In response to what he described as increased brazenness among teens using firearms to steal property and commit other violent crimes, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman has called on parents and others in the community to intervene.
“We need you at the table. Our youth need you at the table. Be a part of the solution,” he said. “What are you doing to help?”
Some in the community are responding to Norman’s calls to action with their own.
Northwest Side resident Patricia Wilson said anyone who witnesses a crime, involving a youth or someone else, should step up.
But, she said, when you call the police, the department doesn’t do much. She wants more accountability.
“If a teacher has a majority of their students fail each year, the teacher is reprimanded and placed on a performance improvement plan, but the police department has hundreds of unsolved homicides every year, and their performance is never questioned,” Wilson said.
Kiomara Avila said parents are being blamed for issues that result from raising children in an unsafe environment. She said the solution lies with safer neighborhoods, better schools and more programming for youths.
“Stop washing your hands by saying it’s an ‘at home’ problem,” Avila said.
Catherine Lyons, a retired grandmother, believes that many of the issues that people are facing with youths begin at home.
“If there are no rules at home, what makes anyone think they’ll adhere to rules outside of the home?” Lyons asked.
Consequences for youths
Jamie Berta Gilane, who was carjacked and thrown from her car by a teenager in front of her daughter in 2022, said police and prosecutors don’t do enough to discourage young people from committing crimes.
The youth who stole her car eventually crashed her vehicle into a tree, she said. He was charged as a juvenile.
“We can do all we want, but there has to be consequences that mean something,” Gilane said.
Norman addressed the criminal justice system in his statement, saying that once an arrest is made and evidence is presented, the consequences are out of the police department’s hands.
“From our end, these consequences are not changing our youth’s behavior,” he said. “The kids we are arresting are reoffending. The community must intervene.”
Investing in young people
Amanda Avalos is co-executive director of Leaders Igniting Transformation, or LIT, which organizes young people behind issues that relate to social, racial and economic justice.
She said arresting and locking people up doesn’t make the community safer.
“Research shows that the safest communities are those where people have access to quality education, affordable housing and health care, economic opportunity, and shared public spaces,” Avalos said.
“In addition to asking what individuals can do to address these problems, Chief Norman should ask our elected officials to invest in what all young people in Milwaukee need to thrive in our society.”
‘Be present’
Michele Bria, chief executive officer for Journey House, a South Side organization that provides arts, academics, athletics and workforce development opportunities for youths and families, said she appreciated Norman’s call to action and openness to collaboration.
She wants residents and others to become more involved with local youths.
“Be present for our youth and listen to their aspirations and dreams. Help guide our young people to be all that they can be,” Bria said.
Bridget Whitaker, executive director of Safe & Sound, an organization that works with law enforcement, residents and others to increase safety, said she felt sincerity in Norman’s plea for help.
She wants the community to move away from an “it’s not my problem” mindset.
“I am a firm believer that the youth that end up in news headlines about a stolen vehicle or violent situation is a child that was left behind – a child that was not provided with the love and affection to believe that they mattered,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said her organization is working to reduce youth violence using various strategies, including a six-week series that engages young people on issues such as gun, family and dating violence.
“MPD cannot end violence alone, and (Chief Norman’s statement) highlights the urgent need for more people to get involved and inquire about how we can best support,” she said.
James Lair, a Milwaukee father of four, agreed.
“Cops can’t do it all,” he said. “Teachers, families, parents, the whole neighborhood need to help raise these kids.”
He said when he grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, neighborhoods were safer because everyone looked out for young people.
“Now everyone feels like ‘it’s not my problem,’ until something happens to them or their family,” he said.
A version of this story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
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