the words parents and guardians used in that context do not need an apostrophe.

[bball123h2]

It would so make difference and here's why.....if the parents are actually people who would pay their tickets, then thats about $175 down the drain because their kid didn't go to school. Do you think that the parents would let it happen again after getting fined $175? If they don't pay the ticket, it will turn into a warrant, which will eventually turn into an arrest. Personally, if they are the kind of people who don't pay attention to their kids and don't pay tickets, then they are better off not being on the streets. If it's a single parent who gets arrested, then it will probably force the Bureau of Child Welfare to get involved, which is also a good thing.

I agree with you in theory, however we would probably need to double the size of the police force just to enforce this one rule. Part of the problem is that city cops are so busy dealing with other inner-city issues that truancy is essentially ignored.

 

[RyDogg66]

It would so make difference and here's why.....if the parents are actually people who would pay their tickets, then thats about $175 down the drain because their kid didn't go to school. Do you think that the parents would let it happen again after getting fined $175? If they don't pay the ticket, it will turn into a warrant, which will eventually turn into an arrest. Personally, if they are the kind of people who don't pay attention to their kids and don't pay tickets, then they are better off not being on the streets. If it's a single parent who gets arrested, then it will probably force the Bureau of Child Welfare to get involved, which is also a good thing.

What if the parents drop the kid off at school, watch the kid walk into school, only to have the kid ditch school later on while the parent is at work? My guess is if the City were to implement this tactic and arrest and jail the parents that we'd be looking at a lot of orphaned kids in the city of Milwaukee.

 

 

 

[bork]

I work in Walker's Point (Allen Bradley Clocktower). The southside is getting worse. Most of the crime used to be more west of 43, but it's moving into Walker's Point and Bay View. Those areas are just starting to re-develop as the Third Ward development moves south. I'm afraid what a high profile crime like this could do to the area. Start keeping people away and businesses thinking twice about coming there. I'm really starting to think twice about visiting some of the businesses in the area.

[Crazyk1294]

RyDogg66[/b]]

paul253[/b]]It would so make difference and here's why.....if the parents are actually people who would pay their tickets, then thats about $175 down the drain because their kid didn't go to school. Do you think that the parents would let it happen again after getting fined $175? If they don't pay the ticket, it will turn into a warrant, which will eventually turn into an arrest. Personally, if they are the kind of people who don't pay attention to their kids and don't pay tickets, then they are better off not being on the streets. If it's a single parent who gets arrested, then it will probably force the Bureau of Child Welfare to get involved, which is also a good thing.

What if the parents drop the kid off at school, watch the kid walk into school, only to have the kid ditch school later on while the parent is at work? My guess is if the City were to implement this tactic and arrest and jail the parents that we'd be looking at a lot of orphaned kids in the city of Milwaukee.

 

 

 

 

I may have been known to do this back in my high school days-and as soon as my parents found out I skipped school I was in deep (poo) and didn't do it again.

 

The point is that there is not enough parental involvement in man of these families. While I agree that this tactic probably wouldn't work on all the kids, it would at least wake up some of the parents to get involved in the lives of their children and prevent them from going down thug-road.

Something needs to be done and I don't have the answer.

[paul253]

What if the parents drop the kid off at school, watch the kid walk into school, only to have the kid ditch school later on while the parent is at work? My guess is if the City were to implement this tactic and arrest and jail the parents that we'd be looking at a lot of orphaned kids in the city of Milwaukee.

 

Its not like I'm suggesting that if your kid misses school you go straight to jail. Like I said, its a municipal ticket, its only if the parent doesn't pay the ticket would it turn into a warrant....eventually. And if I had to I would physically walk my kid into the classroom and sit them down in there chair to make sure they went to school. There certainly could be some lenience for parent's who are trying like that

[craigharmann]

I work in Walker's Point (Allen Bradley Clocktower). The southside is getting worse. Most of the crime used to be more west of 43, but it's moving into Walker's Point and Bay View. Those areas are just starting to re-develop as the Third Ward development moves south. I'm afraid what a high profile crime like this could do to the area. Start keeping people away and businesses thinking twice about coming there. I'm really starting to think twice about visiting some of the businesses in the area.

Anyone remember Northridge?? Just the thought that there could be crime will keep some people away. I lived in a couple of smallish cities, and I knew people who were afraid to go to Milwaukee for Bucks games, shopping, etc. I can remembed, as a kid, when my dad and I would go down to Milwaukee, he took me to the area where he grew up, on 25th street. Once we got to Fond du Lac Ave, he told me to lock the door. I can remember not understanding, and that was in the late 80's/early 90's. Now, it makes sense. It's sad that such an amazing city with such history and such potential may not realize that potential if changes aren't made.

[temke]

basically hawing. russ...it is surprising how many successes there have been/were/are at tech. there were some really great kids there. i think they took the road you described. fairly smart but could afford to screw around a little. just like normal HS kids.

 

you just never hear about the good kids on the news

[patrickgpe]

the tax climate in this city is far more damning than one exec being murdered outside of a bar.

[Invader3K]

Clear out the inner city and start over. Expect people to behave like humans and not like animals, and let the cops do their jobs properly.

[homer]

The murder rate in Milwaukee has gone down since the early 90's.

[sgtcluels]

Anyone have trending on violent crime rate?

 

I have no idea how you could solve crime issues. The movie Idiocracy, for all it's crappyness does hit one things on the head. It seems that the lesser dregs of society procreate at a much much faster rater then more responsible people. It seems, as a non-parent that allot of the issues stem from horrible parenting. People who do not try to teach their kids some kind of morale compass and social contract, who let their kids roam the street. I'm not saying fantastic parents can't produce horrible children, or fantastic children do not come from horrible parents. But it seems like a lot has to do with crappy parenting.

 

How do you fix it? Got me. That's for smarter people to figure out.

[rluzinski]

Everyone agrees that there is a problem. Only the truly naive think that there's a clear and simple solution.